THURSDAY, july 25, 2019 Vol. A-75, No. 30
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Manhunt underway for teen suspects in three Northern B.C. highway deaths When You Are Out in the Field, Time IS Money. QUALITY PARTS, EXPERT SERVICE!
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Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, are suspects in the murders of Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese on the Alaska Highway, and the death of a man on Highway 37 near Dease Lake.
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A cross-country manhunt is underway for two Vancouver Island teens considered suspects in the murders of two young, international tourists on the Alaska Highway, as well as the death of a man on Highway 37 near Dease Lake last week. Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, both from Port Alberni, are considered dangerous and were last seen in Northern Saskatchewan. Both are wanted in the double homicide of Lucas Fowler, 23, and Chynna Deese, 24, sometime on July 14 or 15, as well as the death of an older, unidentified man found near their burning pickup truck days later on July 19. “Consider them dangerous, do not approach, and call immediately 9-1-1,” RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said during a press conference Tuesday morning. The teens were last seen driving a grey 2011 Toyota RAV 4. They are both 6-foot-4 inches tall and weigh around 169 pounds — however, they may be driving a different vehicle and may have changed their appearances and clothing, police warn. The news is a surprise turn to the investigations — McLeod and Schmegelsky were first considered missing under suspicious circumstances after their Dodge pickup truck and camper was found on fire near the Stikine River on July 19. A dead man in his 50s was found nearby a
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Chynna Deese (left) and Lucas Fowler were found shot to death near their van on the Alaska Highway south of Liard Hot Springs on July 15, 2019.
short time later. But investigators have gathered new information that leads them to believe they are suspects in all three deaths, Shoihet said. She could not divulge specifics. “This investigation is very complex and ever-evolving. Investigators continue to follow up on tips, and review the physical and digital evidence collected,” Shoihet said. RCMP did not release specifics about where the teens were last seen northern Saskatchewan, but released photos captured from CCTV video from a store where they were last seen. Police agencies across Canada have been notified about the wanted teens, Shoihet said. “We believe that they’re likely continuing to travel but we don’t have a possible destination,” Shoihet said. Victims’ van broke down
The first victims were Fowler, from Australia, and Deese, from the United States. They were found shot to death outside their van south of Liard Hot Springs on Monday, July 15. The couple had just started a road trip when their van broke down 20 kilometres south of the hot springs on the afternoon of Sunday, July 14. Witnesses say they last saw the couple smiling and sharing a meal that afternoon despite having broken down. The engine of their van had reportedly flooded, but Fowler reportedly knew how to fix it. “Obviously their van had broken down, but they were still happy and smiling. They were having lunch or a bit of a meal when we pulled up,” Curtis Broughton, a mechanic from Fort Nelson, told the Australian Associated Press. “He seemed like he had everything diagnosed properly. The vehicle was flooded out and they were going to try
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and get it going again.” Another witness saw the couple later that evening in some sort of confrontation with a bearded man standing in the middle of the road. The couple looked bothered, and the man was staring at them with his arms open. “He looked frustrated or something,” Alandra Hull told Australian TV outlet Nine News, which sent reporters to Northeast B.C. to cover this story along with News Corp Australia. Hull spoke with police and helped a sketch artist develop a portrait of the man. Police say the unidentified man is a person of interest wanted for questioning. He may be associated with an older model Jeep Cherokee with a black stripe on its hood similar to a racing stripe, and a black light/bull bar with small, covered lights, police said. Fowler and Deese were found around 7 a.m. on Monday, July 15. Trevor Pierre, a medic, found their bodies in the ditch near their van, about five metres apart. One of the van’s back windows had been smashed, and its back doors were left open. “I don’t know how anybody could live with themselves after doing what I saw,” Pierre told Nine News. “You see this young, beautiful lady laying there … that’s vivid into my mind.” There are at least 30 investigators reported to be working the case. See MANHUNT on A3
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