A toddler who wandered away from his family on Wednesday in B.C.’s backcountry was safely found three hours later, albeit five kilometres away.
Kelowna RCMP say a full-scale search was launched for the two-year-old boy, who went missing around 12:40 p.m., Aug. 12 in the Clark Lake recreational area north of Beaverdell.
A search and rescue group believes the boy walked logging roads and quad trails before being found by an uncle.
An unincorporated community in B.C.’s Boundary region, Beaverdell is located around 90 kilometres southeast of Kelowna on Highway 33.
It’s believed the family gathered for a get-together at a cabin.
The search included multiple support agencies, including Central Okanagan Search and Rescue, Grand Forks Search and Rescue and B.C. Conservation Officer Service, while Penticton Search and Rescue was placed on standby.
“Efforts to locate the young boy included the use of all-terrain vehicles, RCMP aircraft and Police Service Dogs to conduct extensive patrols of the trail systems and heavily forested terrain,” said Const. Solana Paré.
Police say just after 3:30 p.m., a family member safely located the boy.
Kelowna RCMP said the boy wandered several kilometres from where he was last seen, with Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) saying it was around five kilometres.
“Amazingly the boy was seemingly uninjured during the ordeal,” said Paré, noting police thanked those who helped search for the boy.
“He was safely reunited with the rest of his family a short time later.”
COSAR said a dozen members responded to the search request, including three spotters in a helicopter, with the others ready to search using quads, kayaks or on foot.
“Friends and family members of the missing child also joined the search, and (the) toddler was found by his uncle at the eight-kilometre mark of Beaver Creek Road around (4 p.m.),” COSAR said on Facebook.
“It is believed he walked approximately 5 km along quad trails and logging roads in the three hours he was missing.”
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