True Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Stories Part VI

Disappearance of Mekayla Bali

Mekayla Bali is a Canadian citizen who, at the age of 16, disappeared from her hometown of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada 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 since then and her fate is currently unknown.

Background

Bali was born on July 2, 1999, as Mekayla Margaret Kim Niebergall in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Her name changed from Niebergall to Bali, seven months before her disappearance, on September 11, 2015. Her mother, Paula Marie Bali, works as a consultant for the Ministry of Social Services of the government of Saskatchewan. Her father is not officially known, but after her disappearance, a man named Rick Breit was put forward as her possible biological father. Bali lived with her mother, aunt, maternal grandmother, and two younger siblings in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. Her maternal grandfather died in March 2016, only one month before she went missing.

Mekayla's mother described her as a shy and quiet girl. She enjoyed playing the violin and participated in the drama club at her high school, where she was attending 11th grade at the time of her disappearance. Likewise, one of her high school friends described her as "caring" and "very conscious about what ... her friends' needs were". Bali had no history of disappearing for extended periods of time, and according to her mother, she was not a "risky kid". Although she was bullied at times for her acne, her mother felt that around the time of her disappearance "she was hitting her stride."

Appearance

Her description states that Bali is 157 cm tall and weighs 56 kg, although both measurements may have changed since. Her natural hair color is red, but she is known to have changed her hair in the past and was sporting blonde hair at the time of her disappearance. Her eye color is blue and her complexion is described as light/fair. Her distinguishing features include acne, a slight birthmark the size of a dime on her chin, a few scars on her forehead between her eyes from chicken pox, a whole row of scars on her thigh from self-harm and protruding front teeth. Bali sometimes wore glasses.

Disappearance

Based on witness statements and a review of hundreds of hours of surveillance camera footage, investigators were able to reconstruct Bali's movements for a large portion of the day on which she disappeared. As a result, an extensive timeline of her actions from that day exists.

Prior events

Bali's high school friends told reporters that in the days leading up to her disappearance, she mentioned several places she would soon visit. They also said Bali had claimed to have $5,000 (CAD) in her bank account, although police later confirmed that was not the case. On Monday April 11, one day before she disappeared, she sent a text message to a friend asking for a ride to the local TD Bank the next morning. She also communicated with that bank several times that day and eventually wired $25 to her account. In the evening, she sent messages to several other friends stating that she was unhappy about something and needed help.

April 12

At 6:41 a.m. April 12, Bali sent another text message to that friend asking again for a ride to the local TD Bank. The friend refused since the bank was not yet open. Her mother said "April 12 was just a really regular morning in our house". Bali's grandmother drove her to school, arriving between 8:10 and 8:20 CCTV footage shows her putting a binder inside her locker at 8:21 and leaving the school through the back entrance at 8:30. She was next seen by a surveillance camera walking southeast along the railroad tracks. The clerk of Terry's Pawn and Bargain, a local pawn shop, told police that, between 8:40 and 8:50, Bali attempted to pawn a silver ring; as it was low value he did not make her an offer. Shortly thereafter, between 8:50 and 8:55, she was seen at the bank withdrawing $55 from her account. After she left, surveillance footage shows her, at 9 a.m., walking east on Broadway Street.