When a child gets lost, it terrifies both them and their parents. This is particularly scary if they become lost somewhere like the woods, where they may have no access to technology or other adults who can help them. On Sunday, a 10-year-old girl became separated from her parents in the Cascades area of the Cle Elum River Valley in Roslyn, Washington, and panic quickly set in.
Shunghla Mashwani's family was exploring the outdoors when they realized the girl was missing just before 2 p.m. The family began searching for Shunghla, but according to the Kittitas Sheriff's Office, it was the help of a passerby that led to the child's rescue.
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The family was taking a break for lunch.
The sheriff's office explained in a release that Shunghla's extended family had gathered at Cathedral Pass Trailhead on Fish Lake Road for a bit of weekend fun. After playing in the woods on the west side of the Cle Elum River, the family crossed a river bridge to gather for lunch. They realized Shunghla was not with them as they settled down in a parking area. A group of 20 adults immediately took off to find her, but were unsuccessful.
The area does not get reliable cellphone reception.
The family could not call the police until a passerby on an all-terrain vehicle saw the group panicking and stopped to help. The good Samaritan offered a Starlink satellite phone at their cabin so the family could call 911. The sheriff's office paired with Kittitas County Search & Rescue and launched a massive search to find Shunghla.
"The search area was steep, rugged, and remote, with dense trees and undergrowth cut through by the fast-running Cle Elum River," the sheriff's office said in the news release.
Searchers feared the worst.
Because the area where Shunghla went missing is near a river with a fast current, there was legitimate fear she had been swept away in the water. The search continued with K-9 searchers, drones, helicopters, and volunteers on foot and ATVs. Support from several counties came together to find the lost child, who was frightened and searching for her family.
Miraculously, rescuers found Shunghla early Monday afternoon.
She was found with just minor scrapes about a mile and a half from where she was separated from her family. Snohomish County Swiftwater used an inflatable rescue boat to return her to her family. The sheriff's office reported that her father anxiously embraced his daughter, clearly thankful she was alive and well. The family moved to the US from Afghanistan two years ago and often explores the woods because it reminds them of home.
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Shunghla said she lost track of her family.
The rescued child told her family and rescuers that she realized she was separated from her family while they were hiking back to the footbridge, but couldn't find it on her own, the sheriff's office said. She used her past knowledge and experience and traveled along the river. She survived the cold night and continued to hike, hoping she would find her family. The sheriff's office called her resourceful and resilient.
"The Sheriff's Office is deeply thankful for both the result of this search and the tremendous outpouring of assistance and resources that made it possible. If you want to contribute to and support results like this, please consider volunteering with or donating to your county's Search and Rescue organization," the release concluded.
