Wanted in highway homicides
B.C. teens believed on way to Sask.
For days, the two childhood friends from Vancouver Island were considered missing, their link to a series of troubling incidents spanning hundreds of kilometres of the B.C. interior — a burning truck, an unidentified body, and a double murder of a lovestruck couple — uncertain.
did they get lost in the woods? maybe they got spooked and ran? Even so, the link between the three deaths was tenuous, with police saying it was only a possibility, and the two missing friends were somehow caught up in the mystery.
But on tuesday, in a shocking twist, police declared Kam mcleod and Bryer schmegelsky were suspects in the trio of deaths, the pair of them fleeing British Columbia to remote northern saskatchewan.
“We’re asking for the public, if you spot Bryer or Kam, consider them dangerous. do not approach. take no action. and call immediately 911,” said rcmp sgt. Janelle shoihet at a press conference.
last monday, the bodies of two travellers, lucas Fowler, 23, of australia and Chynna deese, 24, from north Carolina, were found about 20 kilometres outside of liard Hot springs, a popular tourist stop en route to the yukon. the two were travelling the country in their blue 1986 Chevrolet van.
Police later confirmed the couple had been shot.
Then, last Friday, a dodge ram 250 pickup truck and camper were found burned along Highway 37, some 470 kilometres from where deese and Fowler were found. a body, that of an asyet unidentified man, was found two kilometres away from the truck, at a highway pullout.
mcleod, 19, and schmegelsky, 18, of Port alberni, on Vancouver Island, who were in the dodge truck were officially designated missing on monday; loved ones had not heard from them for several days, but understood they were on the road looking for work, either in Whitehorse or alberta.
But, on tuesday, that changed, with the rcmp declaring them suspects in the three deaths.
“Kam mcleod and Bryer schmegelsky have left British Columbia,” said shoihet. “We believe that they’re likely continuing to travel.”
By tuesday afternoon, the manitoba rcmp said the two were believed to have recently been in Gillam, some 1,000 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Gillam mayor dwayne Forman said tuesday evening that he had been forwarded the rcmp tweet by one of his colleagues. He said he hadn’t yet read the reports out of B.C.
But he said he was surprised the suspects chose to end up in Gillam.
“We’re the end of the road,” Forman said. “you can’t go any further beyond us.”
to get to Gillam from saskatchewan, they would’ve had to drive Provincial road 280 through thompson, man. to get out of town, you either have to go back along the same road, or hop on a train north to Churchill, man.
news of the pair being declared suspects spread quickly through their hometown of Port alberni, B.C., becoming the subject of intense chatter on group chats and in local businesses. Bryer schmegelsky’s father alan, via Facebook messenger, reacted to the news that they were suspects with “no way, I know my son.”
Jayden Iversen, who just graduated this year from Port alberni secondary school and has friends who know schmegelsky, said they were in disbelief.
“From what I understand all of Bryer’s friends … are saying they could never see him doing that,” he told the Post.
Police, describing the tight-lipped press conference as “unprecedented,” pleaded for information from the public, but refused to give details on what made them consider the two teens suspects, didn’t say whether they considered them armed and asked for patience from the public in the release of information.
Carol starkey, schmegelsky’s grandmother, told the Victoria times-colonist the two had begun their trip on July 12, but found Whitehorse wasn’t what they expected. she last heard from him on July 13 or 14. Her grandson had been living with her for the past two years.
“He was a great kid. I really enjoyed having him,” she told the paper.
on monday afternoon, police said, they confirmed tips that mcleod and schmegelsky were last seen in northern saskatchewan. less than 24 hours after the press conference where they were officially declared missing, police said the investigation had changed, and they were now considered suspects in three deaths.
Police cautioned the public not to approach mcleod and schmegelsky and said they were believed to have been in a grey 2011 toyota rav4 suv, though they may have changed their appearances or found a new vehicle.
no cause of death has been identified in the case of the unknown man found near mcleod and schmegelsky’s torched vehicle.
“the manner in which he died is not important at this point,” shoihet said.