It was Karen Wright含羞草研究社檚 idea to see if the missing teen could be spotted from the air.

The Chilliwack resident said she learned about the search for JJ, 19, who needed his anti-seizure medications, from a Fairfield Island Facebook page on Sunday (Aug. 29).

Wright thought she含羞草研究社檇 just take a drive and look around.

Then she had a better idea.

Her husband, John Faulkner, chief pilot for Librico Helicopters, was about to head out to Stave Lake to pick up a crew of passengers. What about asking his crew to keep an eye out on the return flight to Chilliwack, since he含羞草研究社檇 have the extra sets of eyes aboard?

So that含羞草研究社檚 what they did.

On the way back home, Faulkner flew over the Fairfield Island neighbourhood of Chilliwack with the plan to search in a grid pattern around the Bell Road farm that JJ had wandered away from either the night before, or early Sunday.

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含羞草研究社淚t was like looking for a needle in a haystack,含羞草研究社� Faulkner said. 含羞草研究社淭he chances are always slim that we含羞草研究社檒l find someone this way.含羞草研究社�

He orbited as low as possible and swept the area for 15 to 20 minutes. This was on the heels of two hours of extensive RCMP searches, with a police service dog and a helicopter, which did not turn up any sign of JJ.

All of sudden one of the helicopter passengers saw him.

A big clue they含羞草研究社檇 found the right person was that the figure among some abandoned machinery wasn含羞草研究社檛 wearing any shoes. He also had the same hair colour described in the missing person report.

含羞草研究社淲e felt strongly that we had found him,含羞草研究社� Faulkner said. The pilot wanted to be extra careful not to spook JJ by landing near him, but instead hovered nearby.

He scooted back to the farm. The passengers tried motioning to the searchers gathered below in the driveway, to show them where they had just spotted JJ.

They were waving to the spot where they saw him, about 350 metres from home, on the back acreage of a neighbouring property to the north.

From above, they could see two searchers walking toward JJ along a path, the 含羞草研究社渁ngels含羞草研究社� as his mom later described them as they walked him home.

The helicopter hovered for about 10 minutes, hoping it would nudge JJ, who is non-verbal, toward the searchers.

含羞草研究社淭he strategy worked out perfectly,含羞草研究社� Faulkner said.

It all came together in terms of timing, and the community wanting to help.

含羞草研究社淔acebook always gets a bad rap but this was a prime example of how having the Fairfield Island community page really paid off,含羞草研究社� he said.

They called the sighting of the missing person into the non-emergency number of the local RCMP to no avail, and later Wright texted the man含羞草研究社檚 mother: 含羞草研究社淚 believe my husband just found your son.含羞草研究社�

It含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社渁mazing含羞草研究社� that they spotted him, Wright said, adding:

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 just a really happy way to end the story.含羞草研究社�

Anna Bonde, JJ含羞草研究社檚 mother, said her boy had been gone for 20 agonizing hours, and their family is 含羞草研究社渧ery thankful含羞草研究社� for the community and for their Fairfield neighbours who heeded the call for help.

含羞草研究社淭o see him walking back home was such a miracle,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚 could hardly believe it was true.

含羞草研究社淲e all went running toward him.含羞草研究社�

JJ was covered in scratches from blackberry brambles but otherwise safe.

He hadn含羞草研究社檛 taken meds or eaten anything in the hours since his mama found the door to their home wide open that morning at 6:30 a.m.

JJ was finally escorted home by a man and a woman.

含羞草研究社淚 called them the two angels,含羞草研究社� Bonde said.

It was a good feeling to finally set eyes on her son.

含羞草研究社淚 want to give God the most glory for answering prayers, and the community for being unbelievably helpful, which I had never experienced before,含羞草研究社� Bonde said.

含羞草研究社淲ithout the selfless help of volunteers, and above all prayers that were prayed and answered above my expectations, this story could have had such a different ending.含羞草研究社�

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