Nearly two weeks after being discovered at the bottom of a ravine, 13-year-old Dakota “Cody” Trenkle Jr. has awakened from an 11-day medically induced coma, and mother, Stephanie Neely, is feeling hopeful for the first time since her son had disappeared.
“[It took] 11 long days after being missing for 80 hours for me to have hope that Cody was going to be okay,” she said. Cody went missing on July 27 while skateboarding in Goose Creek Lake, Mo, enduring more than three days without food or water.
On July 30, Cody’s skateboard was found about half a mile from his home by his brother. That evening, the Farmington Correctional Center K-9 unit brought in a bloodhound named Darrell, who successfully tracked him to a ravine. There, he was discovered lying in a foot of water, gravely injured.
He was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital where doctors identified life-threatening conditions: several brain bleeds, a skull fracture, deep wounds across his body, severe head trauma, and weakened kidneys. Because his injuries impacted his ability to breathe, he was placed on a ventilator and put into a medically induced coma.
Throughout his coma, Neely remained at his bedside, refusing to lose hope. On August 8, small signs of recovery appeared, Cody started to become responsive. The following day, August 9, he made an emotional breakthrough, signing “I love you” in American Sign Language to his mother.
“That moment was pivotal to me,” she recalled to PEOPLE. “It’s made the last couple weeks of stress, heartache, hope, gratitude, sadness, and pain worth it because that small gesture meant my boy was coming back to me.” On August 10, doctors removed the ventilator, marking a major turning point in his condition.
Cody’s improvement in his condition was visible almost immediately. “When Cody was being weaned off sedation, off the ventilator, and became more alert, he looked at me and said, ‘Mama, I’m thirsty, I need a 16-ounce Coke from McDonald’s!’” Neely shared.
Determined to lift his spirits, she brought him a Burger King Whopper soon after. On August 11, he enjoyed his first real meal—a burger and a Coke. Although he remained on light sedation briefly, Neely noted that “the last 24 hours have been very difficult for him pain-wise” once sedation fully stopped.
View this post on Instagram
His recovery, however, comes with steep physical challenges. “He can’t walk due to injuries and also loss of muscle mass during his time in the coma,” Neely explained. His ability to speak for long stretches is limited by pneumonia, infections, and exhaustion.
Nelly told NBC affiliate KSDK that her son’s time in the water exposed him to a large amount of infectious bacteria, leading to severe respiratory issues. The 240-foot fall into the ravine also caused significant back wounds. “His brain injuries are still very prominent,” Neely said, adding that he will be transferred to a pediatric hospital with specialized physical, occupational, and psychological rehabilitation programs.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of injuries.
Dakota ‘Cody’ Trenkle Jr., 13, a Missouri boy missing for over four days, has been found alive in a ravine near his home, but remains in critical condition after suffering serious injuries. Cody was reported… pic.twitter.com/FPQqrOeDmt
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) August 1, 2025
Despite the hardships ahead, Neely is filled with pride at her son’s determination. “I’ve known he was a fighter since he was born. He was born super preemie, and he fought for his life then, and now, almost 14 years later, he’s doing it again,” she said.
Calling him “strong, resilient, and stubborn,” she believes his spirit saved him. “He wasn’t going to give up. And he’s like, ‘I’m not just gonna lay here and die.’ For him to finally come out of it two weeks after he went missing is huge. He’s still proving to everyone, ‘I’m fighting, I’m still here, I can survive.’”
