Teen fugitives could have escaped Gillam area in disguise, with help of unwitting public, say police
Canadian cops have released surveillance footage as they embark on a 72-hour door knock amid fears the teens suspected of murdering Sydney tourist Lucas Fowler and his girlfriend may have escaped a small town with the help of an unwitting member of the public.
Canadian police say the teens suspected of killing Australian Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend could have disguised themselves and fooled a local where they were last seen to help them escape the area.
Officers will now go door-to-door in Gillam and a nearby indigenous community in remote northern Manitoba over the next 72 hours to if anyone may have inadvertently helped them get out of the community.
At a press conference on Friday it was also revealed that investigators are also following up 120 tips they have received about the whereabouts of Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky over the past few days.
It comes at police released CCTV footage of the suspects.
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Corporal Julie Courchaine, speaking in Winnipeg, said: “Officers are also investigating the possibility that the suspects may have inadvertently received assistance in leaving the area.
“There have been no confirmed sightings outside the Gillam area.
“However, we remain open to the possibility that Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod may have changed their appearance.
“It is possible that someone may not have been aware of who they were providing assistance to and may now be hesitant to come forward.”
She added: “We are continuing to search high probability areas of interest in the Gillam area.
“Over the next 72 hours investigators will conduct door-to-door canvassers in Gillam and the
Fox Lake Cree Nation areas in the hopes of generating new tips and information. Residents in these areas can be assured we are activating all necessary resources to protect the public and officer safety.”
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She also said a photo circulating online supposedly of one of the suspects holding a recent newspaper was not the suspect Kam McLeod.
She added: “I also want to stress the importance of not creating and sharing online rumours.
“The spreading of false information in communities across Manitoba has created fear and panic.”
She also said: “Our last confirmed sighting was in Gillam area so that’s why our resources are there.
“We have had more than 120 tips in the last few days so we’re going though those, as well.
“We want to find these suspects and we are trying hard to do this as quick as we can.
“The last confirmed sighting was July 22nd in the Gillam area.
“We ask people to remain vigilant.”
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The intensive manhunt for Canada’s suspected serial killers has been blighted by heavy rain.
The bad weather forced officers to temporarily stop searching several sites around the tiny town of Gillam, while a plane load of officers dressed in camouflage gear carrying rifle bags and armoured shields flew out west.
Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, and his childhood friend Kam McLeod, 19, have been on the run for more than a week suspected of three murders, including Australian Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese.
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The pair is considered armed and dangerous and have already been charged with the second-degree murder of Vancouver man, Leonard Dybeck.
A nationwide arrest warrant has been issued and police from around the country have arrived in Gillam to help with one of the biggest manhunts in Canadian history stretching across four states and thousands of kilometres.
Helicopters, drones, dogs and armoured cars have all been assisting in attempts to hunt down the teenagers.
One local woman told CBC the “community is freaking out because we’re not used to this — nobody locks their door.”
“Everybody in the community is, I guess I wouldn’t say paranoid … nervous, scared,” Mario Catalano, who manages a local fuel service company, told The Star.
“I’ve heard people are sleeping with their guns close.”
Fox Lake Cree Nation Chief Walter Spence has also reportedly said people are organising their own patrols.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said while they understood people are fearful with the two teen suspects still at large, they advised against spreading rumours online. It comes after a photo of a man holding the front page of the Winnipeg Sun newspaper and bearing a strong resemblance to Kam was circulated online.
“Our officers are working diligently to find these suspects and we will release updates as soon as we have concrete, confirmed information to share. We understand many people are experiencing fear & uncertainty over this incident but spreading online rumours doesn’t help,” RCMP said in a tweet. “We can confirm that the current photo circulating online of a man posing with the front page of yesterday’s paper IS NOT one of our suspects.”
Police said there “continues to be a heavy police presence in the Gillam area” as officers conducted detailed searches in areas of interest.
It is expected that the RCMP will charge Bryer and Kam with the murder of Mr Fowler, 23, and Ms Deese, 24.
CCTV OF TEEN SUSPECTS EMERGES
Footage showing the two teen murder suspects calmly walking around a hardware store has been released by police.
The footage was taken at the Meadow Lake Co-Op Service Centre in Saskatchewan 1,300km from where police are now concentrating the search for the pair in Gillam, Manitoba.
Kam and Bryer were at the store a week from when they are believed to have killed Mr Fowler and Ms Deese 1,600km away just south of Liard River Hot Springs in British Columbia.
It is also just two days after they are also believed to have killed Canadian lecturer Leonard Dyck in Dease Lake, 2,100km away.
The footage shows Kam bearded in a T-shirt walking around the aisles ahead of Bryer Schmegelsky, who is wearing camouflage clothing.
Both are walking slowly browsing the shelves seemingly without any concerns.
The paid did not appear to have bought anything as they are seen exiting the store.
The manager of the store said: “I’m not allowed to say anything about this. We’re leaving all comments to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
FATHER COLLECTS AUSSIE VICTIM’S BELONGINGS
The news comes as Mr Fowler’s father, NSW Police Inspector Stephen Fowler, visited the ranch where Mr Fowler worked for the past six months and collected his belongings.
Ranch owner Christophe Weder said “Lucas’ father came today. It was very emotional and he felt some comfort in knowing that Lucas spent the last months of his life in such a special place.”
SUSPECT’S MUM’S PLEA
Schmegelsky’s mother has pleaded for him to come home in a letter published by the Daily Mail.
“Bryer is a careing, loveing [sic] boy, that would never hurt anyone. He grew up in a loving [sic] home. WE miss, and love him dearly. WE want both boys to come home safe,” said the letter signed “Bryer’s Mum”.
The two teenagers left their working-class homes on Vancouver Island on July 12 saying they were headed for The Yukon to find work. Instead of getting jobs, they are suspected of leaving a trail of murder and destruction across Canada.
They were originally feared missing, but then accused of murdering Lucas and Chynna in cold blood before moving on and killing Leonard Dyck. They set alight the pick-up truck they were travelling in and set off in a grey Toyota Rav 4.
That car was found burnt-out in bushland several days ago near Gillam, Manitoba.
The area immediately around Gillam is filled with numerous lakes, rivers and forest, thick underbrush and marshes.
In the past few days the temperatures have reached 30C bringing out a swarm of sand flies in the area which is also thick with insects such as mosquitoes and black flies, and black bears.
A police spokeswoman said it is very challenging terrain.
Schmegelsky had told his father Alan that they had been “training in war” in the woods for a couple of years.
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