The mother of Earl Joey Wiebe, a violent psychiatric patient who escaped in Winnipeg a week ago, is pleading with her son to turn himself in.

'I'm sitting here looking at your picture wondering when and if I'll ever see you again.' — Alma Brown

In a statement issued by RCMP on Wednesday, Alma Brown wrote that she misses her son and needs to know whether he's all right.

"I'm sitting here looking at your picture wondering when and if I'll ever see you again," wrote Brown, who lives in Niverville, a town south of Winnipeg.

"I am pleading with you, Joey, to please call your lawyer and turn yourself in right away, please Joey please. I need to know if you are OK."

Earl Joey Wiebe, 23, escaped from custody on Sept. 27.
(Winnipeg Police Service)

Wiebe, 23, escaped from medical escorts while at an appointment at the Health Sciences Centre on Sept. 27. He has been a patient at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre since being found not criminally responsible for killing his stepmother, Candis Moizer, in Niverville in 2000.

Police describe him as violent, dangerous and at risk of offending again.

But Brown wrote that she doesn't believe Wiebe is out to cause harm.

"I don't believe for a minute that you are out to hurt anyone — but most people don't know you like I do," she wrote. "I love you and I miss you, son."

Brown also thanked her community for its tremendous support and encouragement to her and her family "during this difficult time."

'I don't believe for a minute that you are out to hurt anyone — but most people don't know you like I do.' — Alma Brown

Her statement came after she changed her mind and declined to speak at an RCMP news conference originally set for Monday.

Police said her statement is not part of the investigation into Wiebe's escape.

The Selkirk Mental Health Centre confirmed Tuesday that it has changed its policy on escorting psychiatric patients considered to be dangerous.

It now has the authority to ask provincial sheriff's officers to take patients, in handcuffs, to medical and other appointments outside the facility, if the patient poses a risk to public safety.

Police have asked the public to call 911 or RCMP immediately if they see Wiebe or have any information that could help locate him.