Mackenzie Lee Trottier’s family and friends continue their relentless search for her, almost a year after the Saskatoon woman went missing.
Family, friends and other supporters gathered in downtown Saskatoon for the Find Mackenzie Trottier rally on Sunday.
Her father, Paul Trottier, has counted down the days and hours since family last saw Mackenzie: 335 days or 8,040 hours.
Many family and friends gathered on Sunday, holding poster signs or donning shirts for Mackenzie. Her father says to see the support from the community means the world to him.
“Seeing all these people out here on a cold morning is incredibly warming for our family, knowing that we have that kind of support, it really is spectacular,”
Paul Trottier said.
Mackenzie, 23, was last seen on Dec. 21, 2020, leaving her home in the 300 block of Trent Crescent in Saskatoon.
Her family has never stopped looking for her since then.
Mackenzie’s sisters, Sadie and Laurenne Trottier, say the family has supported each other throughout the time Mackenzie has been missing. They told reporters Sunday they still look for the good in life and have to have hope.
The family is praying she is found as the continual wait is unbearable.
They said knowing that people, including strangers, care and have joined the search means they are not alone.
“The support from everywhere, almost all over the world, is kind of crazy — to see how many people care and want to help someone they never knew and a family that they never knew,” Sadie said.
Paul says there have been a number of tips but none have led to anything at this point.
He said the family isn’t going to stop searching or spreading the word in Saskatchewan and across Canada.
Paul admits his daughter would probably be a little bit embarrassed to see all the support, but she would also feel honoured, a sense of community and belonging as well as love.
He recalled some of his favourite memories of Mackenzie, like when she would sing outside.
“She had a wonderful voice, and I know I’m a father but she really did have a great voice. I would love to hear her voice again and would love to sing with her again outside in the wilderness,” Paul told reporters.
“If we don’t bring awareness to it, it really does go under the radar. I think it’s really important for us all to remember there are people who are missing and people who go missing on a regular basis,” Paul said.
“In our case, Mackenzie has gone missing, it’s been 11 months. Sometimes we forget. We are inundated with information and it’s really important for us to continually remember that somebody is actually missing from our family,” he added.
Paul said the family regularly checks in with police, if not every week at least once every two weeks.
“Somebody out there knows something, and we just want that information back to the police so we can bring our daughter home,” Paul said.
A rally was also held in downtown Calgary and Edmonton on Sunday.
Paul adds there is also a cash reward of over $20,000 for anyone with information leading to Mackenzie’s safe return.
Anyone with information on Mackenzie can contact the family, Saskatoon Police or Crime Stoppers.