Canada highway murders: Two teens thought to be missing named suspects in brutal killing of tourist couple

'We are asking the public, if you spot Kam McLeod or Bryer Schmegelsky, to consider them as dangerous, take no actions, do not approach, and call 911 immediately,' Canadian authorities said in tweet


The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in a statement last week had said that there was not sufficient evidence to suggest that the death of a couple was connected to the disappearance of two missing Canadian teens in a remote part of Canada.

The department said Tuesday that the teens were now being considered suspects in the case as well as in the death of an unidentified man whose body was found near a burning truck which is believed to have been abandoned by the teens.

The vehicle used by 19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky was found burning on the side of Highway 37 on Friday.

The body of the still-unidentified man—described as a Caucasian with a heavy build, between 50-60 years old with gray hair and a bushy beard, with an approximate height of 5 feet, 8 inches—was discovered over a mile away.

The police have released a sketch of the man in an attempt to ascertain his identity.

Sketch released by the RCMP officers of the unidentified man found near the teens' car. (RCMP)

On July 15, the bodies of Chynna Noelle Deese, 24, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Lucas Robertson Fowler, 23, of Australia, were found on the side of a desolate stretch of a Canadian Highway.

They were taking a road trip through British Columbia when they were fatally shot after their 1986 Chevrolet van broke down.

Shortly after, the teens were reported missing. They were last spotted in northern Saskatchewan. 

RCMP's tweet on missing Canadian teens.

The police also released surveillance footage from a gas station in Fort Nelson on July 13 which showed the couple pulling up at the station at 7:30 p.m.

While Fowler pumped gas, Deese washed the windshield and windows with a squeegee.

After they were done, they gave each other a hug before heading inside the gas station. They left at 7:47 p.m.

On Monday, the authorities released a sketch of a person of interest in the case, who was seen speaking with Fowler on Highway 97 the night before his body was found.

The man was described as white, with darker skin and dark hair, and a possible beard and maybe glasses.

He was shorter than Fowler, who was 6 feet 3 inches tall. 

Person of interest in the missing teens' case (Source: RCMP)

According to reports, Fowler and Deese were soon set to embark on a trip across the globe. "They had mapped out their route. And to my understanding, the van broke down and that's where the tragedy happened," Deese’s mother, Sheila, told WSOC, adding that the pair were planning to travel through the Canadian countryside while visiting the national parks. 

"She loved people. She didn’t meet a stranger, but she was cautious,” the grieving mother said about her daughter. “It’s tragic when someone dies, but when they’re in another country, you can’t go and be near them. You can’t be face-to-face and ask questions or go and see where it happened. I don’t want it to happen to someone else. I do want to find the person who did it.”
