Escaped Canadian prisoner convicted of murder spotted in Bellingham Friday morning
A man serving a life sentence for a first-degree murder conviction escaped from prison in Mission, B.C., and was seen Friday morning in Bellingham.
The Bellingham Police Department announced in a tweet that a man matching the description of Roderick Muchikekwanape was seen at approximately 7 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30, near the intersection of East Sunset and Hannegan Road.
Roderick is a 41-year-old Indigenous man, who is 6-feet tall and 217 pounds with brown eyes and black hair, according to the tweet. He was last seen wearing all dark clothing, a backward baseball hat and a paper face mask.
It is believed that Muchikekwanape crossed the U.S.-Canadian border at Sumas early Friday, according to the tweet, which included a photo of a man suspected to be Muchikekwanape at a Sumas gas station.
“If seen, do not approach — do not alert him and call 9-1-1 immediately,” a Bellingham Police Facebook post read.
“While we are aware that Roderick Muchikekwanape has a history of significant violence, we do not believe that he is an immediate threat to the general public. If you see him, do not approach and call your local police,” Corporal Nathan Berze of the Mission Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a RCMP release about the escape.
A team of investigators, including members of Mission RCMP’s Serious Crimes Unit, have been assigned to investigate and find Muchikekwanape, the release stated.
According to a CBC story on Muchikekwanape’s escape, he was last seen at Mission Institution at 7 p.m. Thursday. He went missing during a routine inmate count at 10 p.m.
Muchikekwanape was being held in an unfenced, minimum-security area of the prison, CBC reported, which usually houses those deemed the lowest security risk.
Officials told the CBC they didn’t yet know how Muchikekwanape escaped.
Muchikekwanape was serving a life sentence after he was convicted of the 1998 sexual assault and murder of Kimberley Clarke, a 36-year-old mother of three, according to the CBC. The crime occurred in Winnipeg.
Muchikekwanape reportedly reached his parole eligibility in August and has been “transitioning for release,” a prison spokesperson told the CBC.
According to a CTV Vancouver story, Muchikekwanape had been in custody the past 20 years after being convicted when he was 21.
Correctional Service Canada said in a release about Muchikekwanape’s escape that it “will investigate the circumstances of this incident and is working with the police to locate the offender as quickly as possible.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 12:37 PM.
