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Man Drives 2 Hours To Search For Missing Toddler, Finds Her And Returns Her Safely

November 6, 2017

Serenity Dawn Sanders

When 3-year-old Serenity Dawn Sanders went missing, Eric Gilbreath received a phone call about it. He dropped everything and drove two hours from his home in Cullman, Alabama to get to DeKalb County where the little girl lived.

Gilbreath knew Serenity because she and his son share the same mother.

"Your heart just falls out on the floor. My first thought was helping getting out there and looking. I wasn't going to give up," Gilbreath recalled.

When he arrived to the wooded area off of County Road 957 he grabbed his spotlight and headed out alone.

"I just walked the ridge top, walked halfway down the ridge and walked the bottom of the ridge and went to the next one," Gilbreath said.

Eric Gilbreath

After several hours of searching, Gilbreath found Serenity along with her dog - about 600 yards from her house.

"That dog was still right there by her side. She was standing there behind the tree. I walked behind the tree she said, 'Hey Eric'," Gilbreath said.

On the walk back, Gilbreath said he reminded Serenity to never go anywhere without her mom.

The 3-year-old was transported to the hospital as a precaution but is expected to be fine.