It has three months since Mekayla Bali has gone missing, and her family is still searching for information to bring her home safely. They recently held a steak night fundraiser to raise money for a reward for information leading to her safe return.
Paula Bali, Mekayla’s mother, says that the reason for offering the reward is the lack of information they have and the lack of leads to investigate.
“We’re just not sure how else to elicit a response from someone who may know where Mekayla is. We’re really about sharing information about Mekayla, we’re hoping that someone in the general public has seen her somewhere and would report that to the RCMP or Crime Stoppers.”
Three months on, Bali says that it’s still a situation which they can’t believe is happening to their family.
“It’s sort of unspeakable, this is a really stable kid, she never even broke her curfew, she didn’t even like doing sleep overs, she’s just a real homebody. For her to leave in the manner that happened – and we don’t really know what happened – is unimaginable. There’s a lot of fear on my part, this is so out of character, I can’t explain what happened to her. We try to focus on the positive, stay out of those dark places, and continue to look for her,” Bali says.
“The first day you think it will end tonight, and the second you think it can’t last much longer than this. As a parent, it doesn’t get easier, it actually gets worse every day, because you feel a little more desperate every day, that there isn’t an answer and there hasn’t been a sighting of her.”
One of the positive things the family tries to focus on is the support in the community for the family. Bali thanks everyone who has made donations, shared Mekayla’s picture, put up posters, supported the steak fundraiser and helped search for Mekayla since she went missing.
“It’s so surprising, because Mekayla’s case isn’t simple, straight and neat. We don’t really know what’s happened to Mekayla. The community has been so generous, so kind and supported us immensely... In the end I really believe that it will be people as a community which will find her.”
The family hopes that the reward money will inspire someone to share a tip that brings Mekayla back home. They also encourage everyone to keep an eye out while in other cities and keep sharing her picture.
More information can be found at www.bringmekaylabalihome.com. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), text Sask Tel at *8477, or submit a tip online at www.saskcrimestoppers.com.
