Wish I could say I'm sorry, but I'm not. Police say that foul play is not suspected.  Okay...

You see, I'm one of those people who believe there's a special place in Hell for people who rape women or children. Dale Koenders is there right now.  Pity...

Police say a body found nearly two weeks ago near Progress Way is that of a convicted sex offender who walked away from a Chilliwack halfway house earlier this year.

Dental records have confirmed that the body belongs to Dale Edward Koenders. Police say they have completed their investigation and have found no evidence of foul play.

Koenders, 46, walked away from his day parole in Chilliwack on July 8. He had previously been convicted of a number of sexual assaults. In 1987 he sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman at knifepoint in Chemainus, on Vancouver Island.

A Canadawide Warrant was immediately issued, and in the immediate weeks following his disappearance, police believed Koenders to be living near South Fraser Way in Abbotsford, where several people reported seeing him.

In October, police on Vancouver Island warned the public in the North Cowichan Valley to be on the lookout for Koenders, who had associates in the area.

But on Nov. 25, a hiker discovered Koenders's body near a trail at the base of Chilliwack Mountain, near the intersection of Industrial Way and Progress Way.

Mounties found identification for Koenders at the scene but were unable to positively identify the remains.

Police have now finished investigating the death and have notified next of kin. Another investigation is ongoing by the B.C. Coroner's Office.

tolsen@chilliwacktimes.com

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