My name is Bevin. Mekenna was my sister. Myself, our family, and Mekenna’s closest friends are desperately seeking justice and answers for my sister’s tragic death.
Mekenna was a beloved daughter, sister, and friend. She meant the world to us, and we miss her more than words can express. On April 5, 2023, Mekenna went missing in Blue River, Oregon, just hours after Lane County (OR) police found her in a terrifying state—naked and terrified for her life. The police initially told our family that Mekenna might have been experiencing a psychological episode or could have been drugged. They claimed they had escorted her back to her car and followed her home to ensure her safety. But later, we discovered the heartbreaking truth: the police did not follow her home.
Instead, they saw a vulnerable woman in crisis, possibly under the influence of drugs, who was begging for help, and let her drive away in that condition. They didn’t take her to the station, didn’t get her to a hospital, and didn’t even call us—her family. If they had, things might have been different. Mekenna disappeared shortly after, and we never saw her alive again.
At the time, I was living on the East Coast, having just given birth to my first daughter. Despite the distance, I knew something was terribly wrong. Thank god for donations we received we were able to fly back and forth to Oregon, determined to find my sister. But the effort felt like it was entirely on me and my brother-Lane County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) showed little interest in helping us right after we flew home. After many attempts of trusting the process we found out NOTHING was being done to help her case if anything only hurting us and wasted the most valuable time in getting answers. This is when we turned to hiring our own investigators, search parties, making allies in the community, drone work, etc. (who would have thought we would have to try to figure out our own loved one's death?).
On August 12th, 2023, a body surfaced in the Blue River reservoir. According to my copy of the Medical Examiner’s report and Investigation Summary, police admit to assuming the body belonged to Mekenna before they had even responded- and they already assumed it was a drug-induced death before they recovered her body from the water.
Because of their bias and narrow-minded tunnel vision, my sister’s crime scene was destroyed and incorrectly processed. Her autopsy was performed THREE DAYS AFTER SURFACING- a delay that most likely destroyed crucial signs and evidence previously preserved while underwater, as body decomposition speeds rapidly once removed from water. The autopsy was extremely vague and lacked foundational evidence to suggest Mekenna died of freshwater drowning, though it remains listed as her cause of death. Lane County Sheriff’s Office and the morgue refuse to return calls or investigate further- but also refuse to close Mekenna’s case and give us closure.
With little time to spare, we managed to secure a private medical examiner to conduct a thorough autopsy. This has come at a great cost, and we’ve exhausted our funds. At this point, we have spent over 15 thousand of our own money which is depleted. We’ve already discovered crucial evidence that LCSO missed—DNA that could be the key to uncovering the truth. We are not in denial; we’re willing to accept any reality, but we are determined to follow the evidence wherever it leads. We already have the one piece of evidence we needed. Mekenna DID NOT DROWN - the rest we will save for when we are ready to disclose. We still have further expensive testing to be done to hopefully get even more of her story, but our main report for our private autopsy is complete and shows us that our fighting has not been in vain.
We are now planning to hire the best medical attorney we can find to hold those responsible accountable and bring justice for Mekenna. Our goal is to ensure that no other family has to endure what we’re going through, and to make certain that the failures in Lane County never happen again.
We are asking for your support. Every contribution, every share, every word of encouragement helps us in this fight. Mekenna deserves justice, and we won’t stop until we have the answers.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for any support you can offer. Every little bit makes a difference to us and to Mekenna’s memory.
Love,
Mekenna’s Family & Friends
Organizer
Bevin Stepp
Organizer
Camp Hill, PA