Canadian manhunt killers recorded 'last will and testament' on phone before killing themselves
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A video left on a cellphone may hold the last clues as to why two young men triggered a manhunt across Canada after a string of murders.
Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, led authorities on a manhunt that spanned across three provinces and involved the Canadian military before their bodies were found Aug. 7 near Gillam, Manitoba — more than 2,000 miles from the scene of the killings in northern British Columbia. They took their own lives.
The pair were charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a Vancouver, B.C. man, Leonard Dyck, and were suspects in the murders of American Chynna Deese, 24 and her Australian boyfriend, Lucas Fowler, 23.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last week, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the bodies discovered were confirmed by a medical examiner to be the two men, who reportedly appeared to die by suicide. Officials said at the time the two were dead for "a number of days" before they were discovered.
“There are strong indications that they had been alive for a few days since last seen in July and during the extensive search efforts in the Gillam area,” RCMP said at the time.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The bodies Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky were found on Aug. 7, according to officials. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
On Monday, the Star Vancouver reported the pair left a "last will and testament" video message on a mobile phone.
An unnamed family member who did not see the video first-hand told the Star that about 30 seconds of video was shared with family members, in which the two men said goodbye and described their last wishes for their remains.
The RCMP has not publicly commented on the existence of the video, but a law enforcement source told the National Post it was also shared. CTV News reported that RCMP officials declined to discuss the video, saying only that additional information would be released in the coming weeks.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The bodies of the two men were found approximately 5 miles from where police located a burned-out vehicle they believe belonged to the suspects on July 22 and approximately 2,000 miles from where the murders took place in northern British Columbia.
Police discovered the bodies of Deese and Fowler on July 15 along the side of the Alaska Highway near Liard Hot Springs, B.C. The couple had been shot to death. Police discovered Dyck’s body four days later close to where the suspect’s burning truck had been found.
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On July 23, authorities named McLeod and Schmegelsky as suspects in the killings. The two managed to elude authorities amid a nationwide manhunt that involved multiple law enforcement agencies.
In this undated photo provided by the Deese family of Chynna Deese, 23-year-old Australian Lucas Fowler, left, and 24-year-old American girlfriend Chynna Deese poses for a selfie. The couple were found murdered along the Alaska Highway near Liard Hot Springs, Canada, on Monday, July 15, 2019. (Deese Family via AP)
Police said investigators are now assessing all items located in Manitoba, along with the previous findings related to the three northern B.C. homicide investigations, “in order to gain more clarity” into what happened to Dyck, Fowler and Deese.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Leonard Dyck was found dead July 19 a mile away from a burning vehicle in Canada. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
Investigators said they will review statements, physical and digital evidence, as well as evidentiary timelines, which is expected to take a few weeks.
Fox News' Talia Kaplan, Mike Arroyo, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.