ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo. – A young boy rescued in St. Francois County after days without food or water remains in a coma. But new details show his 11-year-old brother is the one who helped make a major breakthrough in the rescue.

Cody Trenkle, 13, was found last Wednesday in a ravine in St. Francois County after he had been missing for three days. His mom, Stephanie Neely, has not left his side in the hospital ever since.

"I'm grateful and hopeful, terrified still, because he's still in critical condition," she said.

It was early Sunday on July 27 when Cody hopped on his skateboard and headed toward a friend's house. Then, he disappeared

"Since that day, that evening, I never stopped looking for him," Neely said.

An entire community around Goose Creek Lake joined in the search through thick woods and rugged terrain. Wednesday, Cody's 11-year-old brother, Stephen, made a life-saving discovery.

"He spotted the skateboard lying on the side of the road and immediately slapped the hood of the truck and said, ‘Grandma! Grandma! I found the skateboard!’" Neely said.

That put Farmington Correctional Center K9 Darrell on the right track. The rescue team found Cody approximately 500 yards away and 240 feet down a ravine, in a foot of water.

"He didn't know his name. He didn't know where he was," Neely said.

Cody was airlifted to a St. Louis area hospital. He’d been exposed to the elements for nearly 80 hours, suffered brain bleeding, severe head trauma, pneumonia, and other infections from being in the water for so long.

"Some things will get better some days and then we'll take three steps backward with another thing," Neely said.

The St. Francois County sheriff does not suspect foul play but hopes Cody will wake up and shed some light on what happened.

"I have not left his side since he's been in the hospital, and I refuse to. Not until he's awake," Neely said.

Cody has been in intensive care since his rescue and there is no timeframe for when he might be able to leave the hospital. A family member has set up a GoFundMe page for people who want to help support Cody's recovery.