Call us, don’t just post to social media: RCMP continues search for 2 B.C. murder suspects

GILLAM, MB. (NEWS 1130) — As the search for two Vancouver Island teens suspected in three northern B.C. killings continues, Manitoba RCMP are reminding you to send tips to your local police department, not just speculate about it social media.

RCMP have now received more than 200 tips and visited 250 homes in the Gillam area, the northern Manitoba town where Port Alberni teens Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, were last seen. The pair are charged with one count of second degree murder in the death of UBC sessional lecturer Leonard Dyck, and wanted for questioning in the deaths of Australian Lucas Fowler and his American Girlfriend Chynna Deese.

But not all tips police have looked into have been reported to them directly.

“Multiple tips of sightings have been posted to social media in the last few days and not directly reported to police. If the tips are valid, it can create a substantial delay in the response by police and be detrimental to the overall investigation,” Robert Cyrenne with RCMP says in a release.

Mounties are searching for the two men in cottages, cabins, waterways, and along the rail lines with the help of the Canadian Armed Forces that are providing support from the air. Officers finished a sweep of the Fox Lake Cree Nation reserve and are now focusing on finishing a canvas of the town of Gillam.

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For now, police say there isn’t any new information to indicate the pair have left the area, but say it is possible they may have left and have changed their appearance. Mounties believe they may have inadvertently had assistance from someone.

The bodies of Fowler, 23, and Deese, 24, were found July 15 along the Alaska Highway, about 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs. Dyck’s body was found near a burned out camper owned by McLeod and Schmegelsky near Dease Lake. The Vancouver Island men were first reported missing, and later deemed suspects in three killings.

Police are asking Canadians to be vigilant and keep their eyes out for the two men. If you see them, you’re asked to call 911 immediately.

– With files from the Canadian Press