Northern B.C. residents on edge as police say link between three deaths, missing pair ‘possible’

Douglas Quan and Tyler Dawson

There had been rampant speculation on social media of a possible serial killer at work. ‘Everyone’s talking about it. It’s just scary’

Northern British Columbia’s vast, untamed wilderness beckons adventure seekers, nature lovers and those seeking escape from the urban chaos.

But in the past week, the roadside murders of a foreign couple, plus the suspicious death of a man found near a burning truck and the disappearance of two young men who were driving that truck have left residents in this remote and sparsely populated part of Canada on edge.

On Monday, after previously saying there was nothing to indicate a link between these various incidents — which took place hundreds of kilometres apart — RCMP officials told reporters it was “possible” there was a connection and urged the public to be on alert.

“We would like to stress the importance of heightened vigilance and awareness for anybody travelling in and around the area,” said RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet.

Prior to the RCMP’s revised statement, there had been rampant speculation on social media of a possible serial killer at work.

“Everyone’s talking about it. It’s just scary. What’s going on with the highway?” said Meghan Fisher, an employee of the Pink Mountain Campsite and General Store in northern B.C.’s Peace River region.

Fisher said she’d been warning people not to pick up hitchhikers and couldn’t help but cast a suspicious eye on solo travellers.

“I’m a little more paranoid,” she said.

On the morning of July 15, the bodies of Chynna Noelle Deese, 24, of Charlotte, N.C., and her boyfriend Lucas Fowler, 23, of Australia — described by family as an “inseparable pair” — were found on the side of the historic Alaska Highway, about 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs, B.C. Their 1986 Chevrolet van — which had broken down the day before, according to witnesses — was parked on the shoulder nearby. RCMP confirmed they had been shot.

RCMP released a composite sketch of a man who was seen talking to the couple on the night of July 14. He was described as a Caucasian man with a beard and driving an older Jeep Cherokee with a black racing stripe on the hood.

Australia’s 9News had previously spoken with a woman, Alandra Hull, who said she saw a man who appeared to be “frustrated” talking to the couple that night from the middle of the highway.

Meanwhile, about 470 kilometres to the west of the double homicide, police were called Friday to a truck fire on Highway 37, about 50 kilometres south of Dease Lake, B.C. About two kilometres away, they found the remains of a man in a highway pull out. The man, who had yet to be identified Monday, was described as Caucasian with a heavy build, 50 to 60 years old, with a grey beard. The cause of death was not revealed.

RCMP said they were also continuing their search for two teens from Port Alberni, B.C. — Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18 — who had been driving the red and grey Dodge pickup truck.

full story at https://nationalpost.com/news/northern-b-c-residents-on-edge-as-police-say-link-between-three-deaths-missing-pair-possible