Long after police search efforts slowed and the winter forced families out of the bush, the people who loved Mekhi Pelly are searching for his remains yet again.
Nearly six months after some of the 21-year-old’s remains were first discovered near Washagamis Bay First Nation, family members, friends and volunteers have returned to the area hoping to bring the rest of him home.
“The renewed search effort began May 15 and is being led not by police, but by the people still carrying the weight of Mekhi’s loss every day.”
Family friend Lori Copenace says some family members feel the original search efforts did not go far enough.
“The police found 70 per cent of Mekhi, and we’re looking for the other 30 percent,” she recently told the Miner and News.
Pelly was first reported missing in October 2025. In December, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) confirmed human remains found near Washagamis Bay First Nation had been identified as his.
Police later charged 24-year-old Terrance Cherry with first-degree murder and indignity to a dead body in connection with the case. His mother, 43-year-old Una Cherry, was also charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Both matters remain before the courts.
But for Pelly’s family, the criminal case has never been the end of the story.
“The police said that they found him, but they didn’t find him. They found pieces of him,” Mekhi’s father, Brian Pelly, said during earlier search efforts in December. “The body is still missing, and we’re still trying to find him.”
The family paused searching over the winter as snow and dangerous conditions made the terrain difficult to access. Now, with warmer weather returning, loved ones are once again combing through dense bush, trails, and remote areas near where Mekhi’s remains were originally located.
Copenace said the search has taken a heavy emotional toll on everyone involved.
“Mentally, it’s been hard on all of us,” she said.
Searchers have continued finding possible leads in areas they believed had already been searched, though none have yet been officially identified.
“We are finding bones in the areas that they searched,” Copenace continued. “But it’s not confirmed yet because they could be animal bones as well.”
According to the family, police had previously suggested animals may have scattered remains deeper into the surrounding forest.
“That forest has large trails and very hard-to-get-to places out there,” Copenace said.
Community support has continued to play a major role in helping the family search such a large and difficult area. Volunteers have been lending ATVs, donating supplies, and helping search remote trails surrounding Washagamis Bay.
Copenace said Mekhi’s father is also hoping to continue searching nearby waterways where some remains are believed to have been located.
For those closest to Mekhi, the search is deeply personal.
Copenace first met him when he was a teenager and remained close with his family over the years. She described him as deeply protective of those he cared about, especially his siblings.
“He was mainly close with his sisters and his older brother, too,” she said. “He was protective of everyone who was close to him.”
The arrests in the case brought anger and heartbreak to those who knew him, particularly because the accused had once been considered close to him.
“They were friends,” Copenace said. “Mekhi would buy him things, spoil him, like how he would with his close friends. He called him his brother.”
The search has also reopened painful memories for others in the community.
Copenace said her own family experienced a similar tragedy in Kenora in 2016, something she says has made her understand the grief the Pelly family is carrying.
“We understand what they’re going through,” she said.
As the search continues, the family is asking for more volunteers to help cover the large area surrounding Washagamis Bay. Searchers have been gathering at the Washagamis Bay Band Office each morning, hoping more people continue coming out to help
Food, water, fuel, and financial donations are also being accepted to support the ongoing effort.
For now, Copenace says the family has no plans to stop searching.
“I believe the family is still going to keep searching for as long as they can,” she said.
Anyone with information related to Mekhi Pelly’s remains is encouraged to contact the OPP or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
Donations for food and supplies for volunteers helping with the search are being accepted through e-transfer at brianpelly89@gmail.com
