Missing 4-year-old found miles away on beach after getting separated from family on July 4

TILLAMOOK COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) - In what officials are calling a Fourth of July miracle, a 4-year-old girl who had gotten separated from her family during an outing to an Oregon state park was found alive five miles away on the beach.

The 4-year-old girl was with her family at Cape Lookout State Park on July 4, according to the Netarts-Oceanside Fire District. Officials believe she was with a small group of children who were told to stay close to the campground but wandered off to the beach. She later became separated from them.

“I think every parent can understand that feeling of turning around one minute and your kids being gone,” said Netarts-Oceanside Fire District Chief Jeff McBrayer.

The call came in around 7 p.m., launching a large, multiagency search. Crews searched by land, sea and air.

Early on, responders feared the girl may have made it into the ocean.

“When we got the call, it was just about high tide. In Oregon... we have sneaker waves. I was terrified that she might have gotten pulled into the water, and that probably would have had a tragic outcome,” McBrayer said.

Crews also faced a language barrier because the girl’s family primarily spoke Russian.

Fortunately, firefighter and EMT Vlad Bilan is fluent in Russian and helped translate for the family and first responders throughout the search.

“I was very grateful to have taken part in the whole process, just kind of acting as a translator, answering questions the deputies had, the Coast Guard had,” Bilan said.

About three hours into the search, crews got a break when someone at a nearby campground reported seeing a child walking alone on the Netarts Bay Spit.

An Oregon State Parks ranger and Tillamook County sheriff’s deputies located the girl after she had walked about five miles along the beach. She was hypothermic and dehydrated but was taken to the hospital in good condition.

For Bilan, the mission ended with a moment he says he won’t forget. He says the girl’s aunt ran to her as they were reunited.

“I got a chance to see the girl in the ambulance, and she just had a smile on her face. She was all bundled up, getting warmed up. It was amazing,” Bilan said.

The fire district is reminding parents to keep a close eye on children while visiting parks like Cape Lookout. Officials say the rugged terrain, combined with easy access to the ocean, can quickly become dangerous.

Agencies who responded to the call included Oregon State Parks rangers, the Netarts-Oceanside Fire District search and rescue and drone teams, the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, Tillamook County Search and Rescue, U.S. Coast Guard Station Tillamook Bay and a U.S. Coast Guard aircrew from Astoria.