The Coquitlam RCMP are seeking the public's assistance in locating a 49-year-old man who walked away from an independent boarding house located at Riverview Hospital.
For the second time this year Cao Phan has left the facility and is currently unlawfully at large from his court-ordered residence.
Phan, who is described as a Vietnamese male, five-foot-one, weighing 141 pounds, walks with a limp and is missing his index and middle finger on his right hand. He has brown eyes, dimpled skin and black hair.
Phan suffers from a mental illness for which he is required to take medication and he is known to frequent areas in Burnaby and Vancouver. He was last seen on Sept. 19.
This is not the first time Phan has left the facility without permission. In March 2011 he walked away from the Riverview Hospital grounds, where officials said he has lived for a number of years.
At the time, Lubna Ekramoddoullah, the public relations person with the Provincial Health Services Authority, said the risk of Phan harming a member of the public was considered low. However, the Coquitlam RCMP said that if he is seen he should not be approached.
"They can't talk about specific circumstances... but it is important that he is returned to care," she said.
Anyone with any information about Phan's whereabouts are asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 or their local police department. Anyone wishing to provide information anonymously can do so by contacting Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.solvecrime.ca.
