Canada - Lucas Fowler, Chynna Deese, and Leonard Dyck, all murdered, Alaska Hwy, BC, Jul 2019 #13

[SiciC]

Apparently the Australian press had a reporter stalking him for the last 2 weeks, and that reporter was with him when he was told his son had died. The Australians seem to think his raw reaction is fair game for TV, but it is pure exploitation.

"60 Minutes reporter Sarah Abo has spent the last two weeks with Alan Schmegelsky as the distressed father grappled with questions about his son's last days alive.

Abo and her team were with him in the minutes after he received news the bodies of his son and 19-year-old Kam McLeod had been discovered."

Father of accused Canadian teen killer defends his son after bodies found

Absolutely seems like exploitation and sensationalism. Especially considering that Alan himself has said he has both substance abuse issues and potential mental health issues, and is going through an undoubtedly hard time of emotional turmoil.. and these Australian reporters were there with cameras in his face to capture every raw moment of it like its reality TV and not a massive real-life tragedy.

 

[aphoto]

i would be curious to know if any of the reporters who went to the unsecured site of the rav4 crash and photographed it actually called the RCMP and asked why the site was unsecured and why there was debris strewn everywhere, “did you know these keys were here ?” or is it just relaying assumptions.

I know at least one did. I don’t know if they got an answer.

 

[Gina20]

Someone else brought up the Pickton case. Eventually the search for evidence involved a team of archaeologists sifting through soil with screens for fine fragments.

This case is not that case, but if something as obvious as keys on a key ring and a multi-tool were left behind as this crime scene in Manitoba, then someone has let the (orange) ball drop.

Warning: graphic. Proof that archaeologists were enlisted in that search for evidence.

Robert Pickton Case | The Canadian Encyclopedia

 

[srper2]

Leaving evidence from a crime scene at the crime scene does call into question the rest of the investigation. As in, has the evidence been cherry-picked? Are pork chops or orange peels more important?

It could mean anything - whose keys were they? Kams or Bryers? If so, extra evidence that they had stolen the vehicle and/or were at the scene where the vehicle was torched. If not, were they Chynna and Lucas's keys? Mr Dyck's keys? They could be the keys of a person who was murdered and not yet discovered, but that will link them (or someone else) to the person if they are discovered! As someone else said, maybe they weren't burnt as a rubber ring appeared to be intact. What about the pocket knife/multi-tool also pictured left laying exposed, who? what? where? as well - what if it was found later one of the victims (or murder suspects) had been stabbed with it? Pork chops and orange peels could be highly significant if found in the stomach of one of the victims or suspects. No evidence should be "picked" over and ignored and once it has been left unsecured for days it is pretty much useless. Yes, all evidence could have significance as evidence in this case.

 

[10ofRods]

What are they going to get off the keys? There won't be any DNA or fingerprints on them after the fire. Again, the Australian media making a mountain out of a molehill.

Yeah, I don't get it either. How are the keys important? Of course there were keys. But what is the forensic value?

Personally, I think the difference in style between RCMP and other LE agencies, in terms of giving out info, is driving people in America and Australia nuts. Any shred of information is welcomed and if Australian media can throw shade on Canada, they are going to.

 

[Handsome Sailor]

I'm a Chicago Manual of Style and MLA girl myself. I know just enough AP to be dangerous while still be clueless and drive all the journalists I know crazy.

And yeah I have a master's degree in English, but I'm not using the same tone I used to write my thesis on a chat site, so I wouldn't expect a reporter would either!

We do not speak the Queen's English below the border. Nuff said. Remember, 1776!

 

[Schmoosh]

I found this link via 60 Minutes Australia Twitter. It appears interview was done this week in Surrey, B.C. -- at least the portion discussed in this link.

Reporter states AS seems accepting BS is deceased, but questioning all the facts, and defending his son until proven otherwise - 'I won't say my son's a murderer'. AS seems to think the teens would have come home and told family what happened.

Father of accused Canadian teen killer defends his son after bodies found

60 Minutes Australia‏Verified account @60Mins
In a #60Mins exclusive interview, the father of dead 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky reveals shocking new evidence about the fugitives. How did the so-called "quiet teenagers" become suspected killers?
3:28 PM - 8 Aug 2019

Father of accused Canadian teen killer defends his son after bodies found

"AS seems to think the teens would have come home and told family what happened. "

Well, they certainly have every opportunity to, yet they kept headed east. He's totally clueless.

 

[copkid]

As it happens, Port Alberni is apparently distinguishing itself as the crime capital of Vancouver Island and rated among the highest in all of Canada. A look at the Crime Stoppers page paints a picture of petty crimes and burglaries - break and enter, theft from cars etc. Kid stuff primarily, from the looks of things, probably indicative of a drug use issue in that rural community. Recent Crimes | Alberni Valley Crime Stoppers

Another RCMP report confirms this POV.

https://www.albernivalleynews.com/news/port-alberni-a-safe-place-to-be-despite-crime-rate-says-rcmp/

According to Hunter’s report, criminal offenses for the quarter were up 17 percent in Port Alberni compared to 2018, and property crime was up 15 percent. Thefts, shoplifting and frauds are seeing the largest increases.

His report also references an increase in assaults but notes that 79 of the 81 cases reported were between people who already knew each other. Of the two remaining assaults, one was between a cab driver and a client and the other between an overdose prevention patient and a volunteer.

So thieving may well be part of the common experience for troubled youth in PA. (Both went to an alternative school where a town's "bad boys" establish a social structure that is not necessarily driven by a need for community acceptance) But physical attacks on strangers is rare to non-existent and the last murder in Port Alberni took place in 1996. I think that may be why a teenaged acquaintance, who has also been following this tragic escapade, tried out his theory on me. He proposed another possibility entirely. His theory is that BS and KM were driving up the highway in the dead of night and saw a van pulled over with the rear doors wide open; a hole in the window and nobody anywhere in sight. Assuming the van was abandoned, at least temporarily, they immediately pulled over and stripped the van of anything they could find of value. In the dark, they never saw the murder victims lying on the ground on the other side of the van. They carried on their way, probably high as kites and camping with their newly acquired gear. But then during the next few days, they learned not only had the van owners been murdered, but that they themselves had been declared missing and so they had no idea what to do, knowing that when they were found there could be questions about the stuff they had stole. They could think of only one thing - they needed a different vehicle in order to stay "disappeared". As for not contacting their families, few teenage time clocks are set to coincide with parental worries. In a month or two they could get in touch, perhaps. And then, stopping at a rest stop, they met an elderly gentleman with a terrific vehicle was parked nearby. He was picking mushrooms or something. Anyway he didn't seem to know anything about their situation. One thing followed another, including a completely accidental vehicle incident took place in which the Professor was run over by their truck, with the unlicensed BS at the wheel. Maybe he was backing up or something. They may or may not have tried to help but then they realized he was dead. What they did do was make another stupendously stupid decision. So they set their "incriminating" truck on fire, stole the Professor's Rav 4 and booted out of there. Is my teenaged sleuth friend's theory reasonable? (I just hope it doesn't get me booted from the forum. Sorry in advance, MODS, if I'm too close to the line.)

As far as I know they were not reported missing until the day after their burnt camper truck and Mr. Dyck's body were located

 

[Kubirai]

If the lady who saw this man had a dash cam, that would have backed her report, but just because she didn't have photographic proof doesn't make her a liar, or mean police should just ignore her report.

RCMP didn't ignore her report. We are still talking about the bearded man!

Assume all striped Jeep Cherokee owners, who could have been in Yukon/BC on July 14, were contacted. None of them match the sketch.

 

[10ofRods]

You are missing the point. You might not get dna or fingerprints off the keys but you don’t need that. The fact the keys were in the car they were driving is evidence enough to link K&B to the keys. What you could later find out from the keys is that they belong to a 4th murder victim. K&B clearly had a MO of taking their victims personal identifiable belongings.

I have said all along that it’s highly unlikely but it doesn’t change the fact that those keys are evidence and to what degree they are important isn’t up to the officer bagging evidence. All evidence should be bagged and then later combed through to determine if it points towards anything.

It would be a mighty big embarrassment if next week Susan from Winnipeg calls the police because her husband hasn’t returned from his 4 week trip to his trapper cabin. Police attend the cabin and find her husband dead with no evidence of who killed him. Susan describes his keys as having a leatherman tool on them. If police had collected keys from the RAV4 burn site they can compare and instantly link K&B to his murder. If those keys are missing the murder remains unsolved or police waste resources looking for another killer.

Obviously this is all hypothetical but it boggles my mind that some of y’all don’t see the possible importance or future implication of keeping those keys as evidence.

Well, of course, they are evidence. I have no idea how long RCMP keeps evidence of this type, when no further people appear to be missing (if it were me, I'd be worried that there are future findings that could make any piece of evidence relevant).

But evidence is often found after the initial LE search (by trained and untrained finders). It's not a huge deal, it should get bagged and recorded. So should the errant sleeping bag, if it exists.

 

[scrappinkat]

The getaway car was completely burned. The suspects were found. The murder was solved. The only people known to be traipsing through the burned remnants of the vehicle are media and curious locals.

The bumbling, foolish, sloppy, panicked, improper RCMP are doing their jobs according to their training and expertise. They know what is relevant.

The keys are irrelevant, and I highly doubt that the botanist's family wants his keys returned.

Solved?? I think it’s only just begun to be explored and no detail is to small to dismiss at this point.

 

[cdnjan]

Feel free to check the distance from Sundance to Port Nelson. They are no where near each other.

"The sleeping bag was spotted around 11 a.m. floating near Port Nelson, where the Nelson River spills into Hudson Bay."​

How a river guide’s sharp eye, and a sleeping bag, triggered a search that ended the RCMP manhunt

This is so crazy how the heck did it not become waterlogged and sink? or get hung up on something? What is the distance Otto?

 

[MistyWaters]

I found this link via 60 Minutes Australia Twitter. It appears interview was done this week in Surrey, B.C. -- at least the portion discussed in this link.

Reporter states AS seems accepting BS is deceased, but questioning all the facts, and defending his son until proven otherwise - 'I won't say my son's a murderer'. AS seems to think the teens would have come home and told family what happened.

Father of accused Canadian teen killer defends his son after bodies found

60 Minutes Australia‏Verified account @60Mins
In a #60Mins exclusive interview, the father of dead 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky reveals shocking new evidence about the fugitives. How did the so-called "quiet teenagers" become suspected killers?
3:28 PM - 8 Aug 2019

Father of accused Canadian teen killer defends his son after bodies found

From your link -
“60 Minutes reporter Sarah Abo has spent the last two weeks with Alan Schmegelsky as the distressed father grappled with questions about his son's last days alive.”

 

[KR72]

Absolutely seems like exploitation and sensationalism. Especially considering that Alan himself has said he has both substance abuse issues and potential mental issues, and is going through an undoubtedly hard time of emotional turmoil.. and these Australian reporters were there with cameras in his face to capture every raw moment of it like its reality TV and not a massive real-life tragedy.

I'm surprised. I would have thought that Australian media wouldn't be as sensationalist as some American media. This interview seems to be very Fox newsish or Nancy Grace like.

 

[FactFinder3000]

Murder during robbery is so common it's clearly defined in law. I'm very confused why so many want to look around the obvious and proclaim that murders, where property was stolen, are a mystery.

And in the second incident, taking the wallet was obviously secondary. It could have been in the first incident as well.

I have it on pretty good authority the keys are now in the hands of the police. I’m not certain what else was collected from the burn site, it is incredible that they are only just now putting effort in to searching it.

So are you still saying it's the second road off the main road in Sundance where the vehicle was found? Because I find it very weird that there are power poles and power lines visible in the photos of the burn site, but no satellite photos seem to show power poles in the area where you indicated the vehicle was found.

I'm not questioning your legitimacy at all, but I find this puzzling. Are the satellite photos old? Do they just not show the power poles? It's just not making sense to me at this point.

 

[srper2]

Apparently the Australian press had a reporter stalking him for the last 2 weeks, and that reporter was with him when he was told his son had died. The Australians seem to think his raw reaction is fair game for TV, but it is pure exploitation.

"60 Minutes reporter Sarah Abo has spent the last two weeks with Alan Schmegelsky as the distressed father grappled with questions about his son's last days alive.

Abo and her team were with him in the minutes after he received news the bodies of his son and 19-year-old Kam McLeod had been discovered."

Father of accused Canadian teen killer defends his son after bodies found

Unfortunately 60 minutes are renowned for this type of buzzardly reporting and don't care who they hurt to get a "sensational" story, every time I hear the ticking clock when the show starts here, I change channels

 

[sprucetip]

Someone else brought up the Pickton case. Eventually the search for evidence involved a team of archaeologists sifting through soil with screens for fine fragments.

This case is not that case, but if something as obvious as keys on a key ring and a multi-tool were left behind as this crime scene in Manitoba, then someone has let the (orange) ball drop.

Warning: graphic. Proof that archaeologists were enlisted in that search for evidence.

Robert Pickton Case | The Canadian Encyclopedia

I had friends who worked there, ugh, they were traumatized...

But I'm not sure it's the same thing. They were called in because human remains were found. Archaeologists are not crime scene experts. That said, I agree, that if there were evidence left behind, someone did drop the ball.

 

[Satchie]

Completely different? The RCMP is a federal police force paid for with taxpayer money and overseen by the government. It is overseen by an elected government official, the minister of public safety. It isn’t THE government but it’s not that far removed.

Of course they're paid by taxpayers, would you trust a privately paid police force? The whole justice system is overseen by an elected official, should we distrust judges as well? Wait, sorry, I don't actually want to know the answer.

 

[Seattle1]

RCMP found the bodies 1km from "personal items." They never mentioned a sleeping bag in any of their press releases.

Actually, RCMP has never identified the several items found on the shoreline that were directly linked to the suspects. The sleeping bag was reported by media, not RCMP.

RCMP Manitoba‏Verified account @rcmpmb
On Aug 2, several items directly linked to the suspects were found on shoreline, 9km along the Nelson River. RCMP Underwater Recovery Team did not find additional items. Roadblock on PR 290 has been removed, but officers remain in the Gillam area. #rcmpmb http://rcmp-grc.ca/57147

1:07 PM - 6 Aug 2019

 

[cdnjan]

By that reasoning, RCMP just need to grab a piece of a burnt vehicle with the VIN, and ignore everything else.

Imagine Prof. Dyck had a safety deposit box, and that key is missing from the bunch. Just a hypothetical scenario, but keys shouldn't be left on the road.

The keys could have easily been buried under dirt/ash. Then perhaps rain or activity uncovered them later. Unless the area was raked upon vehicle removal they could easily be hidden