They were 'really nice kids' says Alberta man who inadvertently helped 2 BC teen fugitives
An Alberta man who inadvertently helped suspected teen killers Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky get the stolen SUV they were driving out of the mud was numb when he found out about their deaths.
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“I had to stop working for an hour. (They were) really nice kids,” Tommy Ste-Croix said in an interview with
Alberta Press today.
Ste-Croix said he recognized the sleeping bag Manitoba RCMP found.
“That sleeping bag they found floating, I mentioned that to RCMP.
“They (Bryer and Kam) had it hanging on the fence while I was pulling them out.”
Ste-Croix had a chance encounter in Cold Lake with the two teens on July 21 – just hours before BC RCMP listed the teens as missing and one day before BC RCMP said they were suspects in three northern BC murders.
When Ste-Croix saw the teens on July 21 he said they appeared more defeated than angry that their SUV was stuck in the mud.
“I’d have to say more discouraged, and nervous of who I was,” said Ste-Croix.
“But me backing up to them really changed the whole approach. Even the cop said if I’d of drove at them or gotten out of my truck to go talk to them instead of backing up to their bumper to pull, the interaction might have been totally different.
“Bryer seemed like at the end of his ropes,” said Ste-Croix.
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“I feel they were bullied most of their lives,” he added. “Just snapped. Life isn’t fair but hurting others isn’t the answer.”
And, he has his own theory about their deaths.
“I think they committed suicide,” he said.
When Ste-Croix crossed paths with Schmegelsky and McLeod on July 21, they were stuck for more than an hour before he decided to help them, he said, adding that he never helps anyone get unstuck in that area.
“It’s a regular thing for people to get stuck and to be honest I’ve never gone and helped anyone. I’d just sit back and laugh. Usually we’d see more trucks pull up to help them but these guys are there for a good hour struggling and no one was showing up so figured I’d help.”
His brother and sister told him not to help the teens.
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When Ste-Croix helped the two get the SUV unstuck he said he took charge of the situation and gave the suspected killers orders.
“I did look a bit in front to see if it was in reverse and did lean on the driver side door while explaining how not to push on the throttle too hard while in reverse.”
Ste-Croix didn’t notice any weapons inside the vehicle, but added, “I wasn’t looking for anything suspicious so kind of hard to notice when you’re not looking.”
The entire time he helped, Kam sat in the vehicle and Bryer stood near the woods about 100 feet away because Ste-Croix told him to stay back so he didn’t get harmed.
“I told him to back off because if it snaps someone could get hurt or killed.”
He said he wasn’t sure which teen seemed to be the leader.
“Not sure. I think Kam was but Bryer was the one doing all the work.
“Kam was the driver and he was older but Bryer has the psycho look.”
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There were light-hearted exchanges between Ste-Croix and the teen fugitives.
“We were laughing,” he said. “I was making fun of them. I had them laughing.
“They were so stuck so of course, I had to make some smart-
remarks. They just went along laughing, saying stupid remarks back at me.”
Ste-Croix said the teens gave him their real names after he finished helping them get unstuck.
“Giving me their real names was just a sense of power,” he said. “They looked at each other when they gave me their real names during the final handshake.”
The teens hesitated slightly before shaking his hand.
“I first shook Kam’s hand.”
He described their handshakes as “limp” before adding, “They weren’t big tough blokes.”
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Ste-Croix said the teens had ample opportunity to steal his new pick-up truck and his wallet could be seen inside the vehicle.
