The entire province breathed a sigh of relief Saturday when an 8 year old autistic child, lost on Random Island, was located safe and sound.

Mom Sarah Burton says Adalyn Skinner ran into the woods in Weybridge on Friday afternoon, and couldn’t be found.

That sparked an extensive search effort involving RCMP, the Triple Bay Eagles Ground Search and Rescue and countless volunteers.

Burton says after the night had passed with no sign of Adalyn, her thoughts started to go to dark places, only to be replaced by sheer joy.

She says she was talking to people at the kitchen table, when she heard people screaming “She’s found!” that’s when she saw her brother walking up the driveway with Adalyn in his arms.

Burton says Adalyn had wandered in behind Weybridge, crossed four brooks, and made her way to a house once belonging to Adalyn’s great-uncle. She was found knocking on the door of the summer home, which was vacant at the time.

Adalyn was spotted by her neighbour’s mother, who happened to see Adalyn at the door while she driving past on the road. “She slammed on the breaks,” says Burton, and “here she was trying the door of this house.”

Burton says Adalyn was asking for her Uncle Derek, who used to own chickens, afraid that Adalyn might get scared and run away again she managed to coax her to come with her.

“She said ‘Adalyn, you come with me, and we’ll go see your Uncle Derek and your mom and your nan.’ She got aboard of the car, and came up like it was nothing.”

Adalyn was wet and covered in mud, scratches, bruises and fly bites, but is otherwise fine despite her ordeal.

“As soon as she got into the house, she just went for the doughnuts and the muffins and everything that was around. She was very hungry, very thirsty and as soon as she got into the ambulance, she fell asleep.”