Bodies of B.C. Homicide Suspects Found

August 26, 2019October 26, 2019 anonymous 0 Comments B.C., Homicide, RCMP

The Death of McLeod and Schmegelsky: Closure or Complications?

Key Actors:

Kam McLeod; Homicide criminal, suspect, and fugitive
Bryer Schmegelsky; Homicide criminal, suspect, and fugitive
The RCMP

Triple Homicide in B.C.

A triple homicide erupted in mid-July. The deaths of Chynna Deese, 24, Lucas Fowler, 23, and Leonard Dyck, 64, combined with the mysterious disappearance Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 19, is undoubtedly a story lingering in many minds throughout the nation.

On July 15th, Fowler and Deese’s bodies, along with Fowler’s blue Chevrolet van, were found 20 km south of the Liard Hot Springs on Highway 97. The two had died of gunshot wounds. Four days later, Leonard Dyck was found dead two kilometers away from a burning Dodge truck near Dease Lake, 470 km away from the previous crime scene. Meanwhile, McLeod and Schmegelsky were declared missing. The burned Dodge had been theirs. They were later charged with second-degree murder for the death of Dyck, and were suspects in the murder of Deese and Fowler.

McLeod and Schmegelsky soon led one of the greatest searches in Canada’s history—but there was no direct evidence that they were the criminals who murdered Deese, Fowler, and Dyck, as Alan Schmegelsky, Bryer Schmegelsky’s father, points out. The motive for these murders also remain unknown.

Though little information is available about McLeod, Alan Schmegelsky’s father revealed that his son had a troubled upbringing. He said Bryer was raised by “YouTube and video games,” and requested and received an airsoft gun as a present last Christmas. Later, evidence from a local Army Surplus store and an online gaming platform said “there’s clearly some neo-Nazism thing going on” (Balgord, as cited in Larsen, 2019), but Alan Schmegelsky claims Bryer only thought Nazi memorabilia was “cool”. Neither McLeod nor Schmegelsky’s family members or friends detected anything unusual before the murders and their fleeing.

The End of a National Manhunt

A 3,000-kilometre manhunt from B.C. to Manitoba ensued.

On July 21, McLeod and Schmegelsky were spotted in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. The pair was believed to be driving a grey 2011 Toyota RAV 4 stolen from Dyck. The next day, the vehicle was found burned out and discarded approximately 1,000 km from Winnipeg. The police kept searching in Gillam, Manitoba, and on July 27 the military became involved—a Canadian Air Force CC-130H Hercules aircraft with thermal imaging joined the search for McLeod and Schmegelsky. A heavy police presence was also sent to York Landing, Manitoba the next day.

The search in and near Gillam was extensive; police checked more than 500 homes in Gillam and the Fox Lake Cree Nation and searched more than 11,000 km² of land. The RCMP “worked 24-7, logging more than 4,500 investigation hours during this search for the suspects” (Lucki, as cited in Vomiero, 2019). After finding a damaged aluminum boat on the Nelson River shoreline, an underwater search uncovered two male bodies,one kilometre from the boat and eight kilometres from the Toyota RAV 4.

Locals reveal that the chase in the harsh northern Manitoba terrain was extremely unforgiving. They warn of the thick bushes, swampy land, and teeming insects. “It’s a spectacular area, but it’s also a very intimidating area. If you don’t know that area and you get lost in it, your chances of survival, I think, are pretty slim” (Kotak, as cited in Froese, 2019).

Thankfully, the grueling search was not in vain. Autopsies confirm that the two bodies are indeed those of McLeod and Schmegelsky, and reveal they died of suicide by gunfire some few days before their discovery. Two firearms were also located with the bodies. This discovery concludes the great national manhunt.

A retired RCMP inspector, Linda Gillis Davidson, said that she did not find the fugitives’ suicide surprising at all. She believed “they had nowhere to go, nothing left for them to get involved with and it was just [a] state of mind. I think the enormity of it had settled in” (Davidson, as cited in Cousins, 2019).

Timeline

July 15, 2019 – Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese found dead of gunshot wounds.

July 19, 2019 – 470 km away, Leonard Dyck found dead with McLeod and Shmegelsky’s Dodge truck. McLeod and Shmegelsky charged with second-degree murder.

July 22, 2019 – McLeod and Shmegelsky’s new vehicle found burned near Gillam, Manitoba.

August 2, 2019 – Damaged aluminum boat found on the shore of Nelson River.

August 7, 2019 – Two bodies found on the Nelson River shoreline. Autopsies identify them as McLeod and Shmegelsky, dead of suicide by gunfire.

Closure or Complications?

For many people, especially those in the Gillam area, the discovery of the bodies provides closure and relief. Jodi Payne, a band member at Iskut First Nation, felt that “when the suspects weren’t found, there was still fear. All of [her] community members followed [the search] closely, looking for updates, because [they] had a lot of unanswered questions” (Payne, as cited in Larson, 2019).

But for the investigators and the RCMP, the deaths of the two fugitives provides more challenges. McLeod and Schmegelsky may have taken many secrets with them to the grave, and their death could possibly take away many wanted answers. Additionally, their deaths mean that a trial would not be possible, and “without a trial, there’s no certainty any of that information will ever reach the public” (Baker, 2019).

Next Steps

Police have secured the two firearms originally in the possession of McLeod and Schmegelsky and are to conduct a forensic analysis to confirm if the weapons were indeed used to commit homicide. Investigators have also collected other items near the fugitives’ bodies and are now assessing them and all previous findings in the investigations.

The B.C. RCMP plans to update the victims’ families with the new information gained through these investigations, then to release it publicly within the next few weeks.

Bibliography

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