Canadian highway murders: Teenage suspects found dead after officers discover half-eaten pork chops and orange peels
Two Canadian teenage fugitives suspected of killing an Australian police chief's son, his American girlfriend and a Vancouver botanist were found dead on Wednesday, August 7, after being on the run for two weeks, according to reports.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that two male bodies were found in the "dense brush" by Nelson River near Gillam, Manitoba, and are believed to be that of 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky, and 19-year-old Kam McLeod.
Reports stated that an autopsy will soon be performed to confirm the identities of the bodies, however, Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy released a statement, saying she is "confident" that the bodies belong to the suspects.
The bodies of the teens were found after a 15-day manhunt for the duo which began in the western Canadian province of British Columbia and spanned nearly 5,000 kilometers across three provinces, according to the Daily Mail.
Authorities zeroed in on the teens after they were reported missing soon after Deese and Fowler's deaths. They were later spotted in northern Saskatchewan. Survival experts predicted that they would struggle to stay alive if they attempted to hide in the swampy, bug-infested wilderness around Gillam without shelter.
Authorities said that the bodies believed to be of Schmegelsky and McLeod were found just a kilometer away from where investigators found multiple items linked to the duo on Saturday. Officials said that the items were found less than six miles from where the teens set fire to the grey Toyota RAV4 they were driving on July 2. After their bodies were located, police confirmed that the RAV4 they burned belonged to Vancouver botanist Leonard Dyck. It is not yet known how long their bodies were there by the Nelson River.
The suspects appeared to have eaten half of their pork chops and fruit before they made their way through the dangerous swamp. Officials found half-eaten pork chops and orange peels near the burnt-out car they were driving. Although it is not yet clear what led to their deaths, local media reports have suggested that water contamination, anaphylactic shock or an animal attack could be the potential causes of their deaths.
Police had said that Schmegelsky and McLeod were the sole suspects in the murders of Lucas Fowler, his girlfriend Chynna Deese, and Vancouver professor Leonard Dyck.
Deese's mother, Sheila, has reportedly been left "speechless" after the latest updates in the case, according to CBS News. Deese's brother, British, had said that his sister and Fowler met at a hostel in Croatia and began dating. Deese was visiting Fowler at a cattle ranch in Canada and the couple was set to embark on a cross-country road trip when the tragedy occurred. They were found dead at the roadside near a Canadian highway with their blue van abandoned nearby on July 15. Meanwhile, Dyck's body was found on July 19, in northern British Columbia.
Sheila Deese had told the outlet that the pair were a perfect match and were in a very serious relationship: "It is a love story, a Southern girl goes out of the country, meets this Australian, and they were just the same personality," she said. "It was like two butterflies that found each other and they were going to be forever."
Officials have also stated that although the teens are currently the only suspects in the triple murder, they will continue the investigation until it is confirmed that the teens were responsible.