CANADA - Lucas Fowler, Australian & g/f Chynna Deese, American, murdered, Alaska Hwy, BC, Jul 2019

[cody22]

Roadside location where blue van was found based on Gray Hughes research from 2 pictures of blue van posted by RCMP @min 9:12 in Gray Hughes report. Blue van was on the left side of the road:

View attachment 194143

Where does that "turnout road" in the left rear side of the photo go to ?

 

[cody22]

The van was sprawled 2/3 on the road - enough of a reason to call RCMP. If the murder happened as late as 4:30PM or sundown.

Someone asked about trucks in the area, whether they are logging trucks. Seems possible. Oil and trees are harvested in Canada, oil is dead so it must be trees.

View attachment 194150

Notice the "turnout road" in the left rear side of the photo. Where does it go to ?..... Notice the side door of van( next to the bar ditch) is open. Did LE leave it open for the photo after looking inside ? Was it open when the bodies were found ?..............Did the last woman and her relatives witnesses call LE before or after talking to the woman's earlier witness husband ?

 

[PingTheRouter]

Notice the "turnout road" in the left rear side of the photo. Where does it go to ?..... Notice the side door of van( next to the bar ditch) is open. Did LE leave it open for the photo after looking inside ? Was it open when the bodies were found ?..............Did the last woman and her relatives witnesses call LE before or after talking to the woman's earlier witness husband ?

the hood was apparently up as well and is closed in the photos so who knows but its possible the van has been altered for the photos i mean its not a crime scene photos its just a photo for the public to see

 

[JudgeJudi]

I've just discovered there is an existing thread.

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/bc-canada-australian-man-found-dead-alongside-his-girlfriend-in-canada-suspicious-circumstances.460577/

 

[afitzy]

That helps. So there are 3 witnesses so far.

The husband, the wife, and the couple that stopped to offer help. Are any times attached to when this happened?

The only time I heard mentioned was in the Gray Hughes person interview and she mentioned around 3:30 pm on Sunday.

 

[JudgeJudi]

Here's the first press conference:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=389706111901542

 

[JudgeJudi]

Chynna Deese's mother, Sheila Deese, told CNN affiliate WSOC the two were going to travel in a van through Canada to visit all the national parks.

"They had mapped out their route," she told the affiliate. "And to my understanding, the van broke down and that's where tragedy happened."



An American visited her boyfriend in Canada and they were both found dead on a remote highway - CNN

 

[JudgeJudi]

A third body has been discovered close to where Australian man Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend were murdered in British Columbia.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police revealed the information today saying it is unclear if the two scenes are related.

Officers were called to a truck fire south of the Stikine River Bridge on Highway 37 when a passing motorist told them they had just seen what they believed to be a body at a nearby Highway pullout.

Attending officers located the body of a deceased male and a separate investigation has now commenced.

Highway 37 links to Highway 97, where LF and CD were found dead on Monday.

Third body found near where Australian man and girlfriend were killed

 

[JudgeJudi]

Ms Deese had reportedly left her home to visit Mr Fowler, who had been working at a ranch in Canada, when tragedy struck.

Chynna’s brother wrote finding out his sister was dead was the most “chaotic day of my life” after she stopped responding to his text messages.

“My little sister left to visit her boyfriend Lucas for the ‘branding of the cows’ at a ranch he worked at in Canada and to travel through the top half of the globe,” he said on Facebook.

Australian man found dead in Canada

 

[JudgeJudi]

The Sydney man brutally murdered alongside his American girlfriend in Canada has been remembered by his close friend as a “superhero” -- the kind of person who jumped at the chance to help his mates.

Sam Shattock, who befriended Lucas Fowler in a Year 9 science class, said his mate was kind, friendly, supportive of everyone he knew, and an avid Taylor Swift fan.

Lucas and Chynna had been travelling together in a blue 1986 Chevrolet van, which was found nearby.

The pair was last seen alive by motorists Sandra Broughton and her husband Curtis, who said it appeared the couple’s van had broken down along the side of the road, 20km south of the famous Liard hot springs on the Alaska Highway.

“We just saw their van on the side of the road and we saw the young couple, and the van’s hood was up,” Broughton said.

“This makes my heart so sad. We saw the blue van broke down on our journey home on Sunday, and we stopped and asked if they needed help.

Shattock said he never got the chance to meet Fowler’s girlfriend Chynna, but that Fowler was looking forward to ending his travels and coming back home, so she could meet his friends.

“He loved her,” Shattock said. “It was his first girlfriend, and she meant a lot to him. We were just waiting for him to come back, and I was going to meet her and see the person who tamed Lucas, and got to spend time with him.”

'He Was A Superhero': Friends Remember Murdered Australian Lucas Fowler

What a tragic end to two beautiful lives.

 

[JudgeJudi]

Carrie Hawryluk of Fort Nelson, B.C., says she saw a young couple matching the description of Fowler and Deese by the side of the Alaska Highway on Sunday afternoon.

“We just saw their van on the side of the road and we saw a young couple, and the van hood was up like it had broken down and they were sitting in some lawn chairs in the ditch,” she said.

She said her husband, who had driven by about 20 minutes earlier, saw the pair and slowed down to approach, but “the couple didn’t really indicate that they were having problems.”

Hawryluk, who was travelling with her two aunts and a female cousin, said she hesitated to stop due to safety concerns but notified RCMP.

Tourists found dead along B.C.’s Alaska Highway appear to have been shot: NSW police

So it appears that there were 3 sets of witnesses: The Broughtons,, Mr Hawryluk who was alone in his vehicle, and his wife who was accompanied by 3 relatives in a second vehicle.

 

[TheSecondLaw]

Notice the "turnout road" in the left rear side of the photo. Where does it go to ?..... Notice the side door of van( next to the bar ditch) is open. Did LE leave it open for the photo after looking inside ? Was it open when the bodies were found ?..............Did the last woman and her relatives witnesses call LE before or after talking to the woman's earlier witness husband ?

These appear to be some kind of man-made drainage ditches of some form. Just a few metres beyond these ditches flows Trout River, which the road runs parallel to for much of its length.

The ditch closest to the van in the crime scene photos (opposite the open passenger door) cannot be seen on Google Street view, as these images were taken in August 2009 some time before that ditch was created. The ditch appears to have since been created somewhere at or just past the location of the yellow and red stakes visible between the road shoulder and the tree line.

 

[zecats]

It wouldn't be the first time that a vehicle was burned in BC to cover-up a vacationer's death.

Or a person who lived there, as in Luke Neville. Thread here on WS, van found burned out, but he was never found.

Interesting info - that Lucas also worked on a ranch in Canada (AB or BC?) before taking this trip with Chynna. Obviously, not necessarily related to his death in any way. Just another bit of irony, I suppose. I admit I'm curious which ranch he was employed on, branding cattle. And how long he was there. MOO

 

[dotr]

 

[afitzy]

Geographic information on British Columbia:
Quote from below WIKI Article:
"With an area of 944,735 square kilometres (364,764 sq mi) it is Canada's third-largest province".

"The province is almost four times the size of United Kingdom, two and one-half times larger than Japan and larger than every U.S. state except Alaska".

"It is bounded on the northwest by the U.S. state of Alaska, directly north by Yukon and the Northwest Territories, on the east by Alberta, and on the south by the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana".

Geography of British Columbia - Wikipedia

Some information on British Columbia (demographics etc.):
Quote from above WIKI article: Demographics of British Columbia - Wikipedia

Population of British Columbia (2016): 4,648,055
Vancouver BC population: 675, 218 (2017 Source: Google)

Percentage of National Population: 13.2% (unchanged)

Population Growth Rate: 5.6%

Map of British Columbia regional districts with population density.

BC Tourism Stats:
Quote: Reported that over 6 million tourists visit BC annually. Unclear from article how many venture outside of Vancouver into the area where the 2 murders took place.

Record number of international tourists flock to B.C.

 

[merrymary]

I just heard about this through my sister whose coworker knew Chynna. So sad...so young!

 

[Satchie]

Geographic information on British Columbia:
Quote from below WIKI Article:
"With an area of 944,735 square kilometres (364,764 sq mi) it is Canada's third-largest province".

"The province is almost four times the size of United Kingdom, two and one-half times larger than Japan and larger than every U.S. state except Alaska".

"It is bounded on the northwest by the U.S. state of Alaska, directly north by Yukon and the Northwest Territories, on the east by Alberta, and on the south by the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana".

Geography of British Columbia - Wikipedia

Some information on British Columbia (demographics etc.):
Quote from above WIKI article: Demographics of British Columbia - Wikipedia

Population of British Columbia (2016): 4,648,055
Vancouver BC population: 675, 218 (2017 Source: Google)

Percentage of National Population: 13.2% (unchanged)

Population Growth Rate: 5.6%

Map of British Columbia regional districts with population density.

BC Tourism Stats:
Quote: Reported that over 6 million tourists visit BC annually. Unclear from article how many venture outside of Vancouver into the area where the 2 murders took place.

Record number of international tourists flock to B.C.

I would guess 90% of tourists stick to the lower 1/4 of the province, especially Vancouver and the highways east to Banff. For those wanting to go north, cruises to Alaska are extremely popular, followed by flying. Very few people want to do the long, long drive.

I was thinking, it's very unusual for anyone to carry a gun as a weapon in BC, but up north many people hunt with shotguns. I'm not sure what hunting is open right now.

It also strikes me that the area around the van was very visible to anyone driving by. As I mentioned, not much darkness this time of year. The bodies were near or in the van, but the killer could so easily have been seen in the very act of shooting, if they were outside the van.

I wonder if someone saw/talked to them and then came back after dark.

However, my experience is the RCMP will release no details unless they are useful to gathering tips, or there is a clear public safety issue. They are very disciplined about clamming up: no leaks, no chats to journalists, no sharing unnecessary info with the family who might leak it. They also don't lay charges until they've collected enough evidence thst the prosecution is confident they can win the case.

 

[zecats]

I would guess 90% of tourists stick to the lower 1/4 of the province, especially Vancouver and the highways east to Banff. For those wanting to go north, cruises to Alaska are extremely popular, followed by flying. Very few people want to do the long, long drive.

I was thinking, it's very unusual for anyone to carry a gun as a weapon in BC, but up north many people hunt with shotguns. I'm not sure what hunting is open right now.

It also strikes me that the area around the van was very visible to anyone driving by. As I mentioned, not much darkness this time of year. The bodies were near or in the van, but the killer could so easily have been seen in the very act of shooting, if they were outside the van.

I wonder if someone saw/talked to them and then came back after dark.

However, my experience is the RCMP will release no details unless they are useful to gathering tips, or there is a clear public safety issue. They are very disciplined about clamming up: no leaks, no chats to journalists, no sharing unnecessary info with the family who might leak it. They also don't lay charges until they've collected enough evidence thst the prosecution is confident they can win the case.

RBBM
Agree with you about that! And about tourism...exactly what hubby and I have done. Driven cross country (US) to Glacier and up to Radium Hot Springs, Banff and Athabasca Glacier once. Another time, toured Vancouver and Victoria before leaving on an Alaskan Cruise/Land Tour. I myself have no desire to drive that road up that far, but I can see young folks finding the adventure and intrigue in it. Plus, he was already living there in BC, as I've read.

 

[TheSecondLaw]

I would guess 90% of tourists stick to the lower 1/4 of the province, especially Vancouver and the highways east to Banff. For those wanting to go north, cruises to Alaska are extremely popular, followed by flying. Very few people want to do the long, long drive.

I was thinking, it's very unusual for anyone to carry a gun as a weapon in BC, but up north many people hunt with shotguns. I'm not sure what hunting is open right now.

It also strikes me that the area around the van was very visible to anyone driving by. As I mentioned, not much darkness this time of year. The bodies were near or in the van, but the killer could so easily have been seen in the very act of shooting, if they were outside the van.

I wonder if someone saw/talked to them and then came back after dark.

However, my experience is the RCMP will release no details unless they are useful to gathering tips, or there is a clear public safety issue. They are very disciplined about clamming up: no leaks, no chats to journalists, no sharing unnecessary info with the family who might leak it. They also don't lay charges until they've collected enough evidence thst the prosecution is confident they can win the case.

Besides the horror of the murders itself, the other thing about the location that struck me besides the sheer beauty, is this relative openness of the spot. A few metres further south on the road, the scene of the river winding through the forest with the mountains all around is postcard-perfect. Perhaps LF & CD were in no hurry to carry on because a) The issue with their vehicle was negligible / resolvable b) The sun setting so late in the summer and c) The spot was so nice, why not relax there for a while and perhaps go and check out the river whilst they are there?

On the possible circumstances with running into foul play - It seems almost certain that whomever they encountered that was responsible for this was passing by on the highway, not already lurking in the area. There appears to be very few trails / off-roads in the immediate vicinity except for one trail that comes off the highway about 1km north from the crime scene. However this trail seems to taper off to nowhere up in the hills.

It seems most likely that the person(s) responsible would have passed the nearest localities and, whether it was from the north or south, and whichever direction they departed towards. LE has likely already spoken with people who were at the nearby lodge, and requested any security cam footage if any exists.

As for dashcams, sparse as the traffic may be, there's a good chance that the assumed vehicle of the alleged offender(s) would have been captured on at least a couple of dash cams in cars or trucks traveling in either direction, on the day / night of the crime.

I think it is someone familiar with the road looking for / seizing upon an opportunity. They most likely knew exactly what they were doing whatever the motivation. However it's also possible that it was someone with a mental illness / delusional disorder who struck out for irrational reasons.

The latter circumstance occurred some years back in Northern Territory Australia (The same state in which Peter Falconio was murdered) :
Outback killer jailed for 20 years for fatally stabbing French backpacker

All speculation and MOO.

 

[dotr]

Not likely, just noting because LE are not certain where this American fugitive may be hiding in Canada, fwiw..
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/murder-suspect-texas-manitoba-1.5205156
Derek Whisenand, 27, could be armed and is considered dangerous, say police
Jul 09, 2019
Ws thread.
RCMP warning,Texas murder suspect,Derek Whisenan,crossed border into Manitoba.