BOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT/WSAZ) - More than 12 hours of searching finally came to an end, leaving loved ones and a community breathing a collective sigh of relief.

A missing teenager with autism was found safe and sound about 7:15 Thursday night.

Dozens of volunteers came out to help search crews after hearing about the missing teen.

Geoffrey "Brayden" Reffitt took off Thursday morning from his home in the Summit area of Boyd County.

Rescue crews and volunteers spent the day combing a one-mile radius around his home.

Josh Thompson says he learned about the story and saw Brayden's picture on our sister stations website.

"My heart has been telling me all day to go find this boy, and I had a feeling I was going to find him,” Thompson said. “That's the craziest thing about it."

Thompson spotted the 14-year-old standing in a ditch along Hatchery Road about 7:15.

"I just said ‘Everybody's looking for you, would you like to go home?’” Thompson said, “He said, ‘Well, I kind of ran away from home, and I think my mom is mad at me.’ I said ‘No, I promise when you go home she'll give you the biggest hug she's ever given you."

Brayden was physically ok, just cold and hungry.

Thompson took him to the command post that search crews had been set up. He was taken to the hospital from there to be checked out.

His family was extremely relieved and thankful.

"They were very excited,” Boyd EMS Director Tom Adams said, “very emotional and very happy to see this turned out the way it did."