vancouversun.com
Double homicide victims had just begun to explore Canada
The bodies of Chynna Noelle Deese of the United States and Lucas Robertson Fowler of Australia were found south of Liard Hot Springs Monday.
GLENDA LUYMES & TIFFANY CRAWFORD Updated: July 19, 2019
The van was parked on the shoulder of the Alaska Highway, hood propped open, prompting mechanic Curtis Broughton to stop and ask the travellers if they needed help.
The young man and woman, sitting in lawn chairs on the grassy verge between road and forest, were friendly and seemed happy. The engine of their van had flooded, the man told Broughton, but he knew how to get it running. They had food and water — and they were only 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs, a short distance to go in the middle of the vast wilderness on B.C.’s northern border.
“It’s an area where there’s more trees than people,” said Curtis’ wife, Sandra, who observed the couple from the passenger seat as her husband briefly engaged in “a little truck talk” with the young man.
It was about 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, and the Broughtons were headed south, returning home to Fort Nelson after a week of camping in the Yukon. The couple in the van appeared to be driving north in the direction of the hot springs. They didn’t need help, so the Broughtons carried on.
On Wednesday, Sandra came across an RCMP press release on Facebook. Two adults had been found dead on the Alaska Highway. Police wanted to speak with anyone who had seen a blue van with an Alberta license plate.
“I was shocked when I heard,” said Sandra. “We saw no other people around, no animals.”
On Friday, RCMP confirmed they are investigating a double homicide and identified the victims as 24-year-old Chynna Noelle Deese of the United States and 23-year-old Lucas Robertson Fowler of Australia. They believe the couple was killed sometime between 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon and 8 a.m. Monday morning.
At a press conference, Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said she could not reveal how the couple died, or if their bodies were found inside or outside the van.
Police, including investigators from the Lower Mainland, are still on scene and are trying to determine a timeline of events, as well as “all the details related to the van,” including whether it was being driven by the couple, she said. They are also working to determine if the couple’s deaths were targeted or a “crime of opportunity.” There is nothing to indicate they are linked to any other ongoing or previous investigation.
“We’re absolutely committed to this investigation and it’s a priority for us,” said Shoihet when asked what she’d like to tell the families of the victims, including Fowler’s father, a high-ranking police officer in the state of New South Wales.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Fowler family said they are travelling to Canada “to be with our boy and to bring him home.” They are being accompanied by several Australian police officers, who are coming to Canada to offer support to the family, not to aid in the investigation.
“To lose someone so young and vibrant, who was travelling the world and just enjoying life to the full, is devastating,” said the family’s statement. “To know his beautiful girlfriend … also lost her life in this violent event is too cruel.”
On his Facebook page, Deese’s brother, who goes by the name British Dwayne, said his sister left home to see the cattle branding at a ranch where Fowler was working and to “travel through the top half of the globe.”
Dwayne said he tried to text his sister earlier this week, but she didn’t reply. He learned of her death after the “most chaotic day of my life” and several hours on the phone with the U.S. Embassy and investigators.
“Chynna and Lucas’ lives were abruptly taken from a random act of violence while starting their road trip through Canada,” said Dwayne. “She is so deeply woven as a piece of my childhood and everyday life.”
Deese’s sister Kennedy Deese also posted a tribute on Facebook, saying the couple were “bright and beautiful souls.”
On her CouchSurfing page, Deese wrote that her “current mission” is to travel the world. She was a student at Appalachian State University, where her sorority sisters remembered her as a “kind and adventurous soul.”
The area where the couple’s bodies were found is remote and doesn’t have cell reception. The largest community in the area is Fort Nelson, about four hours south of Liard Hot Springs along Highway 97 through dense woods punctuated by lakes, parks and tiny settlements. Most businesses close before dark.
Because the homicide happened along Highway 97, Australian media speculated the deaths could be attributed to a serial killer and the Highway of Tears investigation. RCMP reiterated they have no evidence to indicate the homicide is linked to any other investigation.
A person who answered the phone at the Liard Hot Springs Lodge did not want to comment. A person at the Northern Rockies Lodge in Muncho, about an hour from the homicide scene, said she had no information about the couple.
RCMP are asking anyone who saw Fowler and Deese, or the blue van, or anyone with dashcam footage, to contact the Northern Rockies RCMP detachment at 250-774-2700. Police appealed in particular to people who may have driven the Alaska Highway last weekend and continued on to Alaska, Yukon or Alberta and may not have been aware of the homicide
Very sad , hate to see folks lose their lives , especially young people . RIP .
As long as killers know they'll be given an attorney 3 hots & cot they'll keep on killing . If they knew [and got to see] what a murderer deserves - that being years of torture & hard labor - they'd think twice .
Chynna?
Didn't she used to wrestle?
Chynna?
Didn't she used to wrestle?
No that Chynna died - she took too much pot .
... the Fowler family said they are travelling to Canada “to be with our boy and to bring him home.”
They are being accompanied by several Australian police officers, who are coming to Canada to offer support to the family,
not to aid in the investigation.
The deceased Lucas Fowler, is son of currently serving NSW police chief inspector Stephen Fowler.
NSW Police said it had deployed two detectives from the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad
to liaise with the family and Canadian authorities.
being a cop of such rank, you get more help on the tax payers purse than would an ordinary grieving family.
... the Fowler family said they are travelling to Canada “to be with our boy and to bring him home.”
They are being accompanied by several Australian police officers, who are coming to Canada to offer support to the family,
not to aid in the investigation.
The deceased Lucas Fowler, is son of currently serving NSW police chief inspector Stephen Fowler.
NSW Police said it had deployed two detectives from the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad
to liaise with the family and Canadian authorities.
being a cop of such rank, you get more help on the tax payers purse than would an ordinary grieving family.
Yeah , they're special people - above the common peasant .
...and Im pretty sure Canadian LE can handle such homicide cases without the need for foreign detectives.
being a high ranked cops son, Canadians probably already have allocated more staff on the investigation than usual..
Cad. LE brass will likely also get a friendly phone call from NSW police commissioner himself, 'to see how things are going'
UPDATE:
New York Post
Murdered couple, missing teens in Canada could be linked: cops
By Tamar Lapin July 22, 2019 | 11:34pm
Enlarge Image
Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesperson Janelle Shoihet said it was "unusual" to have two major investigations "of this nature" happening at the same time in northern British Columbia.
The brutal killing of an American woman and an Australian man could be connected to the disappearance of two teenagers in British Columbia and the remains of a man found near their burning car, Canadian police said Monday.
.
“We recognize the possibility that these could be linked,” Shoihet said during a press conference.
SEE ALSO
During the presser, the RCMP also provided a composite sketch of a bearded man wanted as a person of interest in the murders of Chynna Deese, 24, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and her boyfriend, Lucas Fowler, 23, of Sydney, Australia.
The mystery man was spotted having a “heated exchange” with the young couple the night before they were found July 15 shot dead on the side of a remote highway, 12 miles south of Lilard Hot Springs, a popular tourist destination.
The RCMP believes the pair — who were wrapping up a two-week road trip through Canada — were murdered sometime between 4 p.m. on July 14 and 7 a.m. on July 15. It took three days for their bodies to be identified.
On Friday, four days after the bodies of the couple were discovered, police launched a search for Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18.
The missing teens were believed to have been driving a vehicle that was found in flames about 310 miles from where the couple was murdered.
Just over a mile from the burning car, police found a man’s dead body. The man hasn’t been identified yet but cops on Monday released a composite sketch of him in the hopes of figuring out who he is.
“It is unclear at this time how this deceased male might be connected with [the] vehicle fire or the two missing men,” the RCMP said in a statement.
Authorities urged the public and tourists in the area to be vigilant.
Is it possible that the two young "missing men" murdered the couple and the dead man at the burning car??
Just wondering.
L.W.
Is it possible that the two young "missing men" murdered the couple and the dead man at the burning car??
Just wondering.
L.W.
Thinking that same thing
Chynna?
Didn't she used to wrestle?
No that Chynna died - she took too much pot .
You don't think it was more related to the alcohol and opiates? Pot's pretty benign by comparison.
Is it possible that the two young "missing men" murdered the couple and the dead man at the burning car??
Just wondering.
L.W.
Won't know that until we know. By all accounts they were/are(?) decent young men.
An NAA mini revolver in.22 magnum,...that's about as bulky in your pocket as a pocket knife, would have prevented that situation.
An NAA mini revolver in.22 magnum,...that's about as bulky in your pocket as a pocket knife, would have prevented that situation.
Possibly. Whenever we travel up north there's a short shotgun within reach. For snakes and such.
I think that pistols are just about illegal in Canada.
I do remember the good old days, in 1973 my two buddies and I went up to Canada for 3 months of wilderness adventure. Ironically we went up on the Alaska Highway near where these murders happened.
As we crossed from America into Canada, we pulled in to Canada customs, we had a .22, a shotgun, a T/C Hawken in .50, and a .38 in the trunk.
Canadian cops didn't say a thing about the guns.
I think that pistols are just about illegal in Canada.
Handguns are not illegal (yet), I own many. I cannot carry them for self defence. I can only shoot them at a registered range.There are wilderness carry permits for trappers, exploration geologists, timber cruisers etc. Of course judges can get carry permits. I suppose that in remote areas, a person could decide that it is better to be tried by 12, than carried by 6. YMMV
Do you have to leave your pistol at the registered range, or can you keep it at your home there, Johnny Canuck?
Do you have to leave your pistol at the registered range, or can you keep it at your home there, Johnny Canuck?
They sit at home locked in my safe.
They may be changing this, it is currently up in the air. The election can't come fast enough.
Thanks for the link. Now they need to find them and the Texan and hang all 3.
Thanks for the link. Now they need to find him and the Texan and hang all 3.
I suspect the RCMP will find the Port Alberni teens quickly. What a crazy turn of events
Thanks for the link. Now they need to find him and the Texan and hang all 3.
I suspect the RCMP will find the Port Alberni teens quickly. What a crazy turn of events
Life is cheap, a lot of evil in this world .
Thanks for the link. Now they need to find them and the Texan and hang all 3.
what Texan??
Thanks for the link. Now they need to find them and the Texan and hang all 3.
what Texan??
I’d love to see certain parts of Canada. Guess I never will since I can’t carry my pistol there.
wow, haven't seen a worse likeness to a "forensic artist's drawing" since the unabomber.
I’d love to see certain parts of Canada. Guess I never will since I can’t carry my pistol there.
You will also notice the lack of violent crime in Canada because of their strict handgun laws
"insert sarcasm"
CANADA'S MOST WANTED
The town of Gillam, Manitoba goes on lockdown. A nationwide manhunt. Father of psycho boy says his son will die in a violent confrontation with the Mounties.
Watch a couple of these videos, starting with "Who are Kam and Bryer?"
I have never seen such a thing in Canada.
https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/who-are-kam-mcleod-and-bryer-schmegelsky-1.4520490
" The town of Gillam, Manitoba goes on lockdown. ,,,"
That reminds me of my Army days many years ago. There was a good ol' boy from Texas in my squad who, when asked where he was from, would reply with that Texas twang, "I'm from Gillam, where we catch 'em and kill 'em."
We always got a laugh from that.
Maybe that's what those boys up in Manitoba said.
L.W.
Yeah, labeled as leaning "far right" due to their interest in nazism. GUESS i better affiliate with something like the KKK, Hitler, etc since I lean right.
What a load of manure.
Wonder why we don't hear the media labeling "far left" phsycos?
Chynna?
Didn't she used to wrestle?
REALLY?
Thanks for the link. Now they need to find them and the Texan and hang all 3.
what Texan??
The RCMP was also asked about a man wanted for murder in Texas, who is believed to have crossed the border into Manitoba late last month.
Mounties said last week Derek Whisenand is believed to have entered Manitoba near Winkler, and travelled on to Winnipeg. He may have headed east, they said.
those little bastards are making tracks. they must be on gas station video cams using the dead peoples credit cards, otherwise I would think they might be victims too.
those little bastards are making tracks. they must be on gas station video cams using the dead peoples credit cards,
otherwise I would think they might be victims too.
if they are on CCTV and dashcams as they make their run for freedom wouldn't LE and the world know about it by now?
sensationalist media is reporting the two as bush experienced paintball Rambo types ... lol ..
which is a long way from having S.E.R.E. type skillset.
...assuming they are genuine culprits and not victims, I was going to ask the CF , how long do you think before
they give themselves up or call mom to come get them,...or are apprehended by LE?
I’d love to see certain parts of Canada. Guess I never will since I can’t carry my pistol there.
+1
quote]...
- Canadian Non-Resident Firearms Declaration.
U.S. citizens bringing firearms into Canada, or taking firearms through Canada to Alaska are required to fill out
a Non-Resident Firearms Declaration (Form CAFC 909 EF).
Persons bringing more than three firearms into Canada will also need to complete a;
Non-Resident Firearm Declaration Continuation Sheet (form RCMP 5590).
- Firearms Allowed, Restricted, and Prohibited.
Approval of the Non-Resident Firearms Declaration allows only standard rifles and shotguns commonly used for hunting
and target shooting to be transported into or through Canada.
Handguns with at least 4-inch barrels are considered "restricted" firearms and are allowed in Canada, but require the
completion and approval of an Application for an Authorization to Transport Restricted Firearms.
This Non-Resident Firearm Declaration costs $50 Canadian.
Handguns with barrels shorter than 4-inches, fully automatic, converted automatics, and assault-type weapons are "prohibited"
and not allowed in Canada. In addition, certain knives, even those used for hunting and fishing, may be considered prohibited
weapons by Canadian officials.
endquote]
quote]...
- Canadian Non-Resident Firearms Declaration.
U.S. citizens bringing firearms into Canada, or taking firearms through Canada to Alaska are required to fill out
a Non-Resident Firearms Declaration (Form CAFC 909 EF).
Persons bringing more than three firearms into Canada will also need to complete a;
Non-Resident Firearm Declaration Continuation Sheet (form RCMP 5590).
- Firearms Allowed, Restricted, and Prohibited.
Approval of the Non-Resident Firearms Declaration allows only standard rifles and shotguns commonly used for hunting
and target shooting to be transported into or through Canada.
Handguns with at least 4-inch barrels are considered "restricted" firearms and are allowed in Canada, but require the
completion and approval of an Application for an Authorization to Transport Restricted Firearms.
This Non-Resident Firearm Declaration costs $50 Canadian.
Handguns with barrels shorter than 4-inches, fully automatic, converted automatics, and assault-type weapons are "prohibited"
and not allowed in Canada. In addition, certain knives, even those used for hunting and fishing, may be considered prohibited
weapons by Canadian officials.
endquote]
Great, you read part of the law. You now get to transport your "restricted" handgun in a locked case, with a trigger lock applied and gun unloaded. Case must be kept out of sight, preferably in a locked trunk. Ammunition must be kept separate from handgun. You may transport your handgun to Alaska, or to a registered range where a registered match you have entered is held. Your must produce match entry form. When the match is over, you get to go home.. You don't get to wander Canada with your handgun. I wish it were different, but it ain't.
Good news Chilin and others, 99% of Canada is safe and you don't need to pack heat. However, if you want to find trouble, you can.
AB 2506,
can a US citizen legally transport a shorter barrelled shotgun through Canada with less restriction than a handgun?
chilli just might reconsider visiting CAD if that's the case ..
You would need to have a legitimate need to have the shotgun, hunting, competition. There are restrictions on barrel length and over all length. Restrictions most severe on semi automatic shotguns and rifles.
Gun cannot have chamber or magazine loaded in vehicle.
Ill ask again , Is there less restriction on a double barrel of pump shotgun or not?
you did use handguns as the worse case example of 'strict rules', yes?
Good news Chilin and others, 99% of Canada is safe and you don't need to pack heat. However, if you want to find trouble, you can.
I'll bet those two young adults that were killed weren't looking for trouble.
I'm with Chlinstructor - if I can't carry at least a handgun into Canada for protection in the backwoods, I won't be seeing any of it.
I’d love to see certain parts of Canada. Guess I never will since I can’t carry my pistol there.
I'm with you. Not just Canada either, but any state here that doesn't allow me to carry.
You would need to have a legitimate need to have the shotgun, hunting, competition. There are restrictions on barrel length and over all length. Restrictions most severe on semi automatic shotguns and rifles.
Gun cannot have chamber or magazine loaded in vehicle.
Country with 1/10 the population of the US with a larger land mass and the citizens cannot even protect themselves. Someone is stuck on stupid up there.
I'm not so nervous that I need to be able to carry a handgun in order to go anywhere. If I felt that circumstances warranted it though, I would have it. Some of you who are bleating away about the difficulty of taking firearms into Canada, look into what a Canadian has to do to take firearms into the US for a rifle match or to go hunting. In the end, I don't think Canada is too diminished if some people are afraid to visit. GD
I'm not so nervous that I need to be able to carry a handgun in order to go anywhere. If I felt that circumstances warranted it though, I would have it. Some of you who are bleating away about the difficulty of taking firearms into Canada, look into what a Canadian has to do to take firearms into the US for a rifle match or to go hunting. In the end, I don't think Canada is too diminished if some people are afraid to visit. GD
Until you need to have one.
So the suspects have fled into the wilderness, with hundreds of cops on their trail. It is Rambo all over again.
Ironically, these guys are from Vancouver, Rambo was filmed in Vancouver.
So the suspects have fled into the wilderness, with hundreds of cops on their trail. It is Rambo all over again.
Ironically, these guys are from Vancouver, Rambo was filmed in Vancouver.
Sounds like they want their 5 minutes of Fame..probably posting to Facebook
You would need to have a legitimate need to have the shotgun, hunting, competition.
There are restrictions on barrel length and over all length. Restrictions most severe on semi automatic shotguns and rifles.
Gun cannot have chamber or magazine loaded in vehicle.
A semi-auto with barrel length no less than 18.5", is still in the unrestricted category.
Transport regulation requirements for such a rifle or shotgun is simply a matter of having it unloaded and placing it in your vehicle,
most preferably out of sight...So if you have a pick-up, you can keep it relatively handy right behind your seat.
(storing the unrestricted class weapon in ones unattended vehicle requires more securing)
Non-restricted firearms = are ordinary rifles and shotguns, other than those referred to below.
Restricted firearms include = handguns that are not prohibited;
semi-automatic, centre-fire rifles and shotguns with a barrel shorter than 470 mm;
rifles and shotguns that can be fired when their overall length has been reduced by folding,
telescoping or other means to less than 660 mm;
So the suspects have fled into the wilderness, with hundreds of cops on their trail. It is Rambo all over again.
Ironically, these guys are from Vancouver, Rambo was filmed in Vancouver.
I wonder what wilderness skills, if any, these guys may have. Its rough out there.
So the suspects have fled into the wilderness, with hundreds of cops on their trail. It is Rambo all over again.
Ironically, these guys are from Vancouver, Rambo was filmed in Vancouver.
simonkenton7;
Good evening to you sir, I trust the day was a good one in your area and this finds you well.
If I may offer a point of information/order here - the original Rambo was filmed in Hope,BC, a reasonably small town at the bottom of the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla River Canyons. It's the first town one hits when one is crossing over the mountains to head into what is known as The Lower Mainland, but it's no more Vancouver than Marchall is the same as Greensboro - or Winston-Salem for that matter either.
The two boys are from Port Alberni, which is a small fishing/logging sorta half way in the middle of Vancouver Island, but which is the tail end of the Alberni Canal which leads out to the west coast. The fishing used to be spectacular there and can still be very, very good so the neighbors who moor their boat there tell me.
Anyway, just a geographical point and nothing more sir, hopefully it's received in the spirit it's offered.
All the best to you folks as we head into the fall.
Dwayne
Less restrictions
Than handguns
Well, Hope is about 100 air miles from Vancouver, not too far.
Well here's hoping they can catch the two before they can cause any more mayhem.
It's being spun that they have ties to "far-right social media pages".
https://www.rollingstone.com/cultur...murder-canada-hitler-putin-trump-863932/Social media accounts associated with two Canadian teenagers have been found to contain hints of far-right and white supremacist radicalization
though he denied that his son was obsessed with Nazism and said instead his son was a fan of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
It is just like Rambo! They have called out the national guard. Or, at least, they have called out the Air Force to help.
https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.4522656Are these two in the woods, or have they hit the road?
The Mad Trapper made it six weeks before the mounties shot him.
Doubt these boys can do better than that.
A quick question....
My favorite weapon for handgun-unfriendly jurisdictions like in some Northeastern states has been a 20" 12 gauge Fox SxS shotgun.
Not as fast as a handgun but pops together and loads in just moments wherever you find yourselves stopped, takes down for travel into three smallish components just as easily. Intimidating as all get out to a would-be miscreant and nothing to sneeze at on bears neither.
Can one bring one into Canada?
A quick question....
My favorite weapon for handgun-unfriendly jurisdictions like in some Northeastern states has been a 20" 12 gauge Fox SxS shotgun.
Not as fast as a handgun but pops together and loads in just moments wherever you find yourselves stopped, takes down for travel into three smallish components just as easily. Intimidating as all get out to a would-be miscreant and nothing to sneeze at on bears neither.
Can one bring one into Canada?
Short answer - yes.
470mm minimum barrel length (18.5 inches) / 660mm overall length (26 inches)
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/faq/index-eng.htm#a3Google up Canadian Firearms Centre and take a look at the rules for visitors and it lays out the whole procedure - it is really quite simple.
drover