A 17-year-old boy was fatally struck by lightning while hunting in Union Parish on Saturday,

Deputies and paramedics were called to a wooded area near the Weldon community in Bernice, about 240 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, to investigate reports of an injured person and found Colton Gauge Honeycutt inside an elevated deer stand.

"Family members had become concerned when Honeycutt did not return from deer hunting earlier in the evening," the sheriff's office said.

Investigators believe Honeycutt died after lightning struck the deer stand as storms rolled through the area.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Union Parish coroner.

The sheriff's office said the incident remains under investigation.

Craig S. Honeycutt, who identified himself as Colton's uncle, posted a tribute t

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