A 13-year-old boy who went missing near Louisburg was found around 7 a.m. after search crews from two counties searched overnight. Jacob Popescu was last seen near M.C. Wilder Road, and teams used ATVs, drones and foot patrols in the search.
Jacob Popescu was reported missing Thursday evening, according to WRAL. Franklin County and Wake County teams joined the search for the boy, who is described as a white male wearing a blue shirt, shorts and shoes. The search took place Thursday night, and Jacob was found around 7 a.m. the following morning, per the same report.
Under North Carolina law, deputies were not permitted to enforce any waiting period before accepting the missing-person report. North Carolina General Statute § 143B-1015 requires law enforcement agencies to immediately make arrangements for entry into the national missing-persons file, according to the North Carolina General Assembly.
Why No AMBER Alert Was Issued
No statewide AMBER Alert has gone out for Jacob. North Carolina AMBER Alert criteria require that a child be believed abducted or in danger of injury or death; parental abductions qualify when the child's life is suspected to be in danger, according to the NC Center for Missing Persons. The criteria outline circumstances for issuing a statewide alert.
Missing-youth reports are not rare in North Carolina. The state clearinghouse processed over 9,000 missing person reports statewide in 2024, with juvenile runaways and missing youth accounting for a major portion of those cases, according to the NC Center for Missing Persons. The agency's clearinghouse operates around the clock to assist local sheriffs and police departments during active searches like the one that took place in Franklin County.
Rural Terrain Complicates the Ground Search
A Redfin listing describes a three-acre country home on M.C. Wilder Road and gives directions via Clifton Pond Road, according to the Redfin. Search teams used ATVs, drones and foot patrols during the search.
A North Carolina Department of Transportation runway extension project planned for 2026 involves realigning Mc Wilder Road and nearby utility infrastructure, per project documents posted on PublicInput. A Franklin County Civil Air Patrol squadron conducts search-and-rescue operations, according to the Civil Air Patrol.
A County Built for Cross-Agency Response
Franklin County and Wake County teams have joined the search effort. Wake County maintains formal mutual aid arrangements with neighboring rural counties to supply additional search dogs, drone operators and rescue personnel during large multi-agency operations, per the Town of Wake Forest.
Louisburg, the county seat, sits about 30 miles northeast of Raleigh and has a town population of roughly 3,800 within a county of about 75,000 residents, according to Wikipedia.
