Hi everyone,
This is obviously not a pleasant topic, and we all know there are risks in this kind of travel, but there is some concern about several people who were Overlanding that have been murdered or declared suspiciously missing in Northern BC over the past 10 days or so. The nature of Overlanding is that we are transient; our encounters with people are in passing, and rarely do we stick around long enough for local media to clue us in to something that happened in a place we just passed through. I figured I'd post this here since some of OB's members may have been in the area at the time, and may have information related to the case.
If you were travelling in the area and happen to know anything, please contact the RCMP. Article with details is linked, and then is cut-and-pasted below. Nobody wants an adventure to end this way, and my heart breaks for these folks and their families.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-killed-missing-alaska-highway-1.5220571
British Columbia·Updated
3 dead, 2 missing: What we know about the Northern B.C. cases
Social Sharing
Here are the questions the public is asking as the RCMP investigate
Jason Proctor · CBC News · Posted: Jul 22, 2019 2:50 PM PT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago
The fates of, from left to right, Chynna Deese, Lucas Fowler, Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky have raised alarms in Northern B.C. Deese and Fowler died last week in suspicious circumstances. McLeod and Schmegelsly have been reported missing and the body of another unidentified man was discovered near their burned out truck. (RCMP images)
The deaths of three people and the disappearances of two young men within a week amid the wild expanses of Northern B.C. have set residents on edge.
RCMP have cautioned against linking the cases but have not entirely ruled out a connection. Officers have also acknowledged "growing community concerns" about the homicide investigations.
Here is what we know so far about the deaths, disappearances and ensuing investigations.
July 15: Monday — bodies found
The bodies of two travellers — 23-year-old Australian Lucas Fowler and 24-year-old American Chynna Deese — were discovered about 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs on July 15.
Police said the couple was shot and killed sometime on either Sunday, July 14 or Monday, July 15.
The pair had been travelling and working their way through B.C. on a three-week road trip to Alaska. Liard Hot Springs is a popular tourist destination in the far north of the province; about 160 kilometres southeast of Watson Lake, Yukon.
Deese kisses Fowler in this undated image from her sister's Facebook page. The pair was found dead along the Alaska Highway on July 15 about 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs, in B.C. (NSW Police)
The bodies were found at a remote spot off Highway 97, also known as the Alaska Highway.
According to police, Fowler was seen speaking to a man with a beard — and possibly glasses — on the Sunday evening.
RCMP said that man may be associated with an older model Jeep Cherokee and was believed to be travelling south. A composite sketch of the man was released July 22. Investigators said the man is not a suspect, but someone wanted for questioning.
An artist’s sketch of a man who the RCMP believe interacted with Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese is pictured during a press conference in Surrey, B.C. on July 22, 2019. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
July 19: Friday — burning truck, missing men
Four days after the bodies of Fowler and Deese were discovered, a burning truck fitted with a sleeping camper was found 50 kilometres south of Dease Lake, about 500 kilometres west of Liard River.
The vehicle belonged to longtime friends Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18.
Police say the pair had not been in contact with their families for a few days. Both young men are from Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island.
They were travelling north to Whitehorse to visit and to look for work but were last seen driving south on Thursday, July 18 after apparently leaving a grocery store near Dease Lake.
Police said they're not sure if the two had a change of plans.
RCMP consider them missing.
RCMP released these photos of 19-year-old Kam McLeod, left, and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky, both from Port Alberni, after their families reported them being out of contact and police found the vehicle they were driving on fire 50 kilometres south of Dease Lake, B.C. (B.C. RCMP)
July 19: Friday — a body
Shortly after police arrived at the truck fire, a passing motorist told officers they had just seen what they believed to be a body at a nearby highway pullout.
RCMP find the body of a man about two kilometres away.
The body is not McLeod or Schmegelsky.
RCMP have released a composite sketch of the man who was found dead two kilometres south of a burnt-out camper truck near Dease Lake, B.C. on July 19, 2019. The man has not been identified. (Don Marce/CBC)
Police said they are working to identify the deceased and released another composite sketch in hopes the public can identify him.
Investigators have not released any information about the cause of the man's death, but say he was between five feet eight inches and five feet 10 inches in height and had a heavy build, grey hair and a full grey beard.
They ask anyone with information about the deceased man to contact investigators.
Are the cases related?
The public and numerous news stories begin to link the incidents, if only because it's unusual to have five people declared missing or dead under suspicious circumstances in Northern B.C. in the space of a week.
RCMP have said investigators are looking at the possibility the homicides and missing persons files are linked.
The deaths of Fowler, who was from Sydney, and Deese, who was from North Carolina, have drawn the attention of the international media who have asked if a serial killer could be at work.
Deese's family told reporters in Charlotte that the family believes the killings are more likely the work of "someone who has been convicted of violent crimes before, someone on drugs."
RCMP said they understand the concern the cases have raised in the isolated communities and campgrounds spread over the vast distances of the area.
"We recognise this news is troubling for the entire community and absolutely appreciate there are concerns for safety, in an area that is popular with nature enthusiasts and tourists," RCMP said in one release.
"At this point, we have nothing to indicate that their deaths are linked to any other active and ongoing investigations in the area, or if there is a heightened risk to public safety."
What are police doing?
RCMP are hoping to speak with anyone who may have been travelling in the area of Liard Hot Springs, including any camping areas, between the afternoon of July 14 and the morning of July 15.
They are particularly interested in speaking with anyone who might have dashcam footage from that time.
RCMP say this blue 1986 Chevrolet van bearing Alberta licence plates was located at the scene where the bodies of Fowler and Deese were discovered. (RCMP)
Police also released a picture of a blue, 1986 Chevrolet van with Alberta licence plates that was found at the scene. It has since been confirmed as Fowler's.
Police have also asked the public to share any information about McLeod or Schmegelsky. They are asking anyone who may have seen or spoken with them over the past few days to contact investigators.
2 other missing men
At around the same time as the reports of the three unexplained deaths and two missing people came another police news release about two Surrey men whose Jeep was found abandoned in Logan Lake, south of Kamloops.
Ryan Provencher, 38 and Richard Scurr, 37, were last seen in Surrey on July 17.
Richard Scurr, left, and Ryan Provencher, right, were last seen getting into a white 2019 Jeep Cherokee in Surrey, B.C., on July 17. The Jeep was later found, empty, near Logan Lake. (Surrey RCMP)
Police have not specified when the vehicle was found. They say it is out of character for either man to be out of touch with family.
News reports have drawn parallels between the disappearances of two different sets of men, but Logan Lake is located 1,400 kilometres between the sites where their vehicles are found.
Popular B.C. travel routes
Although hundreds of kilometres apart on a map, the three deaths and the disappearances of McLeod and Schmegelsky occurred on a well-travelled, if isolated route popular with tourists.
Thousands of people drive the Alaska Highway every year, drawn to the stunning wilderness, crystal blue lakes and sightings of caribou, bears and other wildlife.
Highway 37, the north-south road passing through Dease Lake is also a popular summer route, with access to three well-maintained provincial parks and the road to the town of Stewart, on the Alaskan border.
What should the public do?
RCMP are asking the public to take general safety precautions like sharing travel plans with friends and family and establishing check-in times, as well as to remain vigilant and to notify loved ones if plans change.
This is obviously not a pleasant topic, and we all know there are risks in this kind of travel, but there is some concern about several people who were Overlanding that have been murdered or declared suspiciously missing in Northern BC over the past 10 days or so. The nature of Overlanding is that we are transient; our encounters with people are in passing, and rarely do we stick around long enough for local media to clue us in to something that happened in a place we just passed through. I figured I'd post this here since some of OB's members may have been in the area at the time, and may have information related to the case.
If you were travelling in the area and happen to know anything, please contact the RCMP. Article with details is linked, and then is cut-and-pasted below. Nobody wants an adventure to end this way, and my heart breaks for these folks and their families.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-killed-missing-alaska-highway-1.5220571
British Columbia·Updated
3 dead, 2 missing: What we know about the Northern B.C. cases
Social Sharing
Here are the questions the public is asking as the RCMP investigate
Jason Proctor · CBC News · Posted: Jul 22, 2019 2:50 PM PT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago
The fates of, from left to right, Chynna Deese, Lucas Fowler, Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky have raised alarms in Northern B.C. Deese and Fowler died last week in suspicious circumstances. McLeod and Schmegelsly have been reported missing and the body of another unidentified man was discovered near their burned out truck. (RCMP images)
The deaths of three people and the disappearances of two young men within a week amid the wild expanses of Northern B.C. have set residents on edge.
RCMP have cautioned against linking the cases but have not entirely ruled out a connection. Officers have also acknowledged "growing community concerns" about the homicide investigations.
Here is what we know so far about the deaths, disappearances and ensuing investigations.
July 15: Monday — bodies found
The bodies of two travellers — 23-year-old Australian Lucas Fowler and 24-year-old American Chynna Deese — were discovered about 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs on July 15.
Police said the couple was shot and killed sometime on either Sunday, July 14 or Monday, July 15.
The pair had been travelling and working their way through B.C. on a three-week road trip to Alaska. Liard Hot Springs is a popular tourist destination in the far north of the province; about 160 kilometres southeast of Watson Lake, Yukon.
Deese kisses Fowler in this undated image from her sister's Facebook page. The pair was found dead along the Alaska Highway on July 15 about 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs, in B.C. (NSW Police)
The bodies were found at a remote spot off Highway 97, also known as the Alaska Highway.
According to police, Fowler was seen speaking to a man with a beard — and possibly glasses — on the Sunday evening.
RCMP said that man may be associated with an older model Jeep Cherokee and was believed to be travelling south. A composite sketch of the man was released July 22. Investigators said the man is not a suspect, but someone wanted for questioning.
An artist’s sketch of a man who the RCMP believe interacted with Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese is pictured during a press conference in Surrey, B.C. on July 22, 2019. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
July 19: Friday — burning truck, missing men
Four days after the bodies of Fowler and Deese were discovered, a burning truck fitted with a sleeping camper was found 50 kilometres south of Dease Lake, about 500 kilometres west of Liard River.
The vehicle belonged to longtime friends Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18.
Police say the pair had not been in contact with their families for a few days. Both young men are from Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island.
They were travelling north to Whitehorse to visit and to look for work but were last seen driving south on Thursday, July 18 after apparently leaving a grocery store near Dease Lake.
Police said they're not sure if the two had a change of plans.
RCMP consider them missing.
RCMP released these photos of 19-year-old Kam McLeod, left, and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky, both from Port Alberni, after their families reported them being out of contact and police found the vehicle they were driving on fire 50 kilometres south of Dease Lake, B.C. (B.C. RCMP)
July 19: Friday — a body
Shortly after police arrived at the truck fire, a passing motorist told officers they had just seen what they believed to be a body at a nearby highway pullout.
RCMP find the body of a man about two kilometres away.
The body is not McLeod or Schmegelsky.
RCMP have released a composite sketch of the man who was found dead two kilometres south of a burnt-out camper truck near Dease Lake, B.C. on July 19, 2019. The man has not been identified. (Don Marce/CBC)
Police said they are working to identify the deceased and released another composite sketch in hopes the public can identify him.
Investigators have not released any information about the cause of the man's death, but say he was between five feet eight inches and five feet 10 inches in height and had a heavy build, grey hair and a full grey beard.
They ask anyone with information about the deceased man to contact investigators.
Are the cases related?
The public and numerous news stories begin to link the incidents, if only because it's unusual to have five people declared missing or dead under suspicious circumstances in Northern B.C. in the space of a week.
RCMP have said investigators are looking at the possibility the homicides and missing persons files are linked.
The deaths of Fowler, who was from Sydney, and Deese, who was from North Carolina, have drawn the attention of the international media who have asked if a serial killer could be at work.
Deese's family told reporters in Charlotte that the family believes the killings are more likely the work of "someone who has been convicted of violent crimes before, someone on drugs."
RCMP said they understand the concern the cases have raised in the isolated communities and campgrounds spread over the vast distances of the area.
"We recognise this news is troubling for the entire community and absolutely appreciate there are concerns for safety, in an area that is popular with nature enthusiasts and tourists," RCMP said in one release.
"At this point, we have nothing to indicate that their deaths are linked to any other active and ongoing investigations in the area, or if there is a heightened risk to public safety."
What are police doing?
RCMP are hoping to speak with anyone who may have been travelling in the area of Liard Hot Springs, including any camping areas, between the afternoon of July 14 and the morning of July 15.
They are particularly interested in speaking with anyone who might have dashcam footage from that time.
RCMP say this blue 1986 Chevrolet van bearing Alberta licence plates was located at the scene where the bodies of Fowler and Deese were discovered. (RCMP)
Police also released a picture of a blue, 1986 Chevrolet van with Alberta licence plates that was found at the scene. It has since been confirmed as Fowler's.
Police have also asked the public to share any information about McLeod or Schmegelsky. They are asking anyone who may have seen or spoken with them over the past few days to contact investigators.
2 other missing men
At around the same time as the reports of the three unexplained deaths and two missing people came another police news release about two Surrey men whose Jeep was found abandoned in Logan Lake, south of Kamloops.
Ryan Provencher, 38 and Richard Scurr, 37, were last seen in Surrey on July 17.
Richard Scurr, left, and Ryan Provencher, right, were last seen getting into a white 2019 Jeep Cherokee in Surrey, B.C., on July 17. The Jeep was later found, empty, near Logan Lake. (Surrey RCMP)
Police have not specified when the vehicle was found. They say it is out of character for either man to be out of touch with family.
News reports have drawn parallels between the disappearances of two different sets of men, but Logan Lake is located 1,400 kilometres between the sites where their vehicles are found.
Popular B.C. travel routes
Although hundreds of kilometres apart on a map, the three deaths and the disappearances of McLeod and Schmegelsky occurred on a well-travelled, if isolated route popular with tourists.
Thousands of people drive the Alaska Highway every year, drawn to the stunning wilderness, crystal blue lakes and sightings of caribou, bears and other wildlife.
Highway 37, the north-south road passing through Dease Lake is also a popular summer route, with access to three well-maintained provincial parks and the road to the town of Stewart, on the Alaskan border.
What should the public do?
RCMP are asking the public to take general safety precautions like sharing travel plans with friends and family and establishing check-in times, as well as to remain vigilant and to notify loved ones if plans change.
