The brother of a missing Fort Frances woman says his family in the Sault is experiencing a nightmare after months of no contact and is urging anyone with information about her disappearance to come forward.

Melanie Lapish, 35, has been missing since February 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 is still holding out hope she will be found.

“We’re still praying,” Vlassoff said. “You have your good days and your bad days and some days it’s really 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 always introduced me to all her friends as her ‘little big brother.'”

She said the ordeal has been especially hard on her mother, noting that the worst part has been not knowing what happened to her.

“I wouldn’t wish something like that on my worst enemy,” Vlassoff said. “It’s been a nightmare, a roller coaster and many sleepless nights.”

Even eight months after her disappearance, the family hopes that 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 a lot of help raising awareness, but we’re really stuck,” Vlassoff said. “What else can you do? What else is anyone supposed to do?”

Vlassoff, who plays for the Sault Steelers football team, said some of that support came from his own team, which used its social media presence to raise awareness for the missing woman. When Lapish lived in Echo Bay a little over a year ago, he frequently attended their games.

“The Steelers are a family and she’s part of that family. She wouldn’t miss a game,” Vlassoff said. “We often had to mute the audio on the film because he could hear her screaming in the background.”

Vlassoff acknowledged there is no information to suggest his sister has made it to the Sault, but with few clues about the disappearance, the family is leaving no stone unturned.

Melanie Lapish is described as white with green eyes and blonde hair. She is approximately 5’9″ and weighs 100 pounds, has a slim build, and was last seen wearing black pants and a gray blouse. 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.