A tragic accident claimed the life of a Monroe, Louisiana teenager over the weekend after he was reportedly struck by lightning while hunting in a deer stand in rural Union Parish.
Authorities identified the victim as Colton Gauge Honeycutt, 17, of Monroe, who was pronounced dead at the scene by the Union Parish Coroner’s Office on Saturday evening.
According to officials, emergency responders from the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, Bernice Fire Department, and Pafford EMS were dispatched around 8:30 p.m. Saturday to a remote wooded area off Robert Welch Road near the Weldon community.Â
Responders were directed to the secluded location after receiving reports of an injured hunter.
When emergency crews arrived, they found Honeycutt inside an elevated deer stand. Family members had begun searching for him earlier in the evening after he failed to return home from a hunting trip.
Preliminary findings suggest Honeycutt was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm that moved through the area shortly before sunset, authorities said.
The incident remains under investigation by local officials.
Community members from Monroe and surrounding areas have expressed an outpouring of sympathy and support for the Honeycutt family in the wake of the devastating loss.
