The brother of a missing Fort Frances woman says her family in the Sault are experiencing a living nightmare after months of no contact and are urging anyone with information about her disappearance to come forward.
Melanie Lapish, age 35, has been missing since Feb. 26 when she was last seen in Fort Frances, about two hours south of Kenora in northwestern Ontario.
Reached by phone, Melanie's younger brother Darren Vlassoff says Lapish's family in the Sault are still holding on to hope that she will be found.
"We're still praying," said Vlassoff. "You have your good days and you have your bad days and some days it's very hard to get through the day, but other days you think about what she would want."
"I'm four years younger than her, but taller and bigger than her," Vlassoff added. "She would always introduce me to all her friends as her 'little big brother.'"
He said the ordeal has been especially hard on his mother and noted the worst part has been not knowing what happened to her.
"I wouldn't wish anything like this upon my worst enemy," said Vlassoff. "It's just been a nightmare, it's been a roller coaster and a lot of sleepless nights."
Even eight months after she went missing, the family is hoping photos or details about Lapish shared through the media and social media will spark someone's memory or lead to her being found.
"We've had tremendous help to spread awareness, but in reality, we're at a standstill," said Vlassoff. "What else can you do? What else is somebody supposed to do?"
Vlassoff, who plays for the Sault Steelers football team, said some of that support has come from his own team, which used its social media presence to raise awareness for the missing woman. When Lapish was living in Echo Bay just over a year ago, she would often attend his games.
"The Steelers are a family and she a part of that family. She wouldn't miss a game," said Vlassoff. "There's often times where we had to mute audio for film because he can hear her screaming in the background."
Vlassoff acknowledged there is no information suggesting that his sister made her way to the Sault, but with few leads in the disappearance the family is leaving no stone unturned.
Melanie Lapish is described as white with green eyes and blonde hair. She is about 5'9" tall and 100 pounds with a thin build and was last seen wearing black pants and a grey top. She has a black and white tribal tattoo on her lower back.
Anyone with information about Lapish's disappearance is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.