Canadian police have confirmed that teenage murder suspects Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, bringing an end to a two-week manhunt that captured national attention. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced the autopsy results on Monday, stating that the bodies found near a river in Gillam, Manitoba, were those of the 19-year-old and 18-year-old respectively.
The pair had been the subject of an intense search involving dogs, drones, and military aircraft across the thick forests and swamplands of northern Manitoba. Their silver Toyota RAV4 was discovered burnt out near Gillam on 22 July, and their remains were eventually found 8 kilometres from the vehicle. Police also recovered two firearms from the area, which are being analysed to see if they are linked to the killings.
McLeod and Schmegelsky were wanted in connection with the murders of Australian Lucas Fowler and American Chynna Deese, whose bodies were found with gunshot wounds on 15 July along a remote highway in British Columbia. Four days later, the body of Leonard Dyck, a university lecturer, was discovered near another highway close to a burnt-out truck used by the suspects. The teenagers were charged with second-degree murder in Dyck's death and were suspects in the other two murders.
The two men grew up together on Vancouver Island and worked at a local Walmart before embarking on what their parents believed was a trip to Yukon for work. Initially considered missing persons, they became suspects after the murders. The RCMP noted that while the autopsy provides closure for the northern communities, many questions remain. Reports have linked the pair to an online gaming community that used Nazi and communist symbols, with Schmegelsky allegedly sharing images of Nazi paraphernalia and expressing far-right views.
