TUESDAY
K A M L O O P S
THIS WEEK
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 X Volume 25 No. 98 www.kamloopsthisweek.com X 30 cents at Newsstands
TRAGEDY IN CLEARWATER
Teachers killed when vehicle goes into river By Dale Bass STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
The body of 16-year-old CJ Fowler was found in a ravine in Guerin Creek on Dec. 5. The girl, whose full name is Summer Star Elizabeth Krista-Lee Fowler, has family from the Gitxsan First Nation village of Gitanmaax near Hazelton in northwestern B.C.
Who killed C.J.? And why? By Tim Petruk STAFF REPORTER tim@kamloopsthisweek.com
When C.J. Fowler was murdered in Kamloops last week, the 16-yearold was hours away from returning to Terrace. Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Grant Learned said investigators have learned Fowler, whose body was found on an embankment in Guerin Creek on Dec. 5, had purchased a bus ticket home for later that day. She had been in Kamloops since Dec. 1, police believe, spending time couch-surfing with friends in the Tournament Capital. Learned said investigators have
interviewed many of those acquaintances, as well as a male companion with whom Fowler is believed to have travelled to Kamloops. Eight detectives are working fulltime to find out what happened to Fowler. “It’s still very, very active,” Learned said. “The homicide investigators have characterized the investigation as proceeding favourably.” According to Learned, police are working more than 200 leads — the result of public tips and interviews. Investigators have narrowed their interest to the period between midnight and 8 a.m. on Dec. 5. X See POLICE A6
The tragic weekend deaths of a young married couple who taught in Clearwater have been amplified by the fact the wife was in the late stages of pregnancy. Clearwater and the Kamloops-Thompson school district are mourning the deaths of two members of their communities. Skye and Courtney Buck died on Sunday night (Dec. 10) when the vehicle in which they were travelling left Highway 5 at Wolf Corner and crashed into the North Thompson River. The two, described by friends as highschool sweethearts, taught in the community — Skye at Clearwater secondary, where he taught math and was a learningassistance teacher, and Courtney at Raft River elementary, where she taught kindergarten and Grade 1. Skye’s parents, Brent and Tracy, also teach at the secondary school. Skye graduated from Clearwater secondary
Skye Buck, seen playing tennis in this 2008 Kamloops This Week file photo, was killed, along with wife, Courtney, when their vehicle left Highway 5 near Clearwater on Sunday, Dec. 10.
in 1999. Courtney graduated from the same high school in 2000. Skye would have marked his 31st birthday today (Dec. 11). His wife was 30 and was in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy when the accident occurred, according to those who knew her. Clearwater RCMP said officers were called about the crash about 17 kilometres south of the community just before 7 p.m. Police said it was apparent at the scene a northbound vehicle had lost control, left
the highway and gone down a 30-metre embankment into the North Thompson River. Debris indicated the vehicle struck a tree at some point. Due to the lateness and poor lighting conditions, an initial attempt to find the vehicle was unsuccessful. Police resumed the search on Monday, Dec. 11. Skye and Courtney were graduates of Thompson Rivers University, where Skye was a star basketball player, named BCCAA Player of the Year in 2004, an all-star on the CCAA Tournament
Championship first team and a CCAA AllCanadian. He played professionally in the English Basketball League in 2005. The Bucks and Courtney’s family, the Dekelvers, have a long history in the Clearwater area. Premier Christy Clark was in the community of 5,000 last month for the opening of Ed Buck Manor, a $1.6-million home for seniors and people with disabilities. The facility was named after Ed Buck for his many works in the Clearwater area.
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