CANADA Canada - Kam McLeod, 19, & Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, last seen Sask, mid July 2019 *Armed & Dangerous*

[Vern]

That camo shirt that Bryer is wearing looks like a Canadian Forces shirt.

Was he a cadet at one time? Could he have had firearms training?

If he was a cadet, he would most likely have had survival training. This may not resolve as quickly as I thought.

Where are they getting gas? Where is the money coming from? Cash? Are they stopping to sleep? They must be.

I wish we had more background on these two.

That's not one of our Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Army uniforms. I wear it every day. Cadets in Canada are not allowed to wear our military uniforms. Doesn't mean he couldn't have picked up something with a replica cadpat pattern somewhere, but our buttons are not visible on our uniforms.

CADPAT - Google Search:

It's also possible he picked up really, really old style (buttons have been covered and non-visible on our issued uniforms since 2005) at a surplus store somewhere at some point in time. I can't get the pic of him to show up large and clear enough to say whether or not the shirt he is wearing is one of our very old/obsolete uniform shirts.

 

[Mimi in London]

If you're asking about Fallout New Vegas (which is the game the Lanius character comes from), yeah I'm familiar with it. I actually love that game haha although I haven't played it in many years.

I haven't seen anything specifically suggesting they were "reenacting" a game in their airsoft games, and I don't think Fallout is a game that really lends itself to reenactment with airsoft guns as such. The game does involve a lot of guns and is violent, but it's an RPG, it's not like Call of Duty or something where it's just continuous shooting. Also Fallout New Vegas is NOT a game you play online, it's a single player game (not that it matters, but maybe worth noting).

I'm inclined to think the game and the airsoft thing are separate, although their interest in the two could be related to an extent.

From a plot standpoint I don't see any parallels except for the general theme of traveling around a desolate region (which in the game is not done by vehicle), but like I said it was quite a while ago that I played it. I barely remember the Lanius character; I thought of that as an odd thing for BS to hang onto because by my recollection Lanius is not even a major part of the game.

Honestly I'm not sure how they even got into Fallout New Vegas, it came out in 2010 when they were little kids, and even if they were allowed to play it I think the game is far too complicated for most kids of that age to really understand or engage with. [ETA it's possible they played Fallout 4 first, which came out in 2015, and then went back and played the older one? I dunno]

I think Fallout: Lanius is a sequel, and is the one BS mentions on his FB.

 

[MistyWaters]

And no butter chicken.

Yeah that’s right. No butter chicken, no fridge filled with food, no convenience stores, no restaurants in the wilderness.

 

[Cryptic]

Well they’re armed so the critters might not be so much of a problem as the dozens of LE after them...

There are evidently millions of critters in the area that are pretty much immune to bullets

Black flies and mosquitoes are said to make life miserable for unprepared campers and can debilitate over time anybody trying to actually shelter in the forests.

 

[Gardenista]

Photos at the link
Sarah MacDonald on Twitter

Sarah MacDonald
@smacdonald__
Good morning from #Iskut—80 km south of #DeaseLake. Murder suspects Bryer #Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod are now thought to be several province's east, but they've allegedly left a trail of destruction behind. @BCRCMPare still combing multiple crime scenes in the area.

#UPDATE: We've now accessed the site where that truck—driven by homicide suspects Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod—was found, burning, near #DeaseLake last week. The body of an unidentified man, suspected to have been killed by the pair, was found a short distance away. @GlobalBC

To answer questions regarding the above photos of the active scene, with the burnt truck that was driven by #Schmegelsky and McLeod: we're told by @BCRCMP the truck's fibreglass camper melted in the fire. The structure on the left was built by arson investigators. /1

@BCRCMPtell us that us that, as investigators methodically comb through the charred items inside the truck, they are laying them out on that blue tarp to log and keep track of them. Interestingly, a burnt computer is among the items. /2

As for the tent in the right foreground: that, too, was erected by
@BCRCMP investigators on site. They've now been securing the scene—one of several still-active crime scenes—for nearly six days. Dozens of @BCRCMP members have now travelled to #DeaseLake to assist. /3

 

[Gina20]

... or just one occupant and pay-at-the-pump option.

Cardlock gas pumps are another possibility. That is, if they've managed to get their hands on a card.

Maybe they used this handy Rez Gas finder.

Gas Stations on Native Indian Reserves in Manitoba - First Nation Gas Stations

 

[Vern]

Just saw on the news that some new video footage of the original burned out Dode pickup truck has just been released and there was definitely no camper on it. I really question this and why they aren't mentioning it.
If i can find a link to this footage somewhere I'll post it. I'm sure someone else could find it better than I could

Also looks like the RAV 4 has been found burned out as well.

Perhaps they sold it? Desperate for money and trying to change the look of their vehicle until they could carjack another?

Knowing they were going to destroy their vehicle, and any evidence, by burning … why not sell the camper to someone unsuspecting - and before they were linked to the 2 first murders, to both raise some cash and change the look of their truck? My speculation only.

 

[greenfern]

Perhaps they sold it? Desperate for money and trying to change the look of their vehicle until they could carjack another?.

They can't sell it. It's burned.

 

[Ran]

You might be interested in watching this, about the 4 minute mark. Although the bodies were apparently found in a similar position, I’m not so sure they could be considered posed.

Agree. They don't seem posed. More like ordered to laying the ditch and executed

 

[Valiant]

Photos at the link
Sarah MacDonald on Twitter

Sarah MacDonald
@smacdonald__
To answer questions regarding the above photos of the active scene, with the burnt truck that was driven by #Schmegelsky and McLeod: we're told by @BCRCMP the truck's fibreglass camper melted in the fire. The structure on the left was built by arson investigators. /1

I never even thought about it being fiberglass. I assumed it would be aluminum (showing my age I guess).

 

[Vern]

There's a military surplus store in Port Alberni. Airsoft players like fatigues.

If that store carried some of our old CAF cadpat shirts, that's entirely possible, but I'd need to see an better/bigger pic of him in the shirt to tell if it's one of our old ones. That style shirt with uncovered buttons has been obsolete for us since 2005ish. Very popular with hunters as well way back when.

There are also stores that sell "fake" uniform style shirts that use our cam pattern (cadpat), but the style of them is quite different. Hard to tell with the pic of him though.

 

[dub]

I think Fallout: Lanius is a sequel, and is the one BS mentions on his FB.

Fallout Lanius isn't a sequel or a game at all, it's a short film made by fans of the game, seemingly based on the character from the game I'm talking about.

You're right that that is what he was referencing, but I can't imagine he would care about the film if he didn't like or know about the game.

(To be clear I've never seen the film, or heard of it until today, I'm just going with what google tells me)

ETA I believe the quotes I read posted here earlier from the film were taken either verbatim or very close to it from the game, although I'm not 100%.

 

[3blue1pink]

Photos at the link
Sarah MacDonald on Twitter

Sarah MacDonald
@smacdonald__
Good morning from #Iskut—80 km south of #DeaseLake. Murder suspects Bryer #Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod are now thought to be several province's east, but they've allegedly left a trail of destruction behind. @BCRCMPare still combing multiple crime scenes in the area.

#UPDATE: We've now accessed the site where that truck—driven by homicide suspects Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod—was found, burning, near #DeaseLake last week. The body of an unidentified man, suspected to have been killed by the pair, was found a short distance away. @GlobalBC

To answer questions regarding the above photos of the active scene, with the burnt truck that was driven by #Schmegelsky and McLeod: we're told by @BCRCMP the truck's fibreglass camper melted in the fire. The structure on the left was built by arson investigators. /1

@BCRCMPtell us that us that, as investigators methodically comb through the charred items inside the truck, they are laying them out on that blue tarp to log and keep track of them. Interestingly, a burnt computer is among the items. /2

As for the tent in the right foreground: that, too, was erected by
@BCRCMP investigators on site. They've now been securing the scene—one of several still-active crime scenes—for nearly six days. Dozens of @BCRCMP members have now travelled to #DeaseLake to assist. /3

So is this saying that they no longer think they are in Gilliam ? I’m confused I thought that was the actual end of the road ? Are they saying they hijacked another vehicle and turned back .... theoretically passing LE going the opposite direction?

 

[greenfern]

if they'd declared the two suspects as POIs right off the bat, or as potential witnesses, the manhunt might not have gotten this far.

But they weren't people of interest or potential witnesses at that point. They were only declared suspects when evidence pointed at them. Prior to that, police were still gathering evidence and trying to find them.

 

[Vern]

Hi, new here so I don't know if this is ok to say or not.
If you search Gillam on Twitter, you can find a pic of the burnt Rav

Looks like it's out in the bush outside town too. Doesn't say when the vehicle was found burnt out though. If both are sharing the driving/sleeping and that vehicle was in the bush for a day or so before being found, they could be into northern Ontario by now - they'd have had to head south towards Winnipeg in order to head east. Hopefully someone has checked in with all the residents in Gillam to ensure they, and their vehicles, are all accounted for.

 

[Gina20]

LE has not disclosed what items they believe were taken. At this point in time there’s nothing to indicate a cultish or ritualistic involvement whatsoever. Only that two youths yearning for adventure and excitement for some reason totally lost their grip on reality, which resulted in the profoundly tragic and senseless deaths of innocent people.

I think they may have known that these two cases were linked early on, when they were telling the public that they were not linked. Is that why the manner of death of the deceased male near Dease Lake is "not relevant"? If so, this investigative decision may be putting people in harm's way now. Holdback can go too far sometimes. These two suspects got a head start that has them putting public safety at risk far beyond the remote local community where this mess started.

My opinion. Voicing it. If the connection was known early on and withheld, the RCMP owes us an explanation at the end of the day. Public safety comes first, in my opinion. Others may disagree.

 

[MistyWaters]

Photos at the link
Sarah MacDonald on Twitter

Sarah MacDonald
@smacdonald__
Good morning from #Iskut—80 km south of #DeaseLake. Murder suspects Bryer #Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod are now thought to be several province's east, but they've allegedly left a trail of destruction behind. @BCRCMPare still combing multiple crime scenes in the area.

#UPDATE: We've now accessed the site where that truck—driven by homicide suspects Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod—was found, burning, near #DeaseLake last week. The body of an unidentified man, suspected to have been killed by the pair, was found a short distance away. @GlobalBC

To answer questions regarding the above photos of the active scene, with the burnt truck that was driven by #Schmegelsky and McLeod: we're told by @BCRCMP the truck's fibreglass camper melted in the fire. The structure on the left was built by arson investigators. /1

@BCRCMPtell us that us that, as investigators methodically comb through the charred items inside the truck, they are laying them out on that blue tarp to log and keep track of them. Interestingly, a burnt computer is among the items. /2

As for the tent in the right foreground: that, too, was erected by
@BCRCMP investigators on site. They've now been securing the scene—one of several still-active crime scenes—for nearly six days. Dozens of @BCRCMP members have now travelled to #DeaseLake to assist. /3

Wow, the camper melted? It’s a good thing there’s been plenty of rain up north or the high intensity of the blaze would’ve caused a forest fire. Maybe that’s what they hoped would occur and so their disappearance would’ve taken much longer to be noticed.

 

[Ran]

Perhaps they sold it? Desperate for money and trying to change the look of their vehicle until they could carjack another?

Knowing they were going to destroy their vehicle, and any evidence, by burning … why not sell the camper to someone unsuspecting - and before they were linked to the 2 first murders, to both raise some cash and change the look of their truck? My speculation only.

These are deerate guys, commuting from what we have seen so far, an all to common standard criminal scenario of robbery of opportunity, it going bad resulting in robbery-homicide. Some of their subsequent actions will be rational and some will not be, because they are desperate and probably not experienced criminals, and not trained by life or otherwise in evasion.

We tend to think of killers as evil geniuses, which makes for good books, films or TV -- when in the main they are idiots.

In this case part of what makes the crime especially noteworthy is the romantic and tragic backstory of the victims. But crimes can be both rare and standard. By standard I mean not occurring commonly but of a common type within murder.

US data from a dozen jurisdictions show that not only are 90% of homicide perps prior criminals, but so to are homicide victims. On the order of 80% of both perps and victims have ten or more arrests or felonies. this maybe lower in Canada, but no doubt the biggest proportion of homicide there is also is criminals killing criminals. Another big chunk is domestic/familial/acquaintance conflict murder.

So "random" murder is rare -- but among random murder, robbery homcide is the most common. and if the persp are not experienced and essentially botched a robbery, they are going to have moments of rational behavior and lots of moments of desperation driven irrational behavior (like burning vehicles when they are already prime suspects).

So I would not read to much into anything they are doing or did at this point. You simply have two violent losers who don't think like you or I.

 

[Ran]

Wow, the camper melted? It’s a good thing there’s been plenty of rain up north or the high intensity of the blaze would’ve caused a forest fire. Maybe that’s what they hoped would occur and so their disappearance would’ve taken much longer to be noticed.

If you notice the tires, dashboard, rear light fixtures are all totally gone as well.

 

[Wendy101]

If these boys get back on Trans-Canada heading east - they have about 2 or so hours to drive (from Manitoba) before there is no way out. if our police are on alert - Ontario should be able to get them (if they block certain areas) In our area if there is an accident in this stretch, we shut down Canada.

Also- what provincial plate is being used on the vehicle they currently have