Two B.C. teens who sparked a massive manhunt in northern Manitoba earlier this year confessed to committing three murders in a video shortly before their deaths, RCMP said in a news conference Friday.
Police said Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky admitted to killing Lucas Fowler, Chynna Deese and Leonard Dyck in a series of self-shot videos found on a digital camera they used while on the run.
The camera, which was found with the bodies of the two confessed killers, contained six videos and three still images. The media found on the camera, according to police, details the pair’s alleged escape plan – to head either to Churchill, Man. or elsewhere on Hudson Bay, hijack a boat and travel to Europe or Africa.
The videos do not contain any specific details of the killings of Lucas Fowler, Chynna Deese and Leonard Dyck. Those three deaths were why the duo wanted by police. RCMP said no information regarding the motive of the killings or any expression of remorse was found in the videos.
“We uncovered no information that predicted or forecasted the homicides that took place in northern B.C.,” read a statement released by B.C. RCMP. “Based on the firearms lab results, crime scene examination, timelines of suspects and suspect recorded admissions, we believe that no other suspects are responsible for the three homicides or are involved in any way. The murders appear to be random and crimes of opportunity.”
The videos themselves were not released by RCMP. Police said they believe circulating the videos would have a negative impact.
“The RCMP Behavioural Analysis Unit conducted a review of the videos and was concerned with a behaviour called ‘identification’, which is considered a warning behaviour in the context of a threat assessment. The videos may influence or inspire other individuals to carry out a targeted act of violence, essentially creating copycat killers. In BAU's experience, those who commit mass casualty attacks or similar acts of violence are heavily inspired by previous attackers and their behaviours,” read the B.C. RCMP statement.
“It is believed that the suspects may have made the video recordings for notoriety. Releasing them would not only be disrespectful to the families of the deceased – who are also concerned about the impacts of the release - and it could sensationalize the actions of the suspects. By not releasing the videos we want to mitigate the potential of other individuals being inspired to commit similar acts of violence. For these reasons, the videos will not be released to the public by the RCMP.”
Timeline
The information released as part of the Sept. 27 announcement allows a more complete picture of the crimes to be pieced together. The timeline began on July 12, when McLeod and Schmegelsky legally purchased a semi-automatic rifle at a Cabela’s location in Nanaimo, B.C. It is unknown where the pair found the other gun used in the murders.
The bodies of Fowler and Deese, tourists from Australia and the United States, were found near Liard Hot Springs, B.C. July 15. The two were travelling on the Alaska Highway when their van broke down. RCMP believe McLeod and Schmegelsky came across the pair’s van and killed both tourists before continuing their drive up to Yukon.
Before leaving their hometown of Port Alberni, McLeod and Schmegelsky reportedly told friends they were heading to northern British Columbia and Yukon to look for work.
Following the killings, McLeod and Schmegelsky turned back to B.C. The vehicle the two had been driving, a Dodge truck owned by McLeod, was found abandoned and on fire along Highway 37 in northern B.C. About two kilometres away from the fire lay the body of Leonard Dyck, a sessional university lecturer from Vancouver.
The suspects allegedly stole Dyck’s vehicle, money and personal items and set a path east. One of the items stolen from Dyck was the digital camera where the confessional videos were found by police.
The connection between the killings of Deese, Fowler and Dyck was made when RCMP found similar gun casings and ammunition at both crime scenes and at the site of the burning truck.
From northern B.C., the killers moved east, driving Dyck’s Toyota SUV. The pair allegedly modified the vehicle by using electrical tape, purchased at a store in Vanderhoof, B.C., to add racing stripes to change its appearance. The pair were spotted at a Co-op store in Meadow Lake, Sask. July 21 – images from the store’s surveillance video were later released both to the press and to the public.
On July 22, near Split Lake, the two were stopped by constables with Tataskweyak Cree Nation as part of a routine alcohol check stop. The cops didn’t find anything suspicious and news of the manhunt hadn’t been publicly released, so both McLeod and Schmegelsky were let go. Split Lake was the last confirmed sighting of the two suspects alive.
One day later, the Toyota SUV was found burned in the wilderness near Fox Lake Cree Nation. The finding was the same day McLeod and Schmegelsky were publicly announced as suspects in the three deaths.
Over the next two weeks, RCMP sent officers, K-9 units, crisis negotiators, air services and the Emergency Response Team to the Gillam area to find the two suspects. The Canadian Armed Forces, Bear Clan and others assisted in the search. Wide-scale searches ensued in the Gillam and Fox Lake Cree Nation areas. A number of suspected sightings in York Landing and in Ontario were eventually proved false.
RCMP now suspect that after burning the vehicle, McLeod and Schmegelsky tried to escape east on foot before thick bush and inhospitable conditions thwarted their plan.
On August 3, RCMP found a damaged rowboat near the shore of the Nelson River below Lower Limestone Rapids, about 60 kilometres away from Gillam. The rowboat, found around 10 kilometres away from the site of the burned SUV, contained unidentified items connected to the suspects.
One of the videos on the camera shows a suspect saying they had shaved to change their appearance, adding they hoped to kill more people and expecting that the pair themselves would soon die.
Finally, on August 7, the bodies of McLeod and Schmegelsky were found in the bush near the shore of the Nelson River, about one kilometre from the rowboat. An autopsy conducted after the discovery found the pair had died by suicide. Two rifles found near the bodies were, confirmed by firearms testing to be the same as the ones used to kill the three victims in B.C.
The family of Chynna Deese, the American tourist who was killed by the pair, also released a statement.
“Our beloved Chynna was a ray of sunshine and for her to be taken has made the world feel a bit darker. The impact of such horrendous crimes was felt rippling throughout many communities and we would like to express sincere gratitude to the general public for their empathy and aid during the investigation and manhunt,” reads the statement.
“The loss we continue to endure is shattering, but Chynna’s memories are a benediction to her genuine happiness and intense love of life. Throughout this tragedy, along with the help of many, they serve as our reminder of the good nature and peace humanity has the capacity to show. We hope Chynna’s legacy continues to grow and her spark allows us to build each other up.”
