Convicted murderer Lori Bill Germa escapes from Archambault Institution in Quebec

MONTREAL — A 69-year-old convicted murderer that escaped from a prison in Quebec’s Laurentians area might be in southwestern Ontario, Ontario Provincial Police said Sunday.

Correctional Service Canada said staff discovered late Saturday that Lory Bill Germa was not present during an inmate count at the minimum-security unit of Archambault Institution north of Montreal, where he has been serving a first-degree murder sentence.

Germa is 5’10, weighs 166 pounds and is bald with light skin and brown eyes.

He also has a tattoo of a sword with the name “Carol” on one arm, and two seahorses and two dragons on the other.

OPP said Sunday that they had joined the search after being notified by Quebec provincial officers.

“South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Crime Unit is now assisting in this investigation and believe that the wanted individual may be in Southwestern Ontario, more specifically in the South Bruce or Hanover areas,” the force said in a news release.

The release said Germa was convicted of murder in 1992.

Germa is the second convicted killer to escape from Archambault in the last few weeks.

Fellow inmate Richard Plourde escaped two weeks ago and was arrested by Quebec provincial police the following day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2025.