Canada - Lucas Fowler, Chynna Deese, and Leonard Dyck, all murdered, Alaska Hwy, BC, Jul 2019 #12

[MassGuy]

Hmm, thank you for that article, I hadn't read that before. Perhaps RMCP had to identify the victims and their vehicle, and notify their relatives before they said the words homicide victims in a public statement?

I hope not.

If that’s the protocol, it’s a horrible one.

Usually law enforcement will call a crime what it is (murder in this case), and hold off on releasing the names until the family has been notified.

It should have gone from “suspicious deaths,” to “murder victims who were shot to death,” to “their names are...”

 

[Jessthinkin]

I'm so glad that their bodies were found... I had pretty much given up hope given what seemed like an insurmountable task for the searchers. At least the local residents can start to have a feeling of normalcy again.

Yesterday something occurred to me (not sure if this had been discussed before, so forgive me if it has... ) and that is that I wonder if CD and LF were killed because KM and BS wanted their van. Then, when they tried to drive off in it (or, one in the truck and one in the van) they found it was flooded/inoperable so they had to leave it there.

 

[MassGuy]

I'm so glad that their bodies were found... I had pretty much given up hope given what seemed like an insurmountable task for the searchers. At least the local residents can start to have a feeling of normalcy again.

Yesterday something occurred to me (not sure if this had been discussed before, so forgive me if it has... ) and that is that I wonder if CD and LF were killed because KM and BS wanted their van. Then, when they tried to drive off in it (or, one in the truck and one in the van) they found it was flooded/inoperable so they had to leave it there.

Wow, that hadn’t occurred to me until you said that.

The thing is, they still had a vehicle, and hadn’t committed a crime yet.

So no one was looking for them, and an exchange of vehicles must have had a practical purpose, if that happened.

Still possible though, as we don’t know what was going on, or what the hell they were thinking/trying to do.

 

[gitana1]

The same day the boat was found last week, some of their personal items were found on the shoreline some distance away (we're not real clear on exactly how far but apparently a few kilos away.) Today, they were able to locate the bodies based on the location of their personal items. No word yet on what those items were, but they were described as definitely theirs yesterday.

I saw some of that but since they were found in dense wood it seems like that would be difficult! I guess easier when they know at least a general area.

Not so sure about more pain. Wouldn't you think there will be some relief? Knowing 1. They're dead. 2. They can't murder anyone else. I get what you're saying though - finding them alive, and bringing them to justice would have been the ideal scenario.

I'm sure about this causing more
pain. The families won't be able to see these wo held accountable. They have no chance of trying to understand why through the legal process or just being able to go to the prison and ask them questions.

I mean I don't think they're sorry they're gone. But trial can enable people to feel there's some justice occurring. They've been deprived of that just. as the gals who were held in Cleveland Ohio and their families were deprived when their nasty abductor offed himself a month into a life sentence.

 

[MNT]

My thought is if they'd pulled up to shore intentionally they would have had the sleeping bag, water bottle etc with them, not lost to the river. It makes me think they had to ditch due to the condition of the boat (as we saw). What time they had left on shore must have been miserable, eaten alive by bugs and possibly succumbed to hypothermia. If they'd surrendered they could have had a hot meal and a bed.

 

[mtnstream]

Yep, totally agree. We heard about the murders and they only said ‘suspicious deaths’, but everyone I know was questioning it because that doesn’t happen often on the a
AK Hwy. Being in the Yukon, we knew that if they were murdered, the murderer was going up the AK Hwy or down it. People were a bit nervous and miffed that there wasn’t more mentioned and that our local media did nothing. No asking any questions! The Australian media beat them to it! Argh.

Lucas Fowler's father is a detective in Australia isn't he? Perhaps RCMP discussed the murders (specifically the manner) with him and Chynna's family, before they released that info to the public in Canada. That could also explain why Australia media spoke of a 'homicide' first.

 

[Seattle1]

Wow, that hadn’t occurred to me until you said that.

The thing is, they still had a vehicle, and hadn’t committed a crime yet.

So no one was looking for them, and an exchange of vehicles must have had a practical purpose, if that happened.

Still possible though, as we don’t know what was going on, or what the hell they were thinking/trying to do.

Do we know if the van was ransacked, anything taken? Has RCMP ever said the motive for stopping at the van was robbery? Why were the teens there? Were they invited?

So many questions that may never be answered....

 

[Jessthinkin]

Wow, that hadn’t occurred to me until you said that.

The thing is, they still had a vehicle, and hadn’t committed a crime yet.

So no one was looking for them, and an exchange of vehicles must have had a practical purpose, if that happened.

Still possible though, as we don’t know what was going on, or what the hell they were thinking/trying to do.

I agree, puzzling... the only thing I could come up with was that maybe they had their fantasy all planned out (not about finding jobs at all, but more like engaging in a survivalist video game come to life),and they knew they would "play it" till their deaths; they figured KM's parents would be putting some kind of BOLO out on the truck soon when he didn't return or check in, so they wanted to switch to a different car they could still sleep in, and maybe they figured they'd just keep changing cars as needed on their insane trip...

I really am hopeful there'll be some digital evidence to shed some light on what in the heck they were thinking. Or perhaps some of their gaming partners (or militia recruits?) will be forthcoming with anything that was shared with them...

 

[MassGuy]

Do we know if the van was ransacked, anything taken? Has RCMP ever said the motive for stopping at the van was robbery? Why were the teens there? Were they invited?

So many questions that may never be answered....

I think this case has garnered so much attention, that the answers to those questions will have to come out.

I’d hope that as a matter of practice, there is transparency when all is said and done.

The public deserves that.

 

[Sheila Terranova]

Do we know if the van was ransacked, anything taken? Has RCMP ever said the motive for stopping at the van was robbery? Why were the teens there? Were they invited?

So many questions that may never be answered....

We know the window of the van was broken. I assume the two murdered the three travelers for their money and supplies.

 

[Jessthinkin]

We know the window of the van was broken. I assume the two murdered the three travelers for their money and supplies.

The window could've been broken from the inside out; perhaps shots were fired inside the van, breaking the window out...

 

[JudgeJudi]

I hope not.

If that’s the protocol, it’s a horrible one.

Usually law enforcement will call a crime what it is (murder in this case), and hold off on releasing the names until the family has been notified.

It should have gone from “suspicious deaths,” to “murder victims who were shot to death,” to “their names are...”

I can't speak for other countries but in Oz it's not uncommon to hear of bodies being found and names aren't released. The usual spiel is "An unidentified (man/woman/child/couple) was found dead at (time) ... on ... ", and a location is given. If it's obviously a homicide, that too is mentioned but details aren't given. IMO the public does have a right to know that a murderer is on the loose in a specific area in order that they can take all precautions they see fit.

 

[dameagatha]

I think this case has garnered so much attention, that the answers to those questions will have to come out.

I think answers will come from book authors & journalists rather than law enforcement.

 

[MassGuy]

I think answers will come from book authors & journalists rather than law enforcement.

I just want them, whatever the means.

A secret is fine if it serves a purpose, like protecting an investigation.

After the fact though, that’s another matter entirely.

 

[dameagatha]

I can't speak for other countries but in Oz it's not uncommon to hear of bodies being found and names aren't released. The usual spiel is "An unidentified (man/woman/child/couple) was found dead at ... on ... ", and a location is given. If it's obviously a homicide, that too is mentioned but details aren't given. IMO the public does have a right to know that a murderer is on the loose in a specific area in order that they can take all precautions they see fit.

Chynna’s mom was visited by local police who came to the house in person. I think the sensitivity was appropriate to tell the families as soon as possible as well as protect the investigation by withholding details.

 

[dameagatha]

Chynna’s mom was visited by local police who came to the house in person. I think the sensitivity was appropriate to tell the families as soon as possible as well as protect the investigation by withholding details.

Go Pats & goodnight.

 

[gitana1]

Will this help? It's the Instagram with map of bodies found location.
GlobalNews on Instagram: “After a weeks-long manhunt, RCMP announced Wednesday that Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod are believed to be dead. Manitoba RCMP said…”

Thanks!! Wow. Not too far from where the car was.

I was worried they wouldn't survive. It's some rough country out there. I really wanted to see them brought to justice. Although I guess they were in a way.

 

[Boxer]

I can't speak for other countries but in Oz it's not uncommon to hear of bodies being found and names aren't released. The usual spiel is "An unidentified (man/woman/child/couple) was found dead at (time) ... on ... ", and a location is given. If it's obviously a homicide, that too is mentioned but details aren't given. IMO the public does have a right to know that a murderer is on the loose in a specific area in order that they can take all precautions they see fit.

The Gillam residents were rightfully worried about the pair ready to kill coming after food and supplies, those that could sent their families away, the boat tour guide for instance.

 

[Arizona 123]

Yesterday something occurred to me (not sure if this had been discussed before, so forgive me if it has... ) and that is that I wonder if CD and LF were killed because KM and BS wanted their van. Then, when they tried to drive off in it (or, one in the truck and one in the van) they found it was flooded/inoperable so they had to leave it there.

I've been wondering about that, as well.

IMHO, we can reasonably assume all three victims were robbed (wallets, etc) because if they were not, they would not have been so hard for RCMP to identify (evidenced by RCMP asking for the public's help to ID the victims).

One thing that has never made sense to me was burning their truck so close to the professor's body. My current theory on that is that after the van murders, they headed off the Alaska highway at about the only road they could, toward Deese Lake. Their truck was old, so I'm wondering if it was started breaking down, leaving them trapped in the area - and area where they'd just committed two murders (I know Dease Lake was a long way from the van, but with so few roads and such sparse population, it's as if they were nearby, for these purposes).

I wonder about that van, too; perhaps they were after it as well, and it didn't start, as you say.

All this makes me wonder if they committed a crime back in their home area (perhaps as yet unlinked to them by the police, but the two suspects thought otherwise), which might explain their apparently precipitous departure from Port Alberni, and desire to change vehicles.

 

[mtnstream]

Here's a quote I was looking for earlier that may help the time frame:

"The Globe & Mail reported that the boat was green, aluminum and flat-bottomed and that a red-and-white water container was found near it. An RCMP inspector said it had been through the rapids and was significantly damaged. It was found near in the lower Limestone rapids, an area that had last been searched by air three our four days ago."

RCMP divers conduct underwater search in Nelson River after damaged rowboat found

I'm curious about how the searchers didn't find any trace of the suspects when they were searching that general area a few days earlier. Maybe they were already dead, and the heat/thermal equipment on the plane didn't pick up the bodies. I thought they had dogs as well. The suspects were found about 1 km from items found by the edge of the river, in heavy bush somewhere between Sundance and Little Limestone falls. The road in the middle there is about 1/2 km from the river. Thank goodness for the wilderness tracker who helped with the search.

Search for B.C. murder suspects comes to a close after two bodies discovered near Gillam