RCMP wrap three-day search for missing Yorkton teen

RCMP wrap three-day search for missing teen RCMP wrapped a three-day search in Yorkton for missing teen Mekayla Bali. Jessica Smith reports.

The search for Mekayla Bali, the Yorkton teen who went missing more than a year ago, seems to have come full circle.

Law enforcement officers searching for the 18-year-old have been sent across Saskatchewan, into British Columbia and even overseas. But this week, Yorkton RCMP focused on searching a bit closer to home. On Thursday afternoon, RCMP wrapped a three-day search in a wooded area behind Sacred Heart High School.

“One of the areas that she was last seen, and the last video recorded, was actually at the Sacred Heart High School,” said Supt. Jennifer Eibert of the RCMP in Regina. “We were searching that area for any evidence or anything that we could find that may have suggested she would have been in that area.”

RCMP and search and rescue teams set up an on-site command centre behind the school and searched the area using GPS devices, tracking sticks and ATVs. Police say the density of woods in the area made the search very difficult.

“Since this search began on Tuesday, we actually received a couple of additional tips about this,” Eibert said. “This helped remind people of this investigation, remind them of some of the things they saw. We’ve actually been following up with those tips.”

Bali was last seen at the Yorkton bus depot on April 12, 2016.

“As the RCMP have stated, this is simply a tool in their investigation regarding Mekayla’s disappearance,” Paula Bali, Mekayla’s mother, said Thursday. “The Bali family is always thankful for every investigative process that has followed as it takes us one step closer to finding Mekayla.”

Police say the search did not turn up any new clues. Anyone with information about Bali’s whereabouts is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

Based on a report by CTV Yorkton's Jessica Smith