Missing 7-year-old Chilliwack girl found safe after following neighbour’s dogs into woods

Chilliwack, B.C., RCMP said a missing girl has been found safe after a 24-hour search.

Lily was last seen around 4 p.m. on Thursday in the 50800 block of Winona Road. Police said she followed her neighbour’s dogs into a wooded area but did not return with them.

0:58 Missing 7-year-old girl in Chilliwack

A huge search response was launched in the area of Chilliwack Lake Road, including air and ground crews.

Tara Wick, Lily’s aunt, told Global News on Friday morning that she found out her niece was missing at 3:30 a.m.

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“I just called my brother immediately and raced down here and I was up in the bush for four hours looking for her and I’m just going to let them do their job and look for her properly,” she said.

“She’s very happy and funny and snarky and she’s seven. She loves the outdoors and animals and everything. She loves to play hide and seek, which is part of the problem.”

1:34 What happens when a person goes missing in B.C.?

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Insp. Jeff Bowerman of the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment said at a Friday afternoon press conference that the dogs returned about five minutes later but Lily did not.

A ground search, along with a drone with infrared search capabilities was launched immediately and the search was ramped up on Friday morning.

Residents in the area were asked to search sheds, outbuildings, and more for any sign of the missing girl.

It is not known at this time where exactly she was found.