All Good News

Watch The Moment A Six-Year-Old Girl Is Found Safe After 3 Days Missing

September 24, 2024

Today's good news story comes from Southbank, British Columbia.

Six-year-old Oaklynn Schweder has been found alive and well after going missing for three terrifying days. The young girl, who had disappeared near her home on September 19, was discovered in a forested area between her house and the local Indian Band office.

Gail Skin / Facebook

Oaklynn was found by one of the volunteer Search and Rescue (SAR) teams. More than 600 volunteers had joined the police and SAR teams to search for Oaklynn, who is on the autism spectrum and is non-verbal.

A heart-stirring moment was captured on video by searcher Melissa Tom Dyck, who posted the footage on a Facebook group dedicated to the search efforts.

The video, which has since been shared over 10,000 times, shows Oaklynn’s mother, Gail Skin, rushing into the forest to embrace her daughter. Her father, James, followed close behind as the family emerged from the brush to the cheers, applause, and hugs of the search party.

Paramedics were on hand to check on Oaklynn, and her mother later shared updates on social media, expressing her overwhelming gratitude.

“My heart is so happy it could burst,” Gail wrote, along with photos of Oaklynn safe and sound. “I’m sitting here watching my baby girl sleep, and I’m just so grateful she’s beside me.”

The outpouring of support from the community and beyond played a pivotal role in bringing Oaklynn home.

"The community really came together assisting with sharing information, feeding and sheltering volunteers, transportation, parking in town and proving a staging area," Burns Lake SAR said in a post.