'It feels like yesterday': Vigil marks 7 years since disappearance of Mekayla Bali

It has been seven years since 16-year-old Mekayla Bali vanished from her hometown of Yorkton, Sask.

On April 12, 2016, the teen was last seen around 1:45 p.m. at the Trail Stop restaurant in Yorkton and was last captured on surveillance video in both Yorkton’s Broadway Tim Horton’s and Yorkton’s bus depot.

Now, seven years later, Mekayla’s family, friends, and community members continue to hold out hope that she will return home safely.

There will be a vigil to mark the anniversary of Mekayla’s disappearance at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at 37 Betts Avenue, about a block from where Mekayla was last seen.

Paula Bali, Mekayla’s mom, said anyone who is interested is welcome to attend the vigil.

“Basically it's a time to remember her and to honour her and get together and share with the community about her disappearance and just to continue to raise awareness that she's still missing and we continue to search,” she said.

The vigil will include a moment of silence and speeches from Mekayla’s family and friends. Her favourite colour was blue, so those attending are encouraged to wear that colour.

Bali said the continued support from the community, family, and friends is important to her.

“It's just a crushing experience to have to go through this and even after seven years, I still lack the words to explain how it feels,” she said. “The community support is so essential … It’s really the lifeblood to keep finding the strength to continue to look and to search.”

The annual vigil is important for Bali to hold every year, as it is a time to reignite the next year of searching.

“It’s such a life changing experience that even though it’s seven years, it feels like yesterday, so there’s still that urgency,” she said. “I use the word, ‘baffling.’ I just don’t understand how someone can go missing for that long and nothing ever be found about where she is or what’s happened to her.”

Their first vigil was held at Sacred Heart High School on April 12, 2018, after Mekayla had been missing for two years.

In 2022, the family increased the reward to $100,000, through community donations.

“In some ways, it raises not only the incentive for someone to come forward, but I think it just helps people to, you know, continue to realize this girl is still missing,” she said.

At the time of her disappearance, Mekayla was described as five feet two inches tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

An age-processed photo of what she may look like at 19-years-old was provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 2019.

“The Mekayla situation is kind of unique because they thought she was spotted in Washington State, so they had created her missing person file there. So if you look on Washington State Patrol, she's in there with the other missing kids,” Bali said.

In May of 2022, Homeward Bound, a project between the Saskatchewan RCMP and the Washington State Patrol unveiled two trucks with wrapped photos of Mekayla on them.

“So blessed to have that kind of moving billboards is what they really are,” she said.

The Homeward Bound Project begin in 2005 by the Washington State Patrol with the intention to help find missing persons by wrapping age-altered photos on them.

As part of the Homeward Bound program, two semi trailers were decorated with age adapted photos of Mekayla Bali as well as contact information. (Courtesy: Saskatchewan RCMP)

In a statement to CTV Regina, Saskatchewan RCMP said they would continue to follow up on all information they receive about Mekayla.

“Over the years, we’ve remained committed to searching areas where Mekayla was believed to be travelling and have followed up on over 1,000 tips we received from the public to date, with no confirmed sightings,” the statement read.

All RCMP missing person’s investigations remain open until they are located, according to RCMP.

“It is unimaginable how her family and loved ones must feel years after her disappearance living with a sense of uncertainty and hope. All it takes is one key piece of information to help push this investigation forward so we can bring Mekayla home to her family,” the statement continued.

Mekayla would now be 23-years-old.

Anyone with information about Mekayla's disappearance is urged to contact the RCMP, Crime Stoppers, or https://www.bringmekaylabalihome.com/

“I encourage people if you remember something now or if it felt like maybe your information didn't make it to the right hands, we encourage you to resubmit it. Somebody knows something. People don't just vanish,” Bali said.

“I always feel the urgency every day that we locate her and just ensure she’s safe.”