RCMP have charged a man in connection with the murder of 64-year-old Robert-Jan Planje.
Steven Kenneth Frederickson of Chilliwack was arrested Tuesday and charged with second degree murder.
Planje had been missing since the morning of Dec. 13, 2010 when the Chilliwack RCMP were called to his home in the Rainbow Trailer park to check on his well being. When police attended they found no one at the residence, however there were signs of “a suspicious activity.” The residence was secured and a search for Planje began. Planje was last seen alive the on Dec. 12, 2010.
Later in the day on Dec. 13 police recovered items thought to be linked to the Planje home on Ballam Road. Ballam Road is a remote rural roadway that runs adjacent to an arm of the Fraser River in north Chilliwack.
Police conducted an extensive search in the area along Ballam Road as well as RCMP Dive Team members were deployed into the river. The search did not locate Planje.
According to RCMP Cpl. Dale Carr of IHIT, “Investigators still asking the public to recall if they saw any out of the ordinary activity along Ballam Road on Dec. 13, 2010 between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m.. As this is an area that something unusual would stand out.”
On Dec. 30 at approximately 8:30 a.m., Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment RCMP members in Hope responded to a report of a found body on a forest service road near American Creek in Hope. The body had been discovered by a local resident that was on the service road walking his dog.
After the completion of an autopsy, the body was identified a Planje and he was determined to have been murdered.
Planje was not known to police. Planje and Frederickson were known to each other. Planje had taken Frederickson in on a temporary basis as he knew him through Frederickson’s mother.
Although this investigation is currently before the courts police are still interested in obtaining any additional information people may have about either Planje or Frederickson.
Anyone with information is asked to call the IHIT tip line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448). If they wish to remain anonymous they can call CRIMESTOPPERS at 1-800-222-TIPS
