Photo by AP
YOUNG COUPLE MURDERED IN B.C. – In this undated photo provided by the family of Chynna Deese, 23-year-old Australian Lucas Fowler, left, and 24-year-old American girlfriend Deese pose for a selfie. Last Monday, the couple was found murdered along the Alaska Highway near the Liard Hot Springs. Now, two young men are missing from Highway 37 south of Dease Lake, and a body has been discovered two kilometres from that scene. DEESE FAMILY via AP
RCMP in northern British Columbia are searching for two Whitehorse-bound young men whose vehicle was discovered on fire Friday in the same area where police say a body was found.
DEASE LAKE, B.C. – RCMP in northern British Columbia are searching for two Whitehorse-bound young men whose vehicle was discovered on fire Friday in the same area where police say a body was found.
Police said in a release Sunday night that officers investigating a vehicle fire on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway (#37) about 50 kilometres south of Dease Lake, B.C., received information that led them to discover a body at a highway pullout about two kilometres from the scene of the fire.
They said the burned vehicle belongs to 19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky, both of Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island.
According to police, the two were travelling through B.C. to Whitehorse to look for work.
They haven’t been in contact with their families for the past few days.
They were last seen in Dease Lake last Thursday travelling in an older model red and grey Dodge pickup truck with a sleeping camper.
Police said they were still working to identify the male body that was found, determine the cause of death, and whether there was any connection with the two missing men.
But they did confirm that the body they found is not that of either of the missing teens.
Dease Lake is about 470 kilometres away from where 23-year-old Australian Lucas Fowler and his 24-year-old American girlfriend, Chynna Deese, were found murdered earlier in the week along the Alaska Highway near the Liard Hot Springs.
Their vehicle had stalled, but they had told a woman who had stopped to help earlier that they had the situation in hand.
Fowler is the son of a senior Australian police official, and Australian officers were set to arrive in the area to liaise with the family back home.
Police acknowledge in their Sunday release that “there are growing community concerns about the ongoing homicide investigations in northern B.C.”
They add that investigators “are sharing information” about the cases, but don’t say whether any connection between the two has yet been made.
Given the recent events, they are urging travellers in north-central B.C. to be very cautious.
THE CANADIAN PRESS.
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Comments (23)
Up 2 Down 0
Be Safe on Jul 27, 2019 at 6:42 pm
Have some sort of defense on yourself. Bear Spray...Aerosol Sprays...anything that might help give you a bit of time to move on. Please, folks be Safe. This is so scary.
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Moose on Jul 24, 2019 at 10:28 pm
@Jim - So you want a gun to protect yourself from murderers... ok fine. But do you walk around with a helmet on? Your odds are much higher of dying from falling and hitting your head. So if you don't wear a helmet when walking around, why do you want to protect yourself from something much less likely to kill you?
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Jim on Jul 24, 2019 at 2:02 pm
I love Montana gun laws..buy or pack a hand gun for personal and property protection ... I may sound like a hill billy but this young couple did not deserve to die in cold blood!
May they rest in peace and justice be served to the murderer .
Up 21 Down 1
Wayne on Jul 24, 2019 at 1:54 pm
It is very sad that such innocent young lives have been taken! I have picked up hitch hikers and people with broken down vehicles. We need to be able to save ourselves, maybe bear spray or tasers!
Up 33 Down 0
Yukoner71 on Jul 24, 2019 at 12:27 pm
20 years ago I had a really bad experience picking up a hitchhiker on the remote North Klondike Hwy. in late October. Thought the guy must be ok as it was winter but turned out he was a cop killing murderer from back east who had made his way north (he bragged about it). Plain and simple he was nuts and I was getting ready to prepare to fight for my life while driving my vehicle, it was close but didn't come to that. When I reported him to the cops in Dawson they were later able to identify who I was talking about from showing me a picture lineup. I have to say that changed my perception of safety in Yukon or stopping for people who are broke down and I definitely do not pick up any hitchhikers I don't know anymore.
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Rine on Jul 24, 2019 at 11:50 am
So scary I'm a backpacker myself...
Was thinking what if the suspects actually were witnesses then been threatened by the one actually committing the crime and therefore fled the scene trying to cover up what happened.
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just thinking on Jul 24, 2019 at 12:35 am
I found myself thinking about 'what I'd do if..' while lying in bed last night. I was vividly imagining, 'What if someone came across our field ..?' Like you realize, we are all sitting ducks.
I have slept in my vehicle at different times, before Liard Hotsprings, at the Hot Springs, and another time, about 30 km past the hot springs. Never really thought a whole lot about it. The time I drove 30 km was actually to get away from a pervy man in the hot springs who kept pestering me to go back to his trailer with him. I didn't want to stay there knowing he was going to be around. Just didn't want the bs. That was a few years ago.
Anyway, we all deal with being tired and having a sleep beside the highway, in a pull out, or just beside the road sometimes. Now I'm thinking, 'What if someone showed up at my window? What would I do?' Bear spray, a dog? More like just hit the gas. But you would not stand much of a chance.
I just looked out the window and the sky is aqua marine tonight, with charcoal grey clouds. It's still a very nice world up here 99.9% of the time, and I guess we all take our chances each day. But the people like those two spoiled punks who killed that couple and that man need to be GREASED, taken out of circulation quickly and permanently. That's the bottom line because it would ruin our way of living if we thought we had to protect ourselves against them in a normal day to day existence. It is a very extremely rare event, and though we should be aware and maybe have a plan, we should not let it change our enjoyment of our lives.
Up 24 Down 0
Miles Emerson on Jul 23, 2019 at 8:20 pm
It's not over yet so let's grieve for the innocent people killed and hope no-one else gets killed by these guys.
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Mr M on Jul 23, 2019 at 1:28 pm
@ Bill King. Remember what happened in Las Vegas just a few short years ago. How many innocent people lost their lives and how many innocent people were seriously injured? It can happen anywhere. You are not safe in your own backyard. Need capital punishment and the good old chain gang back again.
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RR on Jul 23, 2019 at 12:49 pm
@Bill King why do you come then at all to Canada? This is a tragedy and not the rule in our beautiful country. Things like this happen anywhere in this world unfortunately but if you feel safer in your gun lobby country well then don't come visit.
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Responsible Gun Owner on Jul 23, 2019 at 12:28 pm
@Bill King, thanks for your two cents worth but I’ll take Canada over Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Washington, DC or Atlanta any day just to name a few gunfire happy cities in the US.
Chicago - over 300 gun deaths so far this year and we’re only 7 months into 2019. Gun deaths are so common in the USA that most don’t even make the news anymore unless multiple people are taken out in a single shooting. In Canada and especially the north this kind of crime is an anomaly that sticks out like a sore thumb from the norm.
I’m perfectly happy with Canada Customs carefully screening whoever and whatever comes over the border from the trigger happy USA thank you very much.
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Bill King on Jul 23, 2019 at 11:46 am
Crossing into Canada from Alaska it's all about the size of the pocket knife I carry at customs. So happy that this disarmed society is so safe. So if I run across these two standing in the road pointing a gun at me the last thing they're going to see is the moose bumper on the semi.
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Mr M on Jul 23, 2019 at 11:16 am
@ Marsha. Who gives two sh--s about tourism. Three people are dead and two are missing. Did you read the entire article. Hopefully the two missing aren't involved and they are found safe and sound. I hope whoever has done this is caught and charged to the full extent of the law. Need to bring capital punishment. No fooling around this is serious stuff. Sick people out there.
RIP those who have lost their lives because of someone else's deranged mind.
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Jeanine Ingram on Jul 22, 2019 at 10:39 pm
What's going on up there is so sad. Follow your gut instincts and don't stop for anyone for any reason. If you suspect or are concerned that someone needs help call 911 . Travel in larger groups and before traveling make sure your vehicle is in good condition plus make sure it's fueled up. Also use the bathroom before you leave in a populated area so you don't have to stop. Travel if at all possible during the day. It's in everyone's best interest to not to camp in unpopulated areas and only use ones that have other people there. If you get a bad gut feeling chances are your gut feeling is true.
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Jeff Donaldson on Jul 22, 2019 at 9:42 pm
Tourism!
This only shows that there are bad people out there that care nothing about killing two perfectly innocent human beings travelling our great country. Tourism!
Up 11 Down 3
Martin on Jul 22, 2019 at 9:21 pm
@Marsha F; Is that all your concern?
Up 19 Down 57
Sherry Wales on Jul 22, 2019 at 8:27 pm
These killings are a very good reason why Canada needs to allow travelers going through Canada to carry a weapon when they already have a carry permit. At the very least to be able to have a shot gun.
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Thomas Brewer on Jul 22, 2019 at 6:43 pm
Being vigilant/cautious now means I'm traveling with a shotgun and bear spray since one cannot count on the police to keep oneself safe.
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Sean on Jul 22, 2019 at 5:58 pm
Same guy as in the police sketch???
https://globalnews.ca/news/5500848/rcmp-release-new-photos-of-texas-murder-suspect-possibly-in-manitoba/
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Tina on Jul 22, 2019 at 5:38 pm
@Marsha. Your first and only comment is how these murders and loss of young lives will affect tourism!
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Carey Shary on Jul 22, 2019 at 4:22 pm
There is a composite sketch of person of interest issued by the RCMP on the cbc site. There is also a link to ctv site which has a photo of Texas escape wanted for murder who crossed into Manitoba late June and may be traveling with a german shepherd dog also photoed in the comments of the cbc site. I like the suggestion by I think an RCMP in Ft Nelson who suggested everyone traveling the highway check their dash-cams for anything relative including some mentioned vehicle with a black stripe on the hood I think it said. I'm not correlating anything here just sharing info that's out there.
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Dave on Jul 22, 2019 at 4:12 pm
Looking at the picture of this terrific looking young couple it makes me sick that some low life attacked and killed them. To their families; I’m so sorry this happened to your beautiful children, your brother and your sister and I’m so upset that it happened in northern Canada.
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Marsha Flumerfelt on Jul 22, 2019 at 3:29 pm
This is not going to be good for tourism.