Body of giant financial firm CEO and Steeler’s partial owner found after loyal dog led searchers to horrifying discovery

A frantic 911 call put a desperate search in motion.

When rescue teams rushed to find a missing CEO, they never expected one detail would crack a case wide open.

And the body of LendingTree’s CEO was located after his loyal dog led searchers to the horrifying discovery of his body following a tragic alleged accident.

The urgent 911 call from the farm

Doug Lebda built a fortune by revolutionizing online lending through LendingTree, the company he founded in 1996 after getting frustrated with his own mortgage process.¹

The 55-year-old fintech CEO amassed a $305 million net worth, owned a piece of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and co-chaired the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte.²

But on October 12, Lebda’s dream farm in Mill Spring, North Carolina became the scene of tragedy.

At 7:31 p.m., a panicked employee called 911 to report Lebda missing.³

"I need everybody because this owner has disappeared at this farm right here where the pond is," the caller told dispatchers.⁴

Lebda had taken his red Honda Pioneer ATV out around 3 p.m. for a ride across the sprawling 277-acre property.⁵

More than four hours later, nobody could find him.

The CEO didn’t have his phone, and his wife Megan had been calling from their Charlotte home trying to reach him.⁶

"I just work for him, and I’m over here trying to find him," the employee explained.⁷

A labradoodle’s barking broke through the darkness

The 911 caller revealed one crucial detail — Lebda had his "little labradoodle" with him on the farm.⁸

"We heard the dog barking a while ago, but now we can’t find the dog," the employee said. "The dog is with Doug."⁹

Minutes into the call at 7:35 p.m., the employee suddenly interrupted: "I heard that dog! He barked one time. He’s on that hill. … There it was again."¹⁰

The dispatcher asked if the barking sounded distressed.

The employee responded it was "just barking across the dam."¹¹

By 7:36 p.m., Polk County Sheriff’s deputies were racing to the property along with fire, medical, and emergency management teams.¹²

Sheriff’s deputies arrived first at 7:51 p.m.¹³

A drone was requested to help search the vast property less than ten minutes later.¹⁴

But the loyal labradoodle had already done the hard work.

At 8:06 p.m., rescuers found Lebda’s body "pinned under the overturned side-by-side" ATV.¹⁵

The scene was cleared by 9:46 p.m.¹⁶

A Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigator determined there were no signs of foul play.¹⁷

The dream farm turned into a nightmare

Lebda had purchased the riverfront farm for $2.75 million in July — just two months before the fatal accident.¹⁸

His family said he had long dreamed of owning such a property.¹⁹

The sprawling estate featured 1.5 miles of private Green River frontage, a 5.5-acre stocked pond, hardwood forests, and open fields for hunting and fishing.²⁰

The property included a three-bedroom barndominium about 80 miles west of Charlotte, roughly 20 minutes from Lake Lure.²¹

Lebda lived a life of luxury befitting his massive wealth.

He owned a $10.6 million mansion on North Carolina’s Wrightsville Beach, a Nantucket hideaway, and a yacht.²²

The Pennsylvania native started LendingTree after his own frustrating mortgage experience in 1994.²³

He launched the company in 1998, took it public in 2000, and sold it to IAC before helping spin it off again as an independent company in 2008.²⁴

LendingTree employs nearly 1,000 people and reported $900 million in revenue last year.²⁵

Lebda is survived by his wife Megan and three daughters — Rachel, Abby, and Sophia.²⁶

In a statement, Megan described her husband as "an amazing man with a heart so big it seemed to have room for everyone he met."²⁷

"Our hearts are broken, but we are also deeply grateful for the love and support that has poured in from across the world," she added.²⁸

Steelers President Art Rooney II praised Lebda as "a visionary leader in the business world whose innovations in financial services leave a lasting impact."²⁹

"Beyond his professional achievements, he was a generous individual who cared deeply about his family and community," Rooney said.³⁰

Former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, who considered Lebda a friend, called him "one of America’s greatest entrepreneurs."³¹

Scott Peyree, LendingTree’s chief operating officer, was immediately appointed CEO following Lebda’s death.³²

The company’s board pledged to "honor Doug’s vision" and continue the work he started.³³

Lebda’s loyal labradoodle helped find him that awful night, but nothing could change the tragic ending to what should have been a simple ATV ride around the dream farm he’d worked so hard to own.

¹ CNN Business, "LendingTree CEO and founder Doug Lebda dies in ATV accident," October 13, 2025.

² The Charlotte Observer, "’I heard the dog!’ How a pet led rescuers to LendingTree CEO’s body at NC farm," October 18, 2025.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Ibid.

⁸ Ibid.

⁹ Ibid.

¹⁰ Ibid.

¹¹ Ibid.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Ibid.

¹⁴ Ibid.

¹⁵ Ibid.

¹⁶ Ibid.

¹⁷ Ibid.

¹⁸ Ibid.

¹⁹ Ibid.

²⁰ Yahoo News, "New details emerge in LendingTree CEO’s death in ATV crash on NC family farm," October 14, 2025.

²¹ Ibid.

²² Daily Mail, "$305m CEO was found pinned under overturned ATV after fatal crash at his ‘dream farm,’" October 23, 2025.

²³ CNN Business, "LendingTree CEO and founder Doug Lebda dies in ATV accident," October 13, 2025.

²⁴ Ibid.

²⁵ WHQR, "LendingTree CEO Doug Lebda died over the weekend in ATV accident," October 13, 2025.

²⁶ NBC News, "LendingTree founder and CEO Doug Lebda dies in ATV accident," October 13, 2025.

²⁷ Ibid.

²⁸ Ibid.

²⁹ The Mirror US, "Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner remembered after tragic death in ATV accident," October 14, 2025.

³⁰ Ibid.

³¹ Axios Charlotte, "Lending Tree CEO Doug Lebda dies in an ATV accident," October 13, 2025.

³² CNN Business, "LendingTree CEO and founder Doug Lebda dies in ATV accident," October 13, 2025.

³³ Ibid.