VANCOUVER -- A man convicted of murder made his way out of a minimum-security unit at a B.C. prison in August 2018.
A year and a half later, authorities are still searching for John Norman MacKenzie, who is wanted for being unlawfully at large.
At a news conference Wednesday, officials announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to MacKenzie's arrest. The reward is only available until July 8, a post on the BOLO Program website said.
The 59-year-old escapee may be armed and dangerous, and those interested in the reward are advised to take no action to apprehend him.
He was serving a life sentence for convictions including second-degree murder and armed robbery at the time of his escape from Correctional Service of Canada's Mission Institution.
His absence was first noticed on the evening of Aug. 7, 2018, during headcount at the facility, but it's possible he escaped earlier in the day.
Another prisoner escaped the same facility within a few weeks of MacKenzie's escape, but the man convicted of killing two children was located within a couple of days.
MacKenzie was last known to be in Mission at 7 p.m. that day, and was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans at the time.
He has no ties to the community, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
The wanted man is described as white, 5'9" and about 195 pounds. He has blue eyes with a scar on the side of his right eye, and brown but greying hair and facial hair.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.
