#25 - The Disappearance of Mekayla Bali

Unsolved Canadian Mysteries

The disappearance of Mekayla Bali remains one of Saskatchewan’s most haunting unsolved mysteries. On April 12, 2016, the 16-year-old girl from Yorkton vanished without a trace, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and a heartbroken family still searching for answers.

Mekayla Bali was described by friends and family as a quiet, shy, and introverted teenager. She was a homebody who enjoyed spending time on her phone, using anonymous messaging apps to talk to people online. One of these apps was Kik, a popular platform that has since gained notoriety for being exploited by online predators. Mekayla often dreamed of traveling to larger cities like Regina or Saskatoon, though she had never ventured far from home on her own.

The day before her disappearance, April 11, Mekayla made unusual comments to her friends. She mentioned plans to go on a trip and asked for a ride to the bank. When her friends were unable to help, she called the bank herself and deposited $25 into her account. She later claimed she would soon have $5,000 deposited and wanted a ride to the bank the next morning. However, police investigations later revealed that her account never had anything close to that amount.

The next morning, Mekayla was dropped off at Yorkton Regional High School around 8:20 a.m. But instead of heading to class, she walked straight through the school and out the back door just minutes later. Surveillance cameras across Yorkton captured her movements over the next few hours. Footage showed her visiting a pawn shop, a local gas station, and a Tim Hortons restaurant. Witnesses later reported that she asked strangers for a ride to Regina, but nobody took her up on the request.

By late morning, Mekayla returned briefly to the high school but left again almost immediately. Her last confirmed sighting was at a local restaurant around 1:45 p.m. that afternoon. After that, she vanished.

The investigation into her disappearance was hampered by significant challenges. Mekayla’s use of Kik and other social media platforms complicated efforts to trace her online activity. The RCMP encountered a ten-month delay in obtaining her messaging history due to U.S. privacy regulations. When authorities finally gained access, the records only deepened the mystery. While Mekayla had been in contact with several individuals online, none appeared to have any concrete information about her whereabouts.

Theories about her disappearance have ranged from the tragic to the sinister. Some suggest she may have run away to meet an online acquaintance or was lured into human trafficking. Others believe she may have died by suicide or become entangled in something more nefarious. Despite numerous leads and possible sightings across Canada and the United States, none have been definitively confirmed.

Mekayla’s family remains hopeful that she is still alive. They have worked tirelessly to raise awareness about her case, sharing her story on social media and offering a substantial reward for information. To this day, the questions linger: Where did Mekayla go? Who was she planning to meet? And what really happened that April morning in 2016?

Join us as we explore the chilling mystery of The Disappearance of Mekayla Bali in our latest episode of Unsolved Canadian Mysteries, available now on Spotify and YouTube.