MISSING: Search on for seven-year-old Lily Coursol in Chilliwack River Valley, RCMP ask public to NOT go looking
Little girl followed neighbour's dogs into woods in Slesse Park area south of Ryder Lake
The Chilliwack RCMP says it is asking the public for help finding a girl who was reported missing Thursday (May 1, 2025) afternoon.
But that doesn't meant they want residents to head out and start looking.
Police are looking for information related to the file but are not requesting any assistance with the search efforts. Numerous police and Search and Rescue personnel are in the area of Chilliwack Lake Road utilizing all technological resources available to locate Lily as quickly and safely as possible.
"The public is being urged to avoid the area to allow emergency responders and investigative teams to operate without interference," according to an RCMP release before 11 a.m. "We understand the public’s concern and wanting to help, however, the search consists of difficult terrain and is a heavily wooded area. Untrained personnel in the area will make search efforts more difficult and put others at unnecessary risk."
That follows a similar post at 7:30 a.m. Friday after several people were posting about going to the scene to help.
"We are seeing numerous posts on social media asking for volunteers to assist with the search. Please help us clarify that volunteer assistance is not needed at this stage."
Police say seven-year-old Lily Coursol was last seen around 4 p.m. in the 50800 block of Winona Road. (See maps below.)
“Lily apparently followed her neighbour’s dogs into a wooded area but did not return with them. An air and ground search are currently underway,” the RCMP said around 10 p.m. Thursday.
Lily is four-feet tall with light brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing all pink clothing when she went missing.
Anyone with any information on her whereabouts is asked to call their local police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
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Paul J. Henderson
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