Missing teen Esther Wang walks out of woods to family, no injuries

The 16-year-old went missing on Tuesday while hiking at Golden Ears Park.

The first people a missing B.C. teen saw when she emerged from a Golden Ears Park trail late Thursday were her parents, police say.

Esther Wang, 16, had been hiking with three other people through the Maple Ridge park on Tuesday. The group made it to Steve's lookout around 2:45 p.m. that day.

However, when they headed back down to the campsite, after about 15 minutes of hiking, the group leader realized Wang was missing. They returned to the lookout to look for Wang but couldn’t find her. The leader headed to the trail entrance to notify a park ranger and police.

More than 40 search and rescue volunteers from all over the Lower Mainland joined the search in the rugged mountainous and forested area. Golden Ears Park is one of B.C.’s largest parks at more than 62,000 hectares.

At a press conference Friday morning, Ridge Meadows RCMP told reporters Wang had walked out of East Canyon, the trailhead she had left on. Her parents were the first to greet her.

She was “very fatigued,” according to Supt. Int. Wendy Mehat.

Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue was leading the search and said they stood down as of 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. Police said Wang walked out after the search ended Thursday.

Wang had no injuries, just mosquito bites, police said.

Glacier Media asked what happened. Police said they’re investigating and that the family is asking for privacy at this time.

“Today, we will be determining all the facts,” said Mehat.

She is “happy” and “healthy,” and with family.