'All it takes is one': Sask. RCMP partner with Washington police to publicize disappearance of Mekayla Bali
Saskatchewan RCMP and the Washington State Patrol announced a collaboration of efforts to locate Mekayla Bali, who was 16-years-old when she was last on April 12, 2016 in Yorkton.
Two semi trailers were unveiled at a Wednesday afternoon event in Blaine, Washington featuring pictures of Bali as part of the Homeward Bound program, according to a news release.
The program seeks to place age-advanced photos of missing persons on semi trailers that travel across North America, in an effort to keep the cases in the public’s mind and potentially generate new leads.
“Approximately 800 tips from all over the world have been reported to police in relation to our investigation into Mekayla’s disappearance, including tips and information reported from Washington,” said Cpl. Robert Head of the Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes Unit, who attended the event in Washington.
“These tips have been followed up on by investigators. Mekayla has not been found and is still considered missing.”
The venture is a partnership between multiple organizations on either side of the U.S/Canada border.
Washington State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste said the department was proud of the partnership and is looking forward to the potential progress on the case as a result of the program.
“Partnerships in missing persons cases occur regularly with border states and Canada, but it’s not an automatic process. It requires leadership, outreach and communications to make this happen,” said Batiste.
“We are proud of our close partnership with the RCMP, share their steadfast resolve in serving the public, and are hopeful that this particularly unique international collaboration can help find Mekayla,” explained Batiste.
The RCMP said it is grateful to have the initiative to keep Bali’s case in the spotlight.
“We thank Kam-Way Transportation, the Washington State Patrol and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for considering Mekayla Bali for the Homeward Bound program and collaborating on this important initiative,” said Cpl. Head in the release.
“All it takes is one key piece of information that will help push this investigation forward so we can bring Mekayla home to her family.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.