Two Campbell River teens missing since Monday were tracked down by an RCMP dog on Quadra Island just after noon on Friday.
The search for Cora Potoski, 16, and Dommie Malcolmson, 15, had expanded Friday to include search-and-rescue crews and an RCMP helicopter.
“We’ve got them,” said a tearful Danyea Lamont, Cora’s mother, from her Campbell River home.
“I just want to touch her and know that she’s real. I don’t think I’ll ever want to let her go.”
Lamont said Cora’s father as well as the RCMP and search crews are with the girls.
“This is the outcome that we always hope for in searches,” said Const. Maury Tyre of Campbell River RCMP.
“We are so fortunate in Campbell River to have such an amazing dog and dog handler.”
Lamont is not yet sure of the plan to get the girls home.
The families expressed gratitude Friday for all those who searched for their daughters.
“I can’t express my gratitude enough,” said Lamont. “To everybody who shared the post and spread the word they were missing, to the Campbell River RCMP, Quadra Island RCMP, search and rescue crews and those operating air drones — thank you.”
The girls had gathered food and camping gear in Campbell River prior to taking a ferry to Quadra Island on Monday, unbeknownst to their families, who reported them missing.
Lamont had said the girls were not experienced outdoors and the overnight temperatures were cold. She said her father and brother live on Quadra Island and have been searching for the girls all week.
She declined to say more about why the girls might have run away, saying she wanted to protect their privacy.
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