UPDATE: A two-year-old girl found near McLean Road south of Powell River after being missing for over three hours has been discharged from hospital after passing routine checks for hypothermia.
Is it now believed that the girl went looking for her mother, who had left for her morning walk. The girl was found around 1:30 pm alongside the trail near the end of McLean Road, a place where her family often went for walks and a significant distance away from home for a toddler.
"Because it was a cold day out, they took her to the hospital as a precaution, just to rule out a delayed onset of hypothermia or anything like that," said RCMP constable Tim Kenning. "She was very cold and wet and scared, but other than that she's fine."
A two-year-old girl who went missing south of town on the morning of Monday, November 30, has been located by Powell River RCMP unharmed.
The girl was reported missing from her home near Highway 101 and McLean Road at approximately 10 am and was found over three hours later around 1:30 pm. Police, Powell River Search and Rescue, Malaspina Volunteer Fire Department and a number of community volunteers had assembled a large search team and scoured the area to find the child.
"It was definitely a joint effort," said RCMP constable Tim Kenning. "There was community support from everyone in the neighbourhood."
The girl was not adequately dressed for the weather and had wandered away from the rural family property, according to police. A search dog was helicoptered in to help locate the child, who was cold but did not sustain any injuries.
"Luckily, it's been warming up out there," said Kenning, "but, yes, it was very cold."
The surrounding area was a combination of large, multipurpose rural properties and rugged forested terrain, according to police.
The girl was immediately reunited with her parents upon being found.
