UPDATE:
Search and rescue gear stolen from a team as they were rescuing a missing seven-year-old girl in Chilliwack has been recovered and returned to its rightful owners.
The total estimated value of the equipment was around $10,000.
"We are grateful the bags were turned into police allowing this critical equipment to be returned," Chilliwack RCMP Insp. Jeff Bowerman said in a press release. "SAR volunteers are a vital part of our emergency response network, and their gear is essential to their safety and success in the field."
The original story is as follows:
It has been revealed that the search and rescue team that helped locate a missing seven-year-old girl in Chilliwack had thousands of dollars worth of gear stolen in the process.
Lily Coursol was found on May 2, nearly 24 hours after following her neighbour's dogs into a "densely-bushed area."
According to a GoFundMe set up to help the members of the Maple Ridge and Coquitlam-based search and rescue teams impacted, the theft took place as they were undertaking the most treacherous part of the mission.
"These heroes, who risked their own safety to help, returned afterwards to retrieve the backpacks that they had stashed before making the steep climb to find her — only to discover their belongings had been stolen," the description read.
The organizer of the fundraiser, Amber Price, was eventually informed that "stolen, or damaged equipment is covered through Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, which is a provincially funded program."
As a result, donations were paused and Price noted she was figuring out what to do with the money.
"It is unclear whether it would be best for us to return these funds in their entirety," she said, "or reroute them, with permission, to Chilliwack SAR, who was the lead organization on this mission."
Nearly $10,000 was raised.
It is not yet clear who stole the gear.
Lily Coursol had last been seen around 4 p.m. on May 1 near the 50800 block of Winona Rd.
She was found safe and sound around 4 p.m. the following day.
"We want to thank all the partner agencies that assisted in the search," the Chilliwack RCMP said. "This includes Chilliwack Search and Rescue, BC Conservation Officer Service, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the LMD TAC Troop, the Emergency Response Team, and RCMP Air Services."