UPDATE FRIDAY @ 6:40 pm
Wesley Anderson is the man who was able to track Brandon down. Anderson lives in Alum Creek and says, "I was determined to find him." Mr. Anderson rode 64 miles on ridgetops looking for Brandon when he heard him just before 10pm. Anderson didn't even want to be on the news, he says he was just doing what was right. He noticed some emergency crews in the area, asked them what they were doing and set out to help.

Kanawha County's Emergency Services Director Dale Petry says there are dozens and dozens of voluntees who helped in the search and he can't thank them enough. They include, Wesley Anderson, the Loudendale, Davis Creek & Alum Creek Volunteer Fire Departments; Kanwaha County Sheriffs Department and the WV State Police; The Metro 911 Command Center, The K9 Units and the West Virginia Bikers Association.

UPDATE FRIDAY @ 1:45pm
Metro 911 has released the audio recordings of the radio traffic when a Kanawha County Deputy announced that Brandon was found. Click on the link above to listen.

UPDATE FRIDAY @ 1:06pm
Brandon Maddy's family issued this statement:

Brandon and I would like to extend our tremendous appreciation to everyone who took Brandon into their hearts last night. We would like to thank all those whose tireless efforts and relentless search brought Brandon safely home. We would also like to extend our gratitude to everyone who was on the trail, to all those who were preparing to join the search, to all who kept him in their thoughts and to those who lifted him up in prayer.

We would like to give a special Thank You to Wesley Anderson, the gentleman who finally discovered Brandon’s location. In addition to Mr. Anderson, we would like to thank Kenneth and Ernie, the park rangers who immediately implemented the search and elicited the help from every hiker and Bicycle rider they encountered along the way.

Brandon’s safe return is a direct reflection of the efficiency they employed in contacting the fire department and county sheriff’s office. The fire department and sheriff’s deputies are to be commended for the strategies they devised and the competence they exhibited, along with the West Virginia Division of Forestry, the K-9 Search and Rescue team and volunteer groups.

We would also like to thank the media representatives who were so efficient in alerting the community to the need for help, and so kind an unobtrusive as we awaited updates on the search efforts and ultimately Brandon’s return to the command center. Thank you for respecting a very tired little boy and his distraught family.

Brandon stated that at time he was found, he was preparing a bed for the night with the intention of resuming his back-track of the trail he was on when daylight returned. He was careful to find an area away from a cliff, insuring that he would not roll over and find himself at the bottom of a hill and loose his way. He said that after saying “hi” to a bicycle rider, he never heard anyone until Mr. Anderson found him, other than hearing some rustling that he thought may have been a person on foot a bear.

The thoughts he expressed after he had received a clean bill of health were that perhaps Ms. Kinder, his third grade teacher, would forgive that he had not completed his homework.

Once again, Thank You to everyone who helped.

Sincerely,
Glenda Maddy

UPDATE @ 10:02pm
Metro 911 tells WSAZ that the child has been found by the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department. No word yet on his condition.

UPDATE @ 9:57pm
Brandon Maddy's family tells WSAZ that he was hiking with his family when he got lost.

NEW DESCRIPTION OF BRANDON:
+ Brown hair cut very short
+ 4'1" tall
+ Last seen wearing white T-shirt and blue jeans.

UPDATE @ 9:43pm
The EOC is asking anyone with information to call them directly at (304) 746-8828. Anyone wishing to help in the search should report to the incident command post near Dunlap Hollow in Kanawha State Forest.

UPDATE @ 9:18pm
The EOC has released the missing 8-year-old's name: Brandon Maddy. No picture of the boy is available yet.

UPDATE @ 9:12pm
The Metro 911 Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has been activated. Officials there tell WSAZ the boy was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. They are also using the WARN system, a mass telephone dialing system, to alert people in and around Kanawha State Forest.

They're asking people in the area to be on high alert for the boy.

UPDATE @ 8:44pm:
Dispatchers say a helicoper, State Police, and the Kanawha County mobile command unit are now at the scene to assist with the search.

Dispatchers tell WSAZ that the boy has been missing since about 5pm Thursday.

Crews from the DNR, fire department, and the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department are searching near the Dunlap Hollow area, according to dispatchers.

WSAZ has a crew on the way to the scene. Stay with WSAZ.com for the latest information.