Crushed and heartbroken family of Lucas Fowler emerge in Vancouver
Lucas Fowler’s mother has emerged for the first time in Canada where she has joined her husband, a top Sydney cop, to find out what happened to their murdered son and his girlfriend Chynna Deese.
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Hundreds of condolence messages have been sent to Stephen and Shaunagh Fowler — the heartbroken parents of Sydney traveller Lucas Fowler who was tragically murdered alongside his American girlfriend Chynna Deese in Canada last week.
Canadians have also expressed their shock, concern, and grief in social media posts saying “that is not who we are as Canadians” as the first pictures emerge of Lucas’s devastated mother in Vancouver.
Shaunagh Fowler and her family are in Vancouver where the bodies of Lucas, 23, and Chynna, 24, are being examined by the Coroner for any forensic evidence that could identify their killer.
MORE ON THE CANADA MURDERS:
Police probe serial killer theory
‘Worst ever love story’, says father
Mrs Fowler, who is clearly grief-stricken, has not spoken publicly about the loss of her precious son.
But Lucas’s father NSW Chief Inspector Stephen Fowler fronted a press conference today appealing for any information that could help find the killer.
“I may be an experienced police officer, but today I am standing here as the father of a murder victim. We are just distraught,” he said.
Chief Insp Fowler was grim-faced but steady as he spoke of the unbreakable bond between his son Lucas and girlfriend Chynna Deese, who were slain in the Canadian wilderness last week.
“Lucas was a fun-loving guy who had a goal to travel the world. He saved up all his money while he was working in Sydney.
“He set out on an adventure with a mate and along that tour he met Chynna and they became an inseparable pair,” he said.
“It’s a love story that has ended tragically … the worst ever love story, because now we have two young people who had everything ahead of them, tragically murdered.”
Chief Inspector Fowler spoke as police in British Columbia released video of the young couple hugging at a service station in the Northern Rockies just two days before they were found shot dead on a remote part of the Alaska Highway.
Lucas and Chynna had stopped to clean the windows and fill up their blue Chevy van were captured on the service station’s CCTV.
The 17-minute CCTV clip from the Fas Gas servo in Fort Nelson shows the couple pulling up in their blue 1986 camper van with Canadian plates.
Lucas, with his long hair tied back, wearing a blue T-shirt and dark pants, fills the vehicle with petrol while Chynna, in jean shorts, sandals and a grey T-shirt, cleans the van’s windows.
There is no sign of any damage to the rear window of the van which there was when their bodies were found.
Their van is believed to have broken down the next day several kilometres south of the Laird Hot Springs.
The last people known to have spoken to the couple said they were happy and confident Lucas could deal with what he thought was an overheated motor.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have today released an identikit picture of a man they want to speak to after he was seen having a conversation on with the couple of the Alaska Highway the night before they were found murdered.
RCMP spokeswoman Sgt Janelle Shoihet said that man was caucasian, with darker skin and dark hair.
“There was a man who was seen speaking to Lucas Fowler,” Shoihet said.
“He’s shorter than Lucas, who stood six foot three, and has a possible beard or glasses.”
She said the man may be driving an older model Jeep Cherokee with a black stripe on the hood and a bullbar. He was believed to be travelling south at the time.
At the same press conference, police also revealed they are looking at possible links between the slaying of Lucas and Chynna and a disturbing incident on the same highway, 470km west.
In that case, four days after Lucas and Chynna were found, emergency services were called to a vehicle fire 50km south of a small town called Dease Lake.
Police are now looking for the two men who were driving that vehicle — Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18.
The body of an unidentified man was found nearby at nearby highway pullout and police have released a sketch of his face in the hope of identifying him.
Police said the young men were travelling through B.C. to visit Whitehorse and Yukon Territory to look for work.
The pair had been in touch with family in the days before their vehicle was found and police have not been able to find them.
Sgt Shoinet confirmed the two cases were being linked by investigators.
“We are looking into the possibility that they may be linked,” she said.
“This is unusual to have two major investigations of this nature in northern B.C. at the same time so we recognise that these two investigations may be linked.”
She also issued a warning to travellers in the region, saying people should stick to campsites and keep family and friends posted on their whereabouts.
“We share the concerns that are being raised given the tragic and unusual nature of these two investigations that we have underway,” Sgt Shoinet said.
“We would like to stress the importance of heightened vigilance and awareness for anyone travelling in and around that area. We encourage people to camp in known or established locations. In additional, make sure you family is aware of your plans. Establish check-in plans and stick to those plans.”
Originally published as Crushed and heartbroken family of Lucas Fowler emerge in Vancouver
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