Search Underway for Convicted Killer Believed to Have Escaped Vancouver Island Prison
Lucas Tremblay
6/29/20261 min read
A search is underway on Vancouver Island for a convicted killer who police say is dangerous and believed to have escaped from a federal prison.
The Correctional Service of Canada said staff discovered Ernest Egon Jensen, 69, was missing from William Head Institution during a headcount at noon on Sunday.
William Head is a minimum-security federal prison in Metchosin, about 27 kilometres southwest of Victoria.
Jensen has been serving a life sentence for second-degree murder since 1991. He has also served time for break and enter and trespassing.
Police Search Expands Around Prison
West Shore RCMP said Jensen is wanted on a warrant for being unlawfully at large.
Police said they have deployed extensive patrols in the area around William Head Institution as the search continues.
Residents can expect to see a heavy police presence near the facility while RCMP search outside the prison and William Head staff conduct a comprehensive search inside the institution’s grounds.
RCMP Police Dog Services have also attended the scene, and RCMP Air Services has been called in to conduct patrols from the air.
Public Told Not to Approach
Jensen is described as five feet eight inches tall, bald and heavily built.
Police are urging anyone who sees him not to approach him.
Anyone with information about Jensen’s whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately.
Previous Escape Ended in Killing
This is not the first time in recent years that inmates have escaped from William Head Institution.
In July 2019, inmates James Lee Busch and Zachary Armitage fled the facility by walking around a fence at low tide.
After their escape, the pair killed Martin Payne, a 60-year-old man who lived about eight kilometres from the prison.
Busch and Armitage were arrested two days later and were later convicted of first-degree murder in Payne’s killing.
The previous case has added to public concern as police continue searching for Jensen.
News
Stay updated with the latest BC news stories, subscribe to our newsletter today.
SUBSCRIBE
© 2026 Innovatory Labs Inc. All rights reserved.
LINKS