Search volunteer recounts finding a missing Burns Lake girl

The relief and emotions felt on Sunday are ones Houston Search and Rescue (SAR) Ground Search Team Lead Glen Franz said he won’t forget.

That evening at 6:00, six-year-old Oaklynn Schweder was located after being reported missing three days earlier.

When he received the request from RCMP to assist, he said dropping everything and helping wasn’t an issue.

“It’s always scary when it’s a little girl. I have kids of my own so it’s one of those searches you really want to go to,” said Franz.

Resources from across the province were called to the community of Southbank, south of Burns Lake, where the search took place.

“I couldn’t believe the amount of people we saw. There was SAR from all over the province, community groups, first nation, people from everywhere,” he said.

At most, about 800 people were helping to search for her either prepping meals, providing transportation, or working grounds to locate Schweder.

Weather conditions weren’t favourable for the search as it was cold, wet, windy, and the terrain was steep.

“This is not the first time that we’ve done searches like this, and you have to prepare for multiple days,” Franz added.

While searching, he was also thinking about Schweder’s survival in these conditions.

“Sunday, she’s already been out there for three days and three nights, so it was crucial. All our team was just thinking, ‘We have to find her.’”

After having searched most of their area that day, teams were told it was time to start heading back to the main muster point and regroup.

As Franz’s team was heading back and rechecking an area, one member mentioned hearing a voice.

“My radio was pretty loud so I turned it down and listened again, and all of a sudden, ‘I heard it again,’” he said.

The group started calling out the girl’s name and through that communication were able to locate her in a ravine.

“It was an incredible feeling because so many days she was gone and still walking towards us and talking the way she talks,” said Franz.

After doing a basic first aid check, the group let everyone know she was found and brought her back to the marshal area.

Throughout the entire experience after then, he said there was a wave of relief especially because she was in “remarkable condition.”

“Radioing back to the base, it was almost like there was a pause. It was unbelievable,” he added.

That sense of relief Franz felt in that moment he believed was shared among all the volunteers and search members as the group returned Schweder to her parents.

During the search, RCMP and SAR teams believed she was moving around during the search which made locating her more difficult.

“One of the things we always teach people, and I think parents teach the same thing is if your lost, stay put and wait for someone to rescue you,” Franz said.