A community on Vancouver Island is in shock as two of them remain affected by the Canadian manhunt that resulted in three deaths in northern British Columbia
Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, were declared missing on July 19 after their burned truck was found near the body of an unknown man south of Dease Lake.
RCMP says they don’t know who the man is found dead near the teenagers’ burned-out truck. Let’s say he’s about 5’8 and heavily built. When asked if it was a murder, RCMP says an investigation is “ongoing” @BlackPressMedia pic.twitter.com/OoaNvsSqma
– Kat Slepian (@katslepian) July 22, 2019
On Tuesday, RCMP said the two were suspects of the unknown man’s suspicious deaths and the double homicides of Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese, two tourists who were fatally shot near the Liard hot springs on July 15.
They are considered dangerous, RCMP said, and people are being asked not to approach and call 911 instead.
In Port Alberni, the community’s response is mixed, with some calling on McLeod and Schmegelsky to take advantage of the doubt.
“Time will tell, without speculating about anything,” wrote a man in a closed community group of 7,000 members on Facebook.
Others were just shocked that teenagers from a quiet British Columbia town might get caught up in it.
This is so tragic! How do teenagers decide to kill someone? What gives everyone the right to take life. It is incomprehensible. Now 4 lives are completely destroyed and several people are affected (sic), ”wrote one woman.
In a statement to Black Press Media, Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions said the situation was “devastating”.
“As a community, we think of the victims and their families, as well as the families of the boys,” Minions said.
“I can’t imagine what these locals are going through right now.”
READ MORE: A Suspect’s Father in 3 BC Expects the son to go out in “the fire of glory”.
VIDEO: Missing Alberni teenagers now suspect three murders in northern British Columbia
What happened?
On the morning of July 15, the bodies of Lucas Fowler, 23, and Chynna Deese, 24, were found 20 kilometers south of the Liard hot springs. The couple traveled north BC in their van. The Australian-born Fowler had traveled the world when he reportedly met Deese in Croatia in 2017.
Fowler’s father, a top Australian police officer, called the couple “inseparable”.
Later that week, on July 19, a McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky truck was found 50 kilometers south of Dease Lake. The body of an unknown man was found two kilometers away in an excerpt from the motorway.
McLeod and Schmegelsky, who are from Port Alberni, reportedly traveled to Whitehorse or Alberta to look for work.
These photos of Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, and the vehicle they drove were taken in Saskatchewan. The police will not provide any further information. @ BlackPressMedia pic.twitter.com/YSr72b19px
– Kat Slepian (@katslepian) July 23, 2019
Who are Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky?
Both teenagers grew up in Port Alberni, a town of about 17,000 in central Vancouver Island, and recently graduated from high school in the area. Both Schmegelsky and McLeod reportedly attended the town’s Eighth Avenue Learning Center, an alternative high school for teenagers who weren’t well suited to standard high school.
The two worked the night shift at Port Alberni Walmart before reportedly going to either Whitehorse or Alberta to look for work.
Community members did not recall the teenagers getting into trouble or touching the law.
Teenage social media profiles didn’t reveal much. A page for McLeod featured art the teenager had designed.
On social media, Schmegelsky’s profile showed comments from affected friends and acquaintances.
“No matter how far you go in the wrong direction, there is always a chance to turn your life around,” said one.
“If convicted, they will likely serve the maximum sentence. #WellDeserved, “said another.
Where are you now?
McLeod and Schmegelsky were last spotted at Gillam in northern Manitoba, RCMP said.
Previously, surveillance cameras picked her up in northern Saskatchewan.
The duo will drive a gray Toyota Rav 4 in 2011.
Police say McLeod is about six feet four, about 169 pounds, with dark hair, facial hair, and brown eyes.
Schmegelsky is described as six feet four, about 169 pounds with sandy hair.
READ MORE: Manhunt for Port Alberni Teenagers in Three BC Murders: A Timeline of What We Know
READ MORE: Alberni Teens Wanted in Double Homicide, Suspicious Death Detected in Manitoba
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