Chilliwack RCMP have confirmed that the bags stolen during a search and rescue operation for a missing seven-year-old girl have been returned.
They made the announcement on May 6. The equipment was taken from the search site on May 2, while Coquitlam Search and Rescue volunteers were assisting the Chilliwack Search and Rescue team in finding Lily Coursol, who had followed some of her neighbour's dogs into a densely wooded area near her rural home the day before, and disappeared.
Coursol was found in the afternoon of May 2, and returned safely to her grandmother after her overnight ordeal.
The heavy gear bags had contained specialized rescue equipment, and the search team had stashed them in the forest at the trail entrance at the end of Winona Road, in the Chilliwack River Valley, before beginning their search.
RCMP said that when the team returned to retrieve their bags, they discovered the equipment was missing. The total estimated value of the stolen equipment is approximately $10,000.
鈥淲e are grateful the bags were turned into police allowing this critical equipment to be returned,鈥� said Insp. Jeff Bowerman. 鈥淪AR volunteers are a vital part of our emergency response network, and their gear is essential to their safety and success in the field.鈥�
The RCMP did not release information about who had taken the bags, and how they were returned.
When the news that the bags had been stolen was made public, Chilliwack's Amber Price created a GoFundMe to help replace the volunteers' belongings. However, stolen and damaged search-and-rescue gear is covered through the Emergency Management and Climate Readiness program.
That fundraiser managed to raise more than $9,000, before Price was informed about the coverage through the program. She has said she is working on a fair solution on where to send the donations.
Meanwhile, Chilliwack Search and Rescue just moved into their new headquarters earlier this year and they still need to raise about $750,000 for the $4.3 million facility. To donate, go to .
