Canada - Lucas Fowler, Chynna Deese, and Leonard Dyck, all murdered, Alaska Hwy, BC, Jul 2019 #9

[NorthernWild]

Maybe they wanted to sit put and see the northern lights?
Alaska Highway I - AARoads

AARoads

That’s more of a winter activity as it doesn’t get very dark in summer. I’d guess their van had bigger issues than they first thought and they felt safe enough there to sleep and deal with it in the morning. Usually true up here, though I’d rather not sleep on the side of the road—never know who is going to come by. When possible, I find somewhere further off the road out if sight. I suppose that’s less safe if the wrong person finds me there, but I figure the chances of that happening are lower. The funny thing is the above applies to rest areas along the road too; I don’t think there’s anything safer about sleeping in one of them in remote areas where you’re the only one there. I’m aiming for better planning and B&Bs these days.

 

[greenfern]

If so, why didn't the RCMP find them? There aren't that many houses, and going door to door would have easily addressed this. Or asking local residents if they knew who they could be. Unless of course the RCMP didn't bother going door to door because they were too busy chasing the bears away from the dump.

I've seen a lot of anti-police sentiment, but there's nothing to suggest that they just hung out at the dump and didn't check the area.

Are we sure that the guy that "saw" them at the dump wasn't in fact Jussie Smollett?

This is a community on edge and eyewitness accounts are iffy at the best of times. Just because this tip didn't pan out does not mean that people lied.

 

[NorthernWild]

Kind of hard to do when it doesn't run and who knows what cell service was like out there.

Yes—and cell service isn’t up there. You’d need a satellite phone, or rely on a passing motorist to relay the message.

 

[Arizona 123]

The interesting thing about the burned truck is that there are no remnants of anything, the camper was fiberglass and there shouldn't be anything left of that, however there would be some remnants of it if it had some sort of steel frame, if it was aluminum it would have melted too, I feel the roof distorted like that due to the heat. All of this I feel is irrelevant to the situation though and don't feel there is any conspiracy of a missing camper in those pics.....but that is just me.

If the camper shell is really not at the scene of the burned truck, but was on the vehicle when they left home, that could be very significant. The reason is, if not destroyed, it could have been left somewhere. Somewhere pretty well hidden, and thus a pretty good hide-out (if it's like a similar one I've been in, it'll work as a camper without the truck.)

I know this is one heck of a longshot due to them heading so far east, but it's enough to ask questions about, I think.

 

[Moonlitnight]

I'm trying to find it...ughh....there is so much to go through!
I definitely read "grey" somewhere. Could have been sweatshirt. Either way, that article states "blue t-shirt" which is different from the original reporting.
So now I'm thinking even more that it wasn't them spotted.

I also read "grey sweatshirt."

 

[Tipamith]

I stated way back in Threads two or three or whatever that maybe the boys were not running but maybe they were leading the police to somewhere.
Because they burnt their vehicles, they seem to be very forward about being in videos and being seen.
And the witness that help them in Cold Lake said that they even gave him their full names.
So maybe the young guys are not on the Run but maybe leading the police on a wild-goose chase.

It definitely appears that way doesn’t it?

 

[Justatheory]

Or, quite possibly the witness got over-excited about having seen the two boys he later recognized on the news or in the paper and got a bit confused. That’s why many of us make less than perfect witnesses and why witness testimony is always considered less important than physical evidence. Our memories aren’t perfect.

That's certainly possible. When I read that part of the story, it caused me to question whether the alleged interaction occurred as the witness described it. I am not suggesting that the witness fabricated or embellished what happened, but it's disappointing that some people seem to get a charge out of "pranking" the public these days. Again, I'm not suggesting that's the case in this instance, but the interaction he described seemed stilted.

 

[Gina20]

CTV called it a grey sweater at one point. It was called a sweatshirt later. Slip of the tongue.

 

[dotr]

Every time I see that video it bothers me so much. They don’t even look like they are shopping. They look like they WANT to be seen on the video, like the next part of their plan was... be seen on video at point D. They look to have zero remorse or worry. And like they are executing a strategy.

The way they walked into the store reminds me of a reenactment from a war movie like "The Hurt Locker".
The (leader?) arrogant one, imo, walks ahead followed by his "security. "
imo, speculation.

 

[Moonlitnight]

This encounter in Cold Lake just keeps getting more interesting. It seems to change with each interview. At first the witness said the encounter was ""They continued on their way after a short, unremarkable interaction," the police release read.""

And now in a new interview they were hanging out for 20 minutes shaking hands and chatting. So even that witness interview seems to be "evolving".

One report said the helping witness was visiting his brother and sister-in-law. And now there's one stating that he lives there.

And the Bear Clan people have variously described the pair seen at the dump as "bolting" "staggering" "zig-zagging" and "scuffling" back into the woods.

 

[MistyWaters]

I posted a link way back at the beginning to BC Highway Safety Regulations. It stated that disabled vehicles must be removed from the highway "forthwith," meaning immediately, for the safety of others. Lucas and Chynna have been described as "free spirits" and as such they probably thought that since they were in no hurry and they weren't bothering anyone, they could remain as long as they wanted. In reality, they needed to remove their vehicle as soon as they realized that the probem was more serious than a flooded engine.

Evening traffic on the Alaskan Highway was probably very light as well.

Unfortunately one thing they probably weren’t aware of is it’s widely known (to me at least) that vehicles appearing to be abandoned and parked anywhere on the side of any desolate road are highly prone to getting pilfered.

 

[Bostondangler13]

Just a theory, not a rumour......Or why Mr. LD was out exploring, stole fuel from his vehicle, put it into their own and realised too late it was not compatible (petrol, not diesel or vice versa), flipped out and went back to try to steal his vehicle in anger and frustration and either deliberately injured him/killed him, or accidentally ran over him when leaving? (If it was dark, they could have ran over him if they couldn't see him or something). It seems Mr D had not unpacked any of his gear for camping, was he camping there, on the way to camp or on the way back - but as usual, the almost complete lack of information makes it so difficult to understand anything...

He was a botanist. His life was the forrest.

 

[ldlager]

I've seen a lot of anti-police sentiment, but there's nothing to suggest that they just hung out at the dump and didn't check the area.

This is a community on edge and eyewitness accounts are iffy at the best of times. Just because this tip didn't pan out does not mean that people lied.

Do we know if they went door to door?
I happen to believe that the sighting was valid

 

[otto]

I don’t think anybody is questioning the fact their van was intended for sleeping. It was possible reasons why they chose to remain on the side of the highway for the night and if the 11:30pm encounter was a passerby wondering why as well. If the van’s engine was flooded that usually wouldn’t take a wait of many hours. But as Otto mentioned, being free spirits, possibly they just decided to stay there for the night.

I think they didn't realize some things about travelling in Canada. One thing they didn't know is that when they have a disabled vehicle, they need to get it off the highway right away (not just parked on the shoulder). It sounds like the breakdown was around 3:30PM, and the nearest tow truck was 4 hours away in Fort Nelson. It's reasonable that they waited a while if the engine was flooded.

By 5PM they should have had concerns about the engine trouble. It looks like they decided to stay on the side of the highway and hope that the van started the following day. It's very unfortunate. Towing the van meant that their vacation was over, not towing it left them vulnerable.

 

[MistyWaters]

Just heard a good tip for people who encounter dangerous wildlife in the Great White North : find a loud obnoxious piece of music on your phone and blast it.


I think they didn't realize some things about travelling in Canada. One thing they didn't know is that when they have a disabled vehicle, they need to get it off the highway right away (not just parked on the shoulder). It sounds like the breakdown was around 3:30PM, and the nearest tow truck was 4 hours away in Fort Nelson. It's reasonable that they waited a while if the engine was flooded.

By 5PM they should have had concerns about the engine trouble. It looks like they decided to stay on the side of the highway and hope that the van started the following day. It's very unfortunate. Towing the van meant that their vacation was over, not towing it left them vulnerable.

Yes it’s certainly possible the problem with the van was more serious than a flooded engine.

 

[otto]

Kind of hard to do when it doesn't run and who knows what cell service was like out there.

People stopped to offer help, and they could have flagged someone down for help. People had disabled vehicles before cell phones were invented, so cell phone service is not a reason to do nothing about a disabled vehicle. Furthermore, if the van was still disabled in the morning, they had to call a tow truck one way or another.

 

[ladysamurai]

Hi, first timer here, and very much appreciating this community of sleuths. I am just south of BC in Washington State (USA-the "other" WA) and have been following this case since the initial CBC broadcasts about the various missing people in BC. Having some knowledge of the incredibly difficult terrain the searchers have been covering, I am not surprised two young, fit, survivalist-minded teens have been able to evade detection for the past week or so. And before that? I am doubting they planned to go on a killing spree. I also think the bearded man seen with the couple was likely CM--seen at 11:30pm by a roadworker in passing, the beard and relative height in relation to LF may be the key details to focus on. Sounds like possibly an argument that escalated? Leading to the slaughter, and CM and BS being on the run? As for LD, maybe they wanted his vehicle--much more fuel efficient for a cross country drive, and not recognizable as belonging to them. They may not even be aware he is dead--he could have been badly injured when they took off, succumbed later. I just do not think it sounds like they intended to go on a killing spree--if so, wouldn't there be even more bodies? Sounds like now it has turned into a game of survival for them.

 

[otto]

If the camper shell is really not at the scene of the burned truck, but was on the vehicle when they left home, that could be very significant. The reason is, if not destroyed, it could have been left somewhere. Somewhere pretty well hidden, and thus a pretty good hide-out (if it's like a similar one I've been in, it'll work as a camper without the truck.)

I know this is one heck of a longshot due to them heading so far east, but it's enough to ask questions about, I think.

That's a very good point. RCMP did another thorough investigation related to the Dease Lake murder between the burned truck and Dease Lake. It's very likely that the camper top was at that location.

 

[scrappinkat]

Good point. But I wonder why the road worker/paramedic would’ve offered the specific detail of the back window being broken from the inside out if there wasn’t enough glass on the ground for him to be certain. Of course he might’ve been just plain wrong....or he could’ve been right, no way of knowing at this point in time.

He had just seen two people who had been murdered. One of whom he seemed particularly troubled by. I’m not sure if picking what he did specify and didn’t specify is of much help. I’m sure he was extremely shook up and just saying what popped in his mind. I assume the police have sat him down and taken the time to help him go over his account piece by piece, filling in all details. We just don’t get to see that official report.

 

[CanadianMade]

People stopped to offer help, and they could have flagged someone down for help. People had disabled vehicles before cell phones were invented, so cell phone service is not a reason to do nothing about a disabled vehicle. Furthermore, if the van was still disabled in the morning, they had to call a tow truck one way or another.

Maybe they thought it would fix itself after leaving it off for some time so when someone had initially stopped to offer help they assumed they wouldn't really need it.
A few hours later...still not starting so they just opt to stay over night rather than trying to walk somewhere else.
They could flag someone down but depending on the time of day, people may not stop.

ETA: Someone traveling alone also might not stop just for their own safety.