VANCOUVER—Mounties in northern B.C. say they may have found a family of four, including two toddlers, missing from the Dease Lake area and are currently trying to reach them. On Monday a car associated with Jeffery Phan, Michelle Lesaca and their two children, three-year-old Satana and two-year-old Satan was found 500 metres off a highway with a note indicating they had run out of gas. Police believe it has been there since Sunday. Around 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday, aircraft spotted a group of people matching the family. “We have not 100 per cent confirmed that it is them, however we are very optimistic it is them,” said Cpl. Madonna Saunderson of the RCMP North District. “At this point they have not physically been face to face to talk to these individuals.” She said searchers are trying to reach the group on foot and using a boat. Saunderson said she hadn’t heard if the group communicated with searchers at all physically or otherwise. RCMP will be updating the situation as soon as searchers are “face-to-face” with the group. According to the RCMP the car “possibly” ran out of fuel and the family had gone to search for gas. Saunderson did not have information about how close the group is to where the car was found. “The indication is it was just parked there at the power lines with a note saying, ‘gone for fuel,’” Cpl. Madonna Saunderson from the RCMP North District said in an interview. The police said checks with gas stations in the area yielded no results. Mounties said the family had apparently checked into the airport in Portland, Ore., on May 25 with tickets to the Philippines, but cancelled the tickets. They crossed into Canada at the Roosville border crossing near Fernie, B.C., on June 9. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Read more about:<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email An American family who vanished in northern B.C. after abandoning their vehicle near the side of the Cassiar Highway close to Dease Lake has been found safe. Terrace Search and Rescue manager Dave Jephson told Global News Oregonians Jeffrey Phan and Michelle Lesaca, both 24 years old, along with their three-year-old, Satana, and two-year-old, Satan, were located on the west side of Kinaskan Lake, south of Tatoga. “[I’m] very happy and pleased to say it’s a safe outcome and everyone is doing well,” he said. “Apparently they were in good condition, they are being assessed by [paramedics] to make sure everything is good.” Police had kicked off a search for the missing family after their Toyota was found on the side of the highway about 250 kilometres south of the Yukon border on Monday with a note saying they’d run out of gas and gone looking for fuel. Investigators said they’d failed to turn up at any nearby gas stations. Story continues below advertisement WATCH: RCMP report on finding missing Oregon family in B.C. wilderness 1:42 RCMP spot missing Oregon family in B.C. wilderness RCMP spot missing Oregon family in B.C. wilderness – Jun 20, 2018 On Wednesday afternoon, police said a search and rescue helicopter spotted four people matching the family’s description. Jephson said crews with Terrace, Stewart and Smithers Search and Rescue all mobilized on the ground to find them, but he said with such a vast area to search, members were on edge. “Was this going to be a one-day search, a two-day search, was this going to be a recovery?” he said. “Obviously that’s a huge concern, especially for our search and rescue members… who have kids. It’s very traumatic sometimes when you find kids sometimes not in very good condition. In this case they were all faring well.” Story continues below advertisement As for how the family got so deep into the backcountry, Jephson said there are many unanswered questions. “My first question is how the hell did they get up to Dease Lake? There’s a lot of stuff here that the RCMP is working on,” he said. “To cross in to British Columbia, the southern part of the province, in early June, and then three-quarters of the way through June to have a vehicle located on the Cassiar Highway north… that just doesn’t happen.” The family had been driving a Toyota similar to this one. RCMP handout The disappearance had puzzled police in the area. The car was discovered on June 18, but police believe it may have been left parked about just off the highway since at least Sunday, June 10. Story continues below advertisement Investigators contacted Oregon police and the missing peoples’ family, and learned that the four had planned to travel to the Philippines last month, but later changed their plans. The family had checked into the Portland airport on Friday, May 25 — but then cancelled their tickets and never boarded the plane. They then crossed into Canada at the Roosville border crossing near Fernie on June 9, police said. Family worried Reached by phone in the Philippines, Lesaca’s father Dexter says he had no idea why the couple might have been headed north, and that they have no family in B.C. or Alaska. He said his daughter cancelled a planned trip to the Philippines last month because she told him she’d gotten a new job at Amazon. But he said she had sent him some worrying messages, had been selling her possessions on Facebook and that she’d asked him to send money in their last contact. “About a month ago I told my [ex]-wife to go check them out because something was wrong, the way she was messaging me,” he said. “I was reading between the lines that something was wrong.” Story continues below advertisement Lesaca said his ex got in touch with Phan’s parents, who told them that things were OK and that the couple was just moving. Lesaca said he’s worried about the couple’s safety, particularly because they have young children with them, but is encouraged that search crews may have a lead on them. “Thank you for looking,” he said.<doc-sep>Oregon family of four lost in Northern B.C. found safe, said they were travelling to Alaska Article content An Oregon family of four, missing for more than a week in Northern B.C., has been found safe. Authorities found the American couple and their two toddlers in a remote area on Wednesday afternoon after an exhaustive search. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Oregon family of four lost in Northern B.C. found safe, said they were travelling to Alaska Back to video “Our understanding is that they are in fair condition,” said Dave Jephsen of Terrace Search and Rescue, adding that it was a “very happy outcome, obviously.” The group of four was spotted from the air around 3 p.m. Wednesday and rescued from the west side of Kinaskan Lake shortly thereafter. RCMP said Jeffery Phan and Michelle Lesaca, both 24, and their two children Satana Phan, 3, and Satan Phan, 2, had planned to travel to the Philippines from Oregon but changed their plans just before boarding their flight. The family told the RCMP that instead, they had planned to travel to Alaska, camping along the way. “Seems they were not adequately prepared for their adventure,” the Mounties said in a news release. “Although they came with some camping supplies it seems they may have underestimated the vastness of northern B.C., such as the distances between services and were not adequately prepared for the trip they had planned.”<doc-sep>
An American family that was found safe in northern B.C. days after they went missing may have underestimated the size of the province when planning their travels, the RCMP say. Jeffrey Phan and Michelle Lesaca, both 24, and their children — aged two and three — were found south of Dease Lake on Wednesday days after their car was found abandoned. The Oregon family had planned to travel to Alaska and camp along the way, Dease Lake RCMP said. The RCMP said the family was unaware of the distance involved and wasn't prepared for the trip. 'Great outcome' Ragan Smith, a manager with Stewart Search & Rescue, said the family was taken into the care of RCMP on Wednesday and was being assessed by paramedics around 5 p.m. PT. "I'm quite proud of our volunteers and the work they do," Smith said. "It's a great outcome." Smith said she couldn't say exactly where the family was found, as her team has spotty cell service and hasn't yet returned to base. Her latest relayed message confirmed the family was with B.C. Ambulance. The search was launched after the family's car was found abandoned in the Dease Lake area on Monday. It had been left with a note suggesting they'd gone to look for gas to fill the tank on June 10.​ Air searchers spotted four people who matched the family's description around 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday. RCMP said more resources were sent in to bring them to safety. Mounties said the family had originally planned to travel to the Philippines and checked into the Portland airport on May 25, but later cancelled the ticket and decided not to board the plane. Search and rescue workers scoured the area where the family's vehicle was found, from the air and the ground. The RCMP K9 team from Terrace was also brought in to help. RCMP said there's no criminal investigation and that partner agencies are helping the family return home.