SEARCHERS FIND MISSING GIRL IN SNOW FAR FROM HOME

If the search for a missing girl in central Saskatchewan went on just a few hours longer, RCMP say the outcome may have been tragic. When a mother returned home in Bankend around 5:13 p.m., her sick 11-year-old daughter wasn’t there but she saw footprints leading from the house. She searched the area, said RCMP Cpl. Rob King, then called police. Although the girl was dressed for winter, the conditions were worsening. “It was about -15 C ... darkness is starting to fall, it was starting to snow,” King said. Two hours in, a local volunteer spotted a set of footprints just outside the search area. He found the girl collapsed face-down in the snow more than six kilometres from Bankend. The girl was taken to hospital and treated for hypothermia and injuries related to exposure.