Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese spent their last days together in a romantic cottage on a Canadian cattle ranch
The deck chairs where the sweethearts would spend time together sit empty. Lucas’ belongings remain in the romantic ranch cottage — his home away from home — ready for his return to work. Now that will never happen.
Exclusive: Tragic sweethearts Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese spent their final days together in this idyllic Swiss-style wooden cottage at the 14,000ha Canadian ranch which became his home away from home.
And it was here at this ranch, with more than 2,000 bison and beef cattle, the laid back 23-year-old who worked as general ranch hand, would spent hours Face-timing Chynna, planning their ill-fated road trip from Canada into Alaska.
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They hadn’t seen each other for three months and Lucas was thrilled when Chynna finally joined him about six days before they were due to leave.
Chynna, keen to help her boyfriend, pitched in with ranch chores including branding and tagging calves on branding day.
In the days leading up to their departure, Lucas and Chynna grew closer to ranch owners Christophe Weder, 48, and his wife Erika spending time together and attending a party at their ranch house where they shared a roast meal.
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They had a special kinship with Christophe and Erika who saw them as a younger version of themselves.
Their shared similar backgrounds — both couples had met while travelling the world.
“He was the sweetest boy who had found the love of his life. They lived for the moment, they didn’t talk about marriage or kids, they were excited to just be living their lives,” said Christophe.
Lucas had bought the 1986 blue Chevy camper van, which had been left at the ranch by another traveller, from Christophe for $1,500 doing it up himself to try to make it capable of travelling hundreds of miles.
During his time on the ranch, Lucas got to know the Weder’s four children a girl aged nine and three boys aged 11, 13 and 15. He was particularly close to their young daughter, who is now especially distraught.
It was the connection to the ranch that helped police identify Lucas’ body.
He was carrying a letter written by Erika which was to help him get through American immigration when he had visited Chynna at her North Carolina home in April.
Lucas started work at the beginning of February and was described as a hard worker who struggled with the bitter minus 43 degrees fahrenheit (minus 41 degrees celsius). Pictures taken of Lucas during the winter show him with snow and ice on his beard.
It was because of the cold that he often volunteered helping out in the mechanical workshop where it was warmer and he could use his aptitude for mechanical work. It was also because of the cold, Lucas had planned to travel south with Chynna at the end of the summer.
But while he was there, Lucas had the experience of a lifetime in northern British Columbia where he saw the wonder of the Northern Lights.
The strapping 6’ 3” (190 centimetre) Australian was known to his mates as Team ANZAC after becoming pals with a Kiwi who also spent time working there.
Standing by a fence that Lucas helped erect earlier this year, Christophe said: “We’re devastated that Lucas has died like this with Chynna.
“They were so in love and he was so looking forward to seeing her. He hadn’t seen Chynna since April.
“All my wife and I can think about is that he was in a place he loved, a beautiful place, where he had experiences that he would treasure. He saw the Northern Lights and experienced temperatures from minus 43 degrees fahrenheit (minus 41 degrees celsius) to plus 43 degrees fahrenheit (6 degrees celsius).
“We haven’t been into his room … There are some of his belongings still there.
“A police officer visited us and took a couple of things of his away but there are more still in there.
“I got a call from a policeman last Thursday telling us he was dead. I was asked if I knew him and I asked why, the officer said, ‘he is deceased.’ They didn’t tell us how he and Chynna died.
Christophe said he believed the camper van to be sound mechanically and he does not know why it would have broken down.
“He had wanted to travel in an old school bus but I told him that would have been too big and expensive to run,” he added.
“Lucas wanted to save his money for Chynna and the trip. He had an occasional beer and absolutely no drugs. He wasn’t into that at all.
“We’re devastated and shocked and we hope the police find those responsible as soon as possible.”
Lucas’ belongings are still in the Swiss-style cottage, just as he left them, awaiting his planned return to work which will now never happen.
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