'Significant evidence' linked Port Alberni fugitives to 2 B.C. homicide scenes, RCMP say
Bodies of 2 suspects believed to have been found in Manitoba on Wednesday
RCMP says they're continuing to gather evidence related to three homicides in northern B.C., despite the discovery of two bodies they believe are the two suspects in Manitoba.
On Wednesday, police in Manitoba announced the discovery of two male bodies they believe to be the remains of fugitives Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky.
They were charged with second-degree murder in the death of 64-year-old University of British Columbia lecturer Leonard Dyck. They are also suspects in the shooting deaths of Lucas Fowler, 23, an Australian, and Chynna Deese, 24, an American.
All three bodies were discovered in northern B.C.
Police in B.C. said Wednesday that "significant evidence" links the suspects to both crime scenes.
At a news conference in Surrey, RCMP said there is no link between the victims and don't believe they were targeted. And police say they don't have a motive for the killings.
"It's going to be extremely difficult for us to ascertain definitively what the motive was," said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Kevin Hackett.
An autopsy of the suspects' bodies, and an extensive search of the area where the remains were found may provide further clues to the motives of Schmegelsky and McLeod's, Hackett said.
Bodies found in northern Manitoba
The bodies believed to be the suspects were discovered in the area of Fox Lake Cree Nation, a community about 70 kilometres northeast of Gillam, Man.
The remains were discovered approximately a kilometre from where items linked to the fugitives were found along the Nelson River, and eight kilometres from where a torched SUV, allegedly driven by the men, was found in Fox Lake.
An autopsy will take place in Winnipeg to confirm the identities of the male bodies and determine their causes of death, Manitoba RCMP say.
