Immaculate Mary Basil
** Editor's note: The Search for Mackie Basil is an update on the search for Mackie, the impact of her family's loss and the ongoing deaths and disappearance of Indigenous women.
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The sixth stolen sister in the series
The daughter of Samuel Basil and Patricia Joseph, Mackie Basil was mother to Jamison, who was 5 years old when she disappeared.
Basil had three sisters and three brothers: Crystal, Ida, Samantha (deceased overdose ruled foul play), Nick, Peter and Travis (deceased shot unsolved homicide). Immaculate Basil was born on December 8, 1985, that day is also the Roman Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It's likely the date influenced her name.
(Immaculate) Mackie grew up in the foster care system with her sisters Ida and Crystal. Ida says that their experience there bonded them; they called each other daily at 10 am.
Mackie was part of the Tl'azt'en Nation, based out of Tachie, south of the Kuz Che Reserve. She lived in Fort St. James at the time of her disappearance, working part-time as a secretary and as a teacher's assistant at the school. She had recently split from her long-time partner and father to Jamison.
She was known to be an introvert who rarely partied and was not known to drink or do drugs. She was very selective with who she spent time with and preferred time at home cleaning, decorating, completing tasks, being online, talking with her sisters or spending time with her son. She would often make porridge for him and set out frozen huckleberries; her son was important to her. Ida said of her sister that she was a "caring, beautiful person" and that "she'd help out in any way she can if you asked her for help.”
Mackie Mary Basil was 27-years old when she went missing early on Friday, June 14, 2013 near the Kuz Che Indian Reserve, 70 km north of Fort St. James in British Columbia. It was reported that she was last seen with her cousin and another man leaving a house party. Her disappearance is considered uncharacteristic of her personality.
Her family is still searching for her. Hoping to lay her to rest with family.
Mackie was a mom and foster mom, volunteer, sister, daughter. She is the cousin of missing woman Bonnie Joseph. She was a real person.