June 21 update: The family was found safe after heading out on an adventure they weren't prepared for.
Police say rescuers in British Columbia's northern Interior area may have located an Oregon family of four that went missing earlier this week.
Terrace, Stewart and Smithers Search and Rescue spotted four people at about 3 p.m. near the Yukon border. Efforts are underway to reach them.
"Although the identity of the individuals has not been confirmed, authorities are hopeful that these are who they have been looking for," Mounties said in a statement.
Police began searching the area after an abandoned vehicle was found, leading officials to believe a family is missing.
A black 2018 Toyota Yaris was found about 500 metres from the highway Monday night, Mounties said. The car had an Oregon licence plate, and a sign indicating the driver had gone to get fuel.
Mounties checked nearby gas stations, but were unable to find more information.
As they investigated, they learned the car has been in the Dease Lake area since June 10.
Officers learned that a family of four was associated with the vehicle, though they did not say whether the family owned it. The Yaris was linked to 24-year-olds Jeffrey Phan and Michelle Lesaca, three-year-old Satana Phan and two-year-old Satan Phan.
Mounties reached out to officers in Oregon and the family of the missing people, and learned that the family had planned to travel to the Philippines. They later changed their plans.
Evidence suggests they checked in at the airport in Portland on May 25, but then cancelled their tickets and never boarded the plane.
The family and their vehicle instead entered Canada at the Roosville crossing, near Fernie, B.C., two weeks later.
Members of the RCMP are working with search and rescue crews to conduct a search of the area where the car was found. The location is being examined by air, and a dog team from Terrace was brought in to help.
