Escaped inmate from B.C.’s Mission Institution recaptured

The Correctional Service of Canada says Robert Raymond Dezwann, 53, was arrested by Fraser Valley RCMP at about 11:15 a.m. Saturday. (Photo: Alexander C. Kafka/ Flickr)

MISSION –A convicted killer who went missing from the minimum security unit of the Mission Institution in British Columbia has been recaptured.

The Correctional Service of Canada says Robert Raymond Dezwann, 53, was arrested by Fraser Valley RCMP at about 11:15 a.m. Saturday.

Dezwann had been missing since Friday afternoon, when prison staff discovered he wasn’t accounted for and immediately contacted the RCMP.

Dezwann, of Kelowna, B.C., was serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 15 years after being convicted of second degree murder in 2003.

He was found guilty of strangling 16-year-old Cherish Oppenheim in Merrit, B.C. in 2001, and leaving her body in a wooded area.

The correctional service says it’s investigating the circumstance around his escape, and ensuring public safety remains a priority.