A local man came to the rescue when a 3-year-old little girl named Serenity Dawn Sanders recently went missing in Alabama. She was last seen last Thursday night. Thankfully, early Friday morning she was found by a family friend. But the story doesn't end there.
Eric Gilbreath, the man who found her actually drove over 2 hours to search for Serenity. Serenity's mom had called him on Thursday night in a panic and that's when he made the decision to step in and help.
He said receiving the call was terrifying, "Your heart just falls out on the floor. My first thought was helping to get out there and looking. I wasn't going to give up,". Even though he lives 2 hours away, he knew he had to make a trip to help out.
Eric remembered that there was a wooded area close to Serenity's home so he decided to search there first. He went searching the area by himself with only a flashlight. After a few hours of walking the ridges in the woods back and forth, he finally found Serenity with her family dog.
Eric recounted, "That dog was still right there by her side. She was standing there behind the tree." Once Eric and Serenity were ready to make their way out of the woods, Eric started having trouble remembering which way was out. So, Eric came up with an idea to use his hearing to guide them.
He listened to the direction of a police car siren to get them both to safety. While walking back, Eric reminded Serenity to never go anywhere without her mom. Thankfully, they both made it out of the woods and Serenity seemed completely unharmed. Though she was sent to a hospital just in case.
What an amazing story! God surely was looking out for Serenity. And I'm so glad Eric listened to his gut instinct to go and help find Serenity, even if that meant driving 2 hours away. Eric is a true hero! Thank you, Lord, for protecting Serenity.
Credit: WHNT 19 News
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