OPP update July 15 5:00 p.m.: Officers report that the girls are in good health and have been reunited with their families, who had travelled to the area. The girls had made it about a quarter of the way toward their destination when they realized they had left the trail and were lost. They drew on their education about being in the forest and practiced the message of “hug a tree”. When lost in the forest it is always best to stop and stay where you are, rather than continuing on, possibly farther from any trails and potential rescue.
The girls, despite becoming lost, did the right things by staying put and rationing their food and water. They had a tent and other camping equipment and limited supplies.
The OPP would like to thank our partners and members of the public for support during the search.
OPP East Region announced that Maya Mirota and Marta Malek, both 16, of Kitchener were found safe in Algonquin Park at midday by a canine unit. The girls were last seen on Thursday, July 11 at 11 a.m. When asked by a reporter how she felt, Malek replied, “I’m feeling good, never better.”
Mirota and Malek had failed to rendezvous with their camping group from the Polish Scouting Association of Canada as planned on Friday July 12. They were reported missing at 10 p.m. that night and became the subject of a massive search operation that started early Saturday morning involving an OPP helicopter, members from the OPP emergency response team and canine team, a fixed-wing plane from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forest (MNRF), MNRF park wardens, park staff, and members of the Ontario Search and Rescue Association.
Both experienced campers, the girls were scouts on a six-day hike with adult leaders when they became separated from their group. They had a tent and food supplies for a few days, but no cell phones.
Dickson,B. OPP East Region (2019,July 15) Update #2 – Major Search Underway for Missing Teenagers in Algonquin Park – Girls found safe [press release]
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