Couple last to see murdered Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese alive
The last people to see murdered Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese alive said the two were by themselves having a picnic on the side of the Alaska Highway in Canada.
NSW
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The last people to see Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese alive said the two were by themselves broken down on the side of the Alaska Hwy in Canada on Sunday afternoon.
The couple were found dead on the side of the road on Monday morning after being shot.
Nearby was their 1986 blue Chevrolet van.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police are treating the deaths as murders.
Mr Fowler, the son of NSW Police Chief Inspector Stephen Fowler, and his American girlfriend Ms Deese were heading north along the highway before their van broke down on Sunday.
Sandra Broughton said she and her husband Curtis stopped to help the couple with their broken down van on Sunday at about 3.30pm.
“We moved up into the Yukon territory and were camping up there for five days,” she said.
“We were coming home, because my husband is a mechanic and it is so remote up there, his natural instinct when someone is broken down is to pull over and help.
“We saw a 1980s Chevy style van pulled over with the hood up and the couple was sitting over in the grass having a picnic.
“They were by themselves and they didn’t seem distressed.
“My husband spoke to him and (Mr Fowler) seemed to think one of the cylinders was cracked and the engine was flooded.
“They were waiting for the engine to drain and they were trying again. There was nothing we could do.”
Mrs Broughton said Mr Fowler and Ms Deese didn’t seem tense or in danger.
“They were pleasant and they seemed happy,” she said.
“They were on their road trip. I knew he wasn’t from Canada and I didn’t talk to her but they had Alberta plates so thought maybe she was from there.”
She said the couple were heading north, about half an hour away from the Liard River Hot Springs and more than three hours from a major town.
“Fort Nelson is an area where it is all wilderness,” she said.
“There are more trees around than people.
“When you leave town there is very little cell phone reception.”
Mr Fowler’s family and officers from the NSW Police Force are headed to Canada.
One of these officers is believed to be NSW Homicide Investigator Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Walpole.
However, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police released a statement saying they were not working with NSW detectives.
“In order to further the investigation and determine a timeline leading up to their deaths, we can now confirm that Chynna Noelle Deese, 24, of the United States and Lucas Robertson Fowler, 23 of Australia were the victims of homicide,” the statement reads.
“We understand that Lucas’ family is travelling to Canada and that his father is an active member of the New South Wales Police Force.
“He is accompanied by a number of police officers from Australia.
“These investigators are here in support of the Fowler family and will not form part of our investigative team here in Canada.
“In addition to working with the Police Liaison Officer for Australia to notify Lucas’ family, investigators have been working with our partners at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, who assisted us in notifying Chynna’s family.”
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