WARNING: This story contains references to missing and murdered Indigenous people. Resources can be found at the bottom of this story.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have stopped looking for the rest of Mekhi Pelly’s remains as two people face charges in the murder case, but the Kenora-area man’s family vows to keep searching until they’ve all been brought home.
“I’ve been at it every day and I’m not going to stop until I find him,” said Brian Pelly, dad of the 21-year-old who was reported missing on Oct. 26.
Mekhi Pelly, also known as Mekhi Waters Pelly Scott, was a member of Grassy Narrows First Nation, an Ojibway community about 80 kilometres northeast of Kenora in northwestern Ontario.
He was last seen alive sometime between Oct. 10 and 12.
A 24-year-old man was first charged with indignity to a dead body on Nov. 3. He was additionally charged with first-degree murder on Nov. 14, the same day a 43-year-old woman was charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Both are from Kenora.
On Friday, Kenora OPP said its emergency response team had found some human remains in the area of Washagamis Bay (Obashkaandagaang First Nation) on Nov. 26.
A post-mortem confirmed them to be Pelly’s remains, the release said.
Pelly’s family members, however, say because all of his remains haven’t been recovered, they still consider him missing.
CBC News asked OPP whether all of Pelly’s remains are accounted for, and spokesperson Erin McCrea responded “the search was extensive in both area, and time and there are no other areas to search.”
“This is an ongoing investigation and if there is any additional information regarding the case that we can provide, we will look to release further updates,” McCrea said in an email on Sunday.
Brian Pelly described Mehki as an outgoing young man who enjoyed playing basketball, tinkering with technology, and spending time with his friends and family.
“My whole world just came crashing down,” he said about learning of his son’s death. “There’s a big part of me that was taken. That’s my son.”
For over six weeks, members of the family, the First Nation and surrounding communities have scoured the land for any sign of Mehki. They’ve covered ground in Kenora, Washagamis Bay and Wauzhushk Onigum Nation, known as Rat Portage.
Some searchers have travelled from as far away as Red Sucker Lake, Garden Hill and St. Theresa Point First Nations in northern Manitoba. A shelter camp has been set up in the main search area, where community elders go to offer support.
“We’re fighting time with the weather. We’re trying to beat the snow,” Brian said. “After the snow comes, then we’re just gonna be [searching] the lakes.”
He said community leaders assisting with the search applied for federal funding to help pay for supplies, but their application was denied.
“Some of our searchers had to go back home due to a death in the family, so we are strapped for searchers. It’s been just a struggle with the funding and then trying to get searchers to come and help us.”
Carolane Gratton, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), provided an emailed statement to CBC News about its part in aiding search efforts for Indigenous people.
Search and rescue work is “a shared responsibility” among federal, provincial/territorial and municipal organizations, federal departments including Public Safety Canada, and the RCMP, the Armed Forces and Canadian coast guards, Gratton noted.
“The department [ISC] may fund search and recovery efforts for First Nation communities if search and rescue efforts are unsuccessful. We recommend the Nation [Grassy Narrows] contact the ISC regional office emergency management for more information on supports that may be available.”
Ian McLeod, spokesperson for Canada’s Department of Justice, said it “does not provide direct financial assistance to families of missing and murdered Indigenous people.”
However, McLeod said, families could receive support through Family Information Liaison Units, which are delivered through victim services and Indigenous community organizations.
There’s also “the Community Support and Healing for Families initiative, which supports culturally responsive, trauma-informed community-based services for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people,” he said.
The investigation into Pelly’s disappearance and death is led by Kenora OPP’s crime unit, under the direction of the OPP’s criminal investigation branch.
Kenora OPP commended its emergency response team, canine unit, and underwater search and recovery unit for their part in the search. Lac Seul Police Service’s canine unit and the Treaty Three Police Service also assisted, working closely with Grassy Narrows and Washagamis Bay First Nations.
For his part, Brian Pelly said he wants to see his son’s story shared more widely. He also questions whether his Indigenous identity has affected people’s perceptions of the case.
“Maybe that’s why they’re not showing him [on the news], because he’s Aboriginal — but he’s still a person. We all bleed the same. It shouldn’t be a racial thing.”
His message for anyone reading about his son? “Just love your kids. You don’t know when they will be taken from you.”
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Kenora OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or reach Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or at ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
Support is available for anyone affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Immediate emotional assistance and crisis support is available 24/7 through a national hotline at 1-844-413-6649.
