Convicted Killer Escapes Prison—Fatally

A search for a convicted killer believed to have escaped from a prison on Vancouver Island has ended with the discovery of the missing inmate still on prison grounds. Correctional Service Canada says 69-year-old Ernest Jensen was found dead Monday in shallow waters along the shoreline of William Head Institution in Metchosin, BC, after disappearing from the minimum-security facility a day earlier, the CBC reports. Jensen, serving a life sentence for second-degree murder since 1991, was noticed missing during a midday count Sunday, triggering a search that involved RCMP dogs, drones, air support, and marine units.

Mayor Marie-Térèse Little, who went door to door alerting residents during the search, called the past day "harrowing" but said Jensen had never actually left the institution's property. The incident revived long-standing concerns about security at William Head, where two inmates escaped at low tide in 2019 and went on to kill a local man. Some residents, including Sc'ianew (Beecher Bay) First Nation Chief Coun. Russ Chipps, want the facility closed and the land returned to his nation, arguing it could better serve as housing and community space. CSC says it made several security upgrades after 2019 and will review Jensen's escape and death, per CTV News.