Shraman Mitra
The generally peaceful city of Yorkton in Saskatchewan, Canada, witnessed a horrifying incident when 16-year-old Mekayla Bali disappeared from her hometown. While authorities and her family initially wished for her safe return, that hope began waning with no news about the missing teenager. Crime Junkie’s ‘MISSING: Mekayla Bali’ chronicles the mysterious incident and follows the investigation that tried its best to get to the bottom of the matter.
What Happened to Mekayla Bali?
A resident of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Mekayla lived with her parents and was quite popular in her community. People who knew the teenager described her as a kindhearted and lively young girl who loved to extend her helping hand and always welcomed others with a smile. In fact, her friends mentioned that apart from being a brilliant student and having aspirations for the future, Mekayla was able to make friends at the drop of a hat. However, a sudden and shocking incident in 2016 changed her loved ones’ lives forever.
It was not considered unusual for Mekayla to step out of the house on April 12, 2016, as she would often go out alone to meet friends or run errands. Although, her family mentioned that she loved staying at home and would even refrain from staying overnight at her friends’ sleepovers. Nevertheless, around 2 PM on April 12, Mekayla was last seen walking down Yorkton’s Broadway in CCTV footage. Shockingly, she vanished into thin air soon after and was never seen or heard from again.
Initially, Mekayla’s loved ones weren’t worried as they believed the teenager would return home before sundown. However, there was no news about her at sunset, and since she was unreachable over the cell phone, her loved ones decided to report her missing to the police. Investigators were quite hopeful about bringing Mekayla back home safely and carried out a massive search operation that combed through the nearby areas looking for the missing teen.
The team left no stones unturned and even used every available facility, yet there was no news about the missing girl. Interestingly, the police discovered that Mekayla’s phone was switched off the morning following her disappearance, and though a message a friend had sent to that phone was opened about three months later, it did not provide the police with a promising lead.
Mekayla Bali is Still Unfound, Search Continues
Unfortunately, Mekayla has not been found, which makes her current status quite unclear. Albeit, the police insist that it is still very much an active investigation, and her parents are hoping for her to be returned home. As there were no leads to follow in the initial days of the investigation, the police decided to go through CCTV footage of the places she had visited that day, hoping to trace her route.
Using the surveillance footage, the cops were able to follow her route, but she disappeared off camera between the Yorkton bus depot and a Tim Horton’s restaurant on Broadway. While the surveillance footage did not provide authorities with much, the show mentioned that they spotted a male individual accompanying Mekayla as she walked out of the Trail Stop Restaurant on the day of her disappearance.
Nonetheless, when the police brought the man in for questioning, he denied involvement, and there was nothing to tie him to the crime. Interestingly, since the day Mekayla went missing, law enforcement officials and the teen’s family have received hundreds of tips, all leading to dead ends. Moreover, the teenager was reportedly sighted in various parts of Canada, including Vancouver, Edmonton, and the Grey Eagle Entertainment Centre in Calgary.
Still, none of the leads led to anything substantial. Currently, there is a considerable reward for anyone who can provide the police with any information to help bring Mekayla home. On the other hand, the case has also been discussed extensively on online platforms, TV shows, and print media. In fact, in May 2022, the Saskatchewan RCMP joined hands with the Washington State Patrol and launched two trucks that have Mekayla’s picture along with the mention of the rewards printed on their side.
Thankfully, all does not seem lost as the police have insisted on it being an active investigation and are quite hopeful of reaching a conclusion. Meanwhile, the teenager’s family and loved ones refuse to give up on their search as they hold out, hoping for her safe return.
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