RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. — A triad family celebrates tonight after finding their loved one.
You may remember we told you about Craig Cox of Randolph County, he went missing nearly a month ago.
His mother Diane Cox told WFMY News 2 her 43-year-old son used a paper map to drive about 1500 miles to Mexico.
"He's always talked about going to Mexico, and the good Lord took him to Mexico," she said.
Cox's trip took a turn for the worst when he went missing.
His mother told us her son is the glue that keeps their family together. She shared he has a schizophrenia diagnosis.
When he said he wanted to go on a vacation, she supported him.
"He told me he'd be on vacation for seven days, so I packed all of his medicine," his mother said.
She says her son left Randolph County on February 12th, the following day investigators said Cox entered Mexico briefly.
Craig's family reported him missing after not hearing from him for some time.
Investigators pinged Cox's last known location to Alabama. Shortly after, the Cox family turned to social media for help.
"The whole community rallied together to help to get him back," his sister Caroline said.
Good Samaritan Michael Estrada lives in Alabama. He has connections to the Cox family's church. He agreed to help and discovered Cox's location was only seven miles from his home in Hoover, Alabama.
"I drove over to the area, I went inside and talked to the owner of a Shell gas station and showed him a picture," Estrada recalled. "He said he's been here for about five days."
He said they made a deal to provide food for Cox, after finding him he alerted the family.
"We've been down there three times in Alabama looking for him," his sister said, "We were searching for him with flashlights and we found him."
Cox's sister Caroline told us her brother was found Saturday night.
"He said, 'I was just lost and he couldn't figure out how to get back home,"' she recalled.
The Cox family said Craig had no cell phone and no credit card. His mother said Cox left Randolph County with his truck and a map.
The family said they are thankful for everyone who helped them find their loved one.
"There's a lot of awesome people out there, you don't realize how awesome people are until you're in need of something like this," Diane said.
We asked the Good Samaritan why he helped and this was his response.
"I did it for Craig. Craig is the person that will benefit from being back with his family, and his medicines and the things that he needs in life. This brings me great joy," Estrada said.
The Cox family said they plan to celebrate their loved ones return home.