News

‘Search is over’: Teens suspected of killing Aussie and girlfriend found dead

Aug 08, 2019

Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, were found by Nelson River near Gillam, Manitoba, on Wednesday morning. Source: 7 News.

The bodies of two males – believed to be those of the teen fugitives wanted over the deaths of Australian man Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese – have been found, police have confirmed.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a statement on Thursday that the bodies were discovered near the shoreline of the Nelson River, close to a burnt vehicle and just 1km from where they found a series of items linked to the teens at the weekend.

Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, and Kam McLeod, 19, are suspected of shooting Fowler and his girlfriend, who were discovered on a remote stretch of the Alaska Highway on July 15 around 20km from the popular Liard Hot Springs, although no charges were ever brought in relation to their deaths.

They were formally charged for the murder of a third man, Leonard Dyck, from Vancouver recently too.

The search is over. At 10am this morning, Manitoba RCMP officers located the bodies of two males, believed to be the BC suspects, near the shoreline of the Nelson River (approx 8km from the burnt vehicle). #rcmpmb pic.twitter.com/tZ7EBFsNDr

— RCMP Manitoba (@rcmpmb) August 7, 2019

Now the RCMP have said in a statement: “The search is over. At 10am this morning, Manitoba RCMP officers located the bodies of two males, believed to be the BC suspects, near the shoreline of the Nelson River (approx 8km from the burnt vehicle). #rcmpmb.”

They added shortly after that the items recently found by the riverside were vital clues that helped them narrow down the search considerably.

“Our officers knew we needed just one piece of evidence to move the search forward & on Friday, August 2nd, the items found on the shoreline of the Nelson River & directly linked to the suspects, enables officers to narrow down the search. #rcmpmb,” they added on Twitter.

“Specialized RCMP teams begin searching nearby high-probability areas, leading officers to the discovery of the two male bodies, in the dense brush, within 1 km from where the items were found. #rcmpmb.

“Thanks to the communities & the leadership of Gillam, Fox Lake Cree Nation, Ilford War Lake First Nation & York Landing – your lives have been disrupted, many of you lived with uncertainty & fear, but throughout, you were resilient & helped our officers get the job done. #rcmpmb.

“This was a search that could not have been successfully achieved without the help from our partners at the Canadian Armed Forces, from RCMP employees who came in from across the country and from multiple private partners. #rcmpmb.

“Above all however, it was a search that could only be successful if we had strong public engagement and support. Thank you to all Canadians for remaining vigilant, for calling us with information and most importantly, for being our partners. #rcmpmb.”

An autopsy will now be performed to confirm their identities.

It comes after weeks of searching for the two men, with police discovering several items “directly linked” to the teenagers over the weekend.

The items were found along the Nelson River near Gillam – a town in Canada where the teen men are claimed to have dumped their stolen Toyota RAV4 on July 22.

“That same day, a damaged boat was also found along the Nelson River. Based on this information, RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT) were immediately deployed,” the RCMP said in a press release at the time.

“On August 4, 2019, URT conducted a thorough underwater search approximately 29 metres around the location where the boat was found. The search did not uncover any additional items linked to the suspects.”

Police searched the river over the weekend after a wrecked rowboat was found washed up on the shore.

This is the damaged aluminum boat found by #rcmpmb officers on the shores of the Nelson River during a helicopter search on friday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/56Ez8alVTs

— RCMP Manitoba (@rcmpmb) August 4, 2019