Young couple shot dead on highway in Canada were murdered in 'a botched robbery', claims woman's brother
An Australian tourist and his American girlfriend, who were suspected to have been killed by a serial killer, were murdered in a botched robbery while traveling in Canada, her brother believes.
Lucas Fowler, 23, the son of a New South Wales chief inspector, was murdered along with his 24-year-old girlfriend Chynna Deese from Charlotte, North Carolina, on Alaska Highway in British Columbia on Monday last week.
Although authorities are not yet certain why the couple was killed, Deese's brother Stetson has said that he believes they were targeted in a robbery that went wrong.
As Stetson announced his theory of what might have happened to the couple, Fowler's friends released videos and pictures of him enjoying his life before the tragic incident occurred.
The clips showed the 23-year-old enjoying swimming, riding in a friend's car, walking in the Blue Mountains and drinking beers at home with his friends in Sydney.
Details of the couple's relationship also emerged, revealing that the pair met in a hostel in Croatia in 2017.
They fell in love and spent the next two years visiting Central and South America, Japan, and South East Asia. Reports state that the couple were set to start a journey across "the top half of the globe," beginning in Canada and stretching over to Alaska, when they were killed.
An investigation was launched into their deaths by Canadian police after they found the couple in "horrific circumstances" at around 7 am, not far from their old blue mini-van.
Deese's brother suspects that the pair were robbed because his sister's passport was the only identification left in the van. "If that's all they found it means they were robbed. There could have been a wallet, but the passport was the only ID," Stetson told The Daily Telegraph.
He added that he was out of town when his family notified him of the tragic news, and he was still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, saying it doesn't sound "real."
Stetson described his sister and Fowler as a "traveling couple" who would probably have married along the track: "They were both really nice and that's what brought them together — the last people you would expect this to happen to."
He said that Deese became inspired to travel after seeing Fowler venture across the globe. Stetson added that his sister was free-spirited and that their family will be holding a big funeral because she was extremely popular.
The Fowler family, days after the tragic discovery, released a heartbreaking statement, confirming that they lost Lucas in "the most terrible circumstances." "To lose someone so young and vibrant, who was traveling the world and just enjoying life to the full, is devastating," the Fowler family said.
"To know his beautiful girlfriend, Chynna Deese of Charlotte, North Carolina also lost her life in this violent event is too cruel." The family is reportedly going to Canada to "bring him home."
Authorities are now asking people who traveled the stretch between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning before 8 am to contact them.
A blue minivan with Alberta number plates was also found at the scene and police are saying that they would like to speak to the drivers going through that stretch who may have seen the vehicle or have dashcam footage.
A woman, on Facebook, wrote that she had seen the young couple with their broken-down van on Sunday: "We seen the blue van broke down on our journey home on Sunday and we stopped and asked if they needed help. I can't believe that this young couple are dead now. This makes my heart so sad."
The woman added that her husband has been in contact with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Reports state that a third body was discovered close to where the couple was murdered, however, Canadian police believes that the incidents are not related.