The barking of LendingTree CEO Doug Lebda’s loyal “little labradoodle” led first responders to the body of the 55-year-old after he vanished during an ATV ride on his North Carolina farm, according to 911 records released by authorities.
Lebda, a father of three and longtime tech executive, was found pinned beneath his overturned ATV on his 277-acre property in Mill Spring on Oct. 12, officials in Polk County told the Charlotte Observer.
Someone who called 911 around 7:30 p.m. that day reported that Lebda had gone out on the vehicle about four hours earlier without his phone — but with his dog.
“I need everybody because this owner has disappeared at this farm right here where the pond is,” the caller told the dispatcher, according to county records cited by the Charlotte Observer.
The caller said he and others had been searching the vast property when they suddenly heard barking in the distance.
“I heard that dog! He barked one time. He’s on that hill … There it was again,” the man told the dispatcher, describing the sound coming from across a dam.
Deputies and emergency crews rushed to the scene minutes later. At 8:06 p.m. — about 35 minutes after the call came in — they found Lebda’s body, pinned under the overturned ATV.
His faithful pooch stayed nearby, Polk County records show.
Investigators determined there were no signs of foul play, a county spokesperson said.
Lebda bought the sprawling riverfront property for $2.75 million in July, fulfilling what friends said was a longtime dream to own a rural retreat.
The entrepreneur, who launched LendingTree in 1996 after struggling to secure his first mortgage, often split time between Charlotte, N.C. and the farm.
LendingTree confirmed Lebda’s death, calling it a “devastating loss.”
The company described him as a “visionary leader whose relentless drive, innovation and passion transformed the financial services landscape, touching the lives of millions of consumers.”
President and COO Scott Peyree was immediately named as Lebda’s successor, with longtime board member Steve Ozonian appointed chairman.
“The news of losing Doug was devastating,” Peyree said, adding that the company would continue to carry out his vision.
Lebda’s widow, Megan, said it was “impossible to capture the depth of who Doug was and what he meant to all of us,” describing her husband as compassionate and endlessly curious.
“His energy was magnetic, his smile contagious, and his presence was a source of comfort and inspiration,” she added.
A public memorial for Lebda was held Oct. 19 at Founders Hall in uptown Charlotte, where his daughters, Rachel and Abby, remembered him as “the most incredible man” and promised, “Don’t worry, Dad. We have each other now.”
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