'Not going to stop until I find him': First Nation man's family search for more remains in Ontario murder case
CBC
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.
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