Mekayla Bali

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

saskatchewan-rcmp

Missing From:

Yorkton, Saskatchewan

Summary:

Mekayla Bali disappeared from her hometown of Yorkton, Saskatchewan on April 12, 2016. She was last seen between 1:00 and 1:45 p.m. at a local bus stop. Despite several reported sightings, no definitive clues to Bali's whereabouts have been found and her fate is currently unknown.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Bali went missing from her hometown of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, on April 12, 2016. She was last seen between 1:00 and 1:45 p.m. at a local bus stop. At 10:12 AM, she texted a friend saying, "Hey, I need help" followed by, "Nevermind I figured it out", a few minutes later. At 10:43 AM, she started a short conversation with an older woman, who told police Bali had asked her for help in renting a hotel room, which she declined. After leaving Tim Hortons, cameras show her at 10:45 AM walking west on Broadway Street East. She took a short turn down 7th Avenue but then returned to Broadway Street East, continuing westward until she left the camera's view. She does not appear on any other surveillance footage for more than an hour after that. Bali's disappearance was noticed by her family on the afternoon of April 12, 2016, when her grandmother went to pick her up from school. Police were able to verify that she did not get on any of the buses that day. Bali's phone was turned off at 6:51 AM the next morning.

Additional Details:

Although she used her phone extensively throughout the day, no phone calls were registered by her cell phone provider and she is believed to have used social media apps to communicate. Investigators said it was a challenge to obtain information from these companies. In 2017, the police service of the Tsuutʼina Nation reported that they believed that Bali attended an event in January 2017 at the Grey Eagle Entertainment Centre. On August 8, 2019, Bali's mother received a call from a man claiming to have seen Bali in Edmonton. Her mother said that she is considering going there to investigate for herself. Another possible sighting of Bali panhandling in Penticton was made in January 2020. However, local police were able to confirm that the person in question was not Bali. In August 2017, RCMP conducted a three-day, ground grid search in a wooded area near Bali's high school in Yorkton. However, no new evidence regarding Bali's whereabouts resulted from the search. According to the Saskatchewan RCMP, police have received and investigated more than 1,000 tips about the case over the last decade. Police never confirmed a suspect in the case, but did announce a person of interest. This person was seen by witnesses leaving the Trail Stop Restaurant with Bali. He was described as having a stocky build, muscular arms, dark hair, and a large, prominent tattoo of a fiery cross on his forearm. To help in the search, Bali's family organized fundraising events that allowed them to offer a $25,000 (CAD) reward for any information leading to her safe return. On July 31, 2017, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children joined the search effort and began disseminating information about the then 18-year-old Mekayla Bali. On December 11, 2018, an anonymous donor helped to double the reward for Bali's safe return, from that initial $25,000 to a total of $50,000. However, on January 8, 2020, the reward was cut in half again after the donor needed to ask for his money back. For the fifth anniversary of her disappearance, additional fundraising efforts helped to raise the reward again to $40,000. On the sixth anniversary of her disappearance, an anonymous donor added $60,000 to the reward fund, bringing the total reward to $100,000. In 2019, CFRE-DT produced the television feature "Still Searching: The disappearance of Mekayla Bali" which went on to win the Trina McQueen Award in the TV News Information Program category in April of the following year, as well as an Edward R. Murrow Award the following month. Also in 2019, Bali's disappearance was covered by the investigative duo Victoria Dinh and Alicia Bridges who wrote a long-form news feature about her case that included interviews with her high school friends.

Case Last Updated:

May 11, 2026