British Columbia

83-year-old inmate back in custody 12 hours after walking away from B.C. prison

Ralph Morris, 83, was arrested Wednesday afternoon, around 12 hours after he was discovered missing during a head count at the Mission Institution.

Ralph Morris arrested Wednesday after he was discovered missing from Mission Institution

Ralph Morris, 83, escaped from the minimum security Mission Institution on April 25. (Correctional Service of Canada)

An elderly convicted killer is back in custody after walking away from a minimum security prison in Mission, B.C.

Correctional Service Canada says Ralph Morris, 83, was arrested late Wednesday afternoon, around 12 hours after he was discovered missing during a head count at the Mission Institution.

Morris has a long criminal record and is currently serving a life sentence for the second-degree murder of his wife in 1982.

He escaped from a minimum security prison in Agassiz, B.C., in 2008 but surrendered to officials about two days later.

A news release from the correctional service says an investigation into the escape is underway.