After five days of being kept in the dark, the Jurrius siblings finally heard from their parents, who were ambushed while vacationing in Uganda.
"It's with a happy heart that I talked to my mom this morning," said Natalie Jurrius. "She's not willing to chat with me right now about her ordeal and I can understand that."
The North Shore couple, Martin and Barbel Jurrius, was on a safari trip and was part of a group that was ambushed by four gunmen.
The incident happened on April 2 at Queen Elizabeth National Park, a popular spot for safaris located in the southwest portion of the African nation.
Natalie said the family found out about the kidnapping from the media and did not hear from any authorities.
"This has been a harrowing few days for the family. As you can imagine, without any government agencies letting us know anything, we've been beside ourselves."
Uganda Police Force said two people were taken in the attack, while the others were "left abandoned and unharmed."
They said the kidnappers used one of the victims' phones to demand a $500,000 USD ransom for the 35-year-old American woman and the driver.
The woman has been identified as Kimberly Endicott, a single mother from California, while the driver was ID'd as Jean-Paul Miregene Remezo.
On Sunday, Uganda Police Force said the pair has been rescued and is "in good health and in the safe hands of the joint security team." The four kidnappers are still at large.
"I'm just glad that everything turned out the way it did. It could've turned out a lot worse and I'm glad the other people were found, too. That's a blessing," Natalie said.
She said the family was not able to get in touch with Martin and Barbel because they do not carry cellphones, even when they are at home.
They are now continuing their travels and visiting family and friends in Europe.
The pair is scheduled to return back to YVR in a week.
"I'm just glad they're safe," Natalie said. "I just want them home and I want to give them a big fat hug."
With files from CTV Vancouver's Allison Hurst
