An Oregon family of four, missing for more than a week in Northern British Columbia, have been found safe.
Authorities in northern B.C. located the American couple and their two toddlers in a remote area on Wednesday afternoon after an exhaustive search.
“Our understanding is that they are in fair condition,” said Dave Jephsen of Terrace Search and Rescue, adding that it was a “very happy outcome, obviously.”
The group of four was spotted from the air by search and rescue teams from Terrace, Stewart and Smithers around 3 p.m. Wednesday and rescued from the west side of Kinaskan Lake shortly thereafter. RCMP suggested they may have been out there for as long as 10 days.
Jephsen said he still did not know how they got out there, or why they had abandoned their vehicle, a black 2018 Toyota Yaris, which was found by BC Hydro crews on Monday, kicking off the search.
Dease Lake RCMP say the vehicle was found near a power line, about 500 metres from the highway.
The car, with Oregon licence plate 099KRW, had a sign on it indicating that the driver had possibly run out of fuel and had gone to get some, but all checks with area gas stations were unsuccessful, RCMP said.
RCMP said Jeffery Phan and Michelle Lesaca, both 24, and their two children Satana Phan, 3, and Satan Phan, 2, planned to travel to the Philippines from Oregon but changed their plans.
Investigators say that on Friday, May 25, they checked into the airport in Portland but cancelled the ticket and never boarded the plane.
Instead, the family drove to Canada, where they entered at the Roosville border crossing near Fernie on June 9.
Jephsen credited the citizens of northern B.C. for coming together to mount a successful search, but admitted there were still many questions left unanswered.
“Why the vehicle ended up there, we don’t know,” he said. “Why they ended up in northern B.C., we don’t know. Thank goodness (the car) was where it was.”
