Search continues for escaped Canadian murderer who may have crossed border into Whatcom
The search continues for a convicted murderer who walked away from a Canadian prison last week and may have crossed the border into Whatcom County and been seen in Bellingham.
Roderick Muchikekwanape, who was serving a life sentence for the 1998 sexual assault and murder of a 36-year-old mother of three in Winnipeg, Manitoba, escaped from the Mission (B.C.) Institution sometime between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, according to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police news release Friday, Oct. 30.
A person who resembled Muchikekwanape was spotted at a Sumas gas station early Oct. 30, according to social media posts by the Bellingham Police Department, and then again at 7 a.m. in Bellingham near the intersection of East Sunset and Hannegan roads.
As of Friday morning, Nov. 6, Muchikekwanape has not been located, Mission Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Nathan Berze told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“I can’t say for sure whether he crossed the border or not,” Berze wrote. “The sightings are still unconfirmed. It’s a strong lead and a strong possibility, but we can’t say for sure.”
The Herald’s questions to the Bellingham Police Department asking if any more sightings of Muchikekwanape in Bellingham have been reported this week have not been answered, but Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater reported Thursday that deputies have not received any reports related to Muchikekwanape in the county.
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 release. The Bellingham police social media reports stated was last seen wearing all dark clothing, a backward baseball hat and a paper face mask.
“If seen, do not approach — do not alert him and call 9-1-1 immediately,” a Bellingham police Facebook post read.
Though Roderick has a violent history, Berze stated in the RCMP release that “we do not believe that he is an immediate threat to the general public.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 12:00 PM.
