A nonverbal six-year-old girl who was lost in a Canadian forest for three days has been reunited with her parents in a heartwarming moment captured on video.
Oaklynn Schweder, who her family has described as autistic and nonverbal, was located shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday in a wooded area between her British Columbia home and the Skin Tyee First Nation band office. Kelowna Now reports.
She was last seen outside her home on September 19 at 6pm, triggering a massive search involving drones, helicopters and police dogs as the young woman remained alone for three days. according to Prince George Citizen.
Schweder, whose family says she likes to squeeze into small spaces, is now believed to have moved around a lot while she was missing.
Finally, on Sunday night, a video showed Schweder’s parents, Gail Skin and James Schweder, running into a wooded area and Skin scooping up her infant daughter while screaming and crying “baby girl.”
Oaklynn Schweder, who has been described by her family as autistic and non-verbal, was located shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday after going missing three days earlier.
The video showed Schweder’s parents, Gail Skin and James Schweder, running into a wooded area, with Skin lifting her infant son into her arms.
The couple later emerged from the woods and came to a clearing, where volunteers wrapped Oaklynn in a blanket as they cheered and applauded the little girl’s discovery and hugged her parents.
Schweder did not appear to have any visible injuries, but was taken to Burns Lake Hospital for further medical evaluation as members of the Skin Tyee Nation presented her with gifts and played traditional music. according to Castañuela.
“This is the outcome we were all hoping for,” said Sergeant Joshua Smith, commander of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment in Burns Lake.
He added that ‘everyone searching for her remains dedicated to bringing her home safely.’
“We are grateful for the support of all our partner agencies and volunteers who worked day and night to achieve this result.”
Schweder did not appear to have any visible injuries, but was taken to Burns Lake Hospital for further medical evaluation.
Volunteers cheered as the girl was taken to safety Sunday night.
More than 600 volunteers joined police, British Columbia Wildlife Service and Search and Rescue teams in the multi-day search for Oaklynn that began Friday night.
The Skin Tyee First Nation Band, of which Schweder is a member, also helped coordinate volunteers and provide them with food and shelter. National Post report.
“The community really came together, helping to share information, feed and house volunteers, provide transportation, parking in town and (provide) a staging area,” Burns Lake SAR said in a Facebook post.
In their own social media posts, Schweder’s parents also expressed their gratitude to everyone who helped locate their little girl.
“Oh my gosh I can’t believe it we now have our daughter home safe and sound I’m so happy,” James Schweder posted on Monday.
Members of the Skin Tyee Nation gave Schweder gifts and played traditional music when they found her.
‘I also can’t believe how much support and love we received from the different agencies and volunteers who came and helped us in these dark times.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for their help and support over the past few days,” he added.
Skin, for her part, shared that her daughter was sleeping peacefully.
“I’m sitting there looking at my little girl, watching her sleep and I’m so thankful she’s here by my side,” she wrote.
“Thank you once again to everyone who helped in any way to bring my little girl back home.”
In a separate post, she shared that considering the ordeal she went through, Oaklynn is “going to have the biggest birthday party ever.”
He will turn seven on September 30th.
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