Canadian police have issued nation-wide warrants for the arrest of fugitive teenagers Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky as they laid second-degree murder charges against them over the discovery of a man’s body near one of their abandoned burnt out vehicles.
This comes as shocking photos emerged of Schmegelsky, 18, who has a strong Nazi interest, and his father said his son was on a “suicide mission”.
Schmegelsky and McLeod, 19, have been on the run ever since Fowler and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese were found murdered last week.
The pair have now been charged over the murder of Leonard Dyck from Vancouver, whose body was found near Dease Lake about 2km from the teenager’s burnout pick up truck.
Mr Dyck was killed about 500km away from where Fowler and Deese were shot to death.
The charges come as new photos reveal Bryer wearing army fatigues brandishing a replica machine gun, one known as an ‘Airsoft Rifle’ which fires plastic pellets.
Another, sent from what is believed to be his account used for an online gaming service, shows Nazi memorabilia including a knife with the inscription “blut und ehre” (blood and honour) and a swastika armband.
A third image of Bryer is believed to show the 19-year-old in a black gas mask.
The unidentified gamer he shared the pictures with is also said to have stopped playing with him after he praised Hitler’s Germany.
The friends’ so-called Steam accounts, used for gaming, are said to have been active just one week before they were first reported missing.
Mr Schmegelsky’s father, Alan Schmegelsky, said his son is in “very serious pain”.
It comes after his parents’ split in 2005 and his strong interest in video games and YouTube.
A normal child doesn’t travel across the country killing people. A child in some very serious pain does,” Mr Schmegelsky told Canadian Press.
Mr Schmegelsky said he expects his son will die in some sort of final pursuit with police.
“He’s on a suicide mission. He wants his pain to end,” he said.
“Basically, he’s going to be dead today or tomorrow. I know that. Rest in peace, Bryer. I love you. I’m so sorry all this had to happen.”
Even if his son is caught, his life will be over, the father said. “He wants his hurt to end. They’re going to go out in a blaze of glory. Trust me on this.”
A police manhunt for McLeod and Schmegelsky is underway in the state of Manitoba where the two were last seen on Monday.
“We continue to ask the public to remain vigilant for Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky, and consider them to be armed and dangerous”, police said.
“The two may being using a different vehicle, on foot or even travelling separately. If they are spotted, do not approach, call 9-1-1 or your local police immediately.”
RCMP are looking for anyone who spoke to Dyck during his travels in Northern B.C.
“We are truly heart broken by the sudden and tragic loss of Len,” his family said in a statement.
“He was a loving husband and father. His death has created unthinkable grief and we are struggling to understand what has happened. While we understand there will be interest in knowing more about him and the impact he had during his life, we are asking for the public and the media to please respect our privacy during this difficult time.”
The development comes after a four-wheel drive used by McLeod and Schmegelsky was found in remote north eastern Canada.
They are thought to be on the run in that area, nearly 3,000km from where Fowler and Deese were killed.
Forces are said to be concentrating their search 70 kilometres northwest of Gillam, near Fox Lake Cree Nation, a reserve for indigenous Indian people.
Fox Lake Cree Nation Chief Walter Spence has also reportedly said people there are organising their own patrols.
A checkpoint has been set up by police on the main road into Gillam, too, to alert locals to the pair, who are also suspected of killing a third as yet unidentified man in British Columbia.
The suspects’ silver Toyota Rav4 was found near a nature reserve.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Manitoba said on its Twitter feed: “On Monday evening, RCMP recovered a vehicle in the Gillam area after receiving a report of a vehicle fire. We can now confirm this vehicle is the same vehicle the suspects were travelling in.”
“Manitoba RCMP are following up on numerous tips regarding these two suspects. Please continue to be vigilant and report anything suspicious IMMEDIATELY to police.”
Meanwhile, Kam’s father Keith McLeod issued a statement from his home on Vancouver Island addressed to “the people who truly care.”
He wrote: “I’m sitting at home worrying about my son. Relentless media hounding us for information that we don’t have.
“This is what I do know. Kam is a kind, considerate, caring young man always has been concerned about other people’s feelings.
“As we are trapped in our homes due to media people, we try to wrap our heads around what is happening and hope that Kam will come home to us safely so we can all get to the bottom of this story. Keith McLeod”.
Canadian police have mounted all-night patrols as the manhunt intensifies for the two teenage suspects wanted over the murders of Fowler and Deese, and another man found dead near the suspects’ burnt out truck.
The Royal Canadian Mounties will spend all night combing an area of the northern Canadian province of Manitoba for teenagers McLeod and Schmegelsky who were spotted in the small town of Gillam buying fuel.
Schmegelsky and McLeod were originally considered missing persons when their Dodge pick-up was found burning near Dease Lake, in northern British Columbia.
But in a dramatic twist yesterday police declared them prime suspects in the three murders.
If you spot Bryer or Kam consider them dangerous,” said the RCMP’s Sgt Janelle Shoihet.
A cashier at the Split Lake gas bar, in Manitoba, Mychelle Keeper, told news outlets McLeod bought $20 of fuel and Schmegelsky asked if they could consume alcohol in the community, which is dry.
She said nothing seemed odd about their visit. The pair were acting normal. But when she saw the updated photos from police she recognised McLeod by his beard and Schmegelsky for the camouflage shirt he was wearing.
The sightings of the pair came as police discovered another burning vehicle not far from the gas station.
Fox Lake Creek First Nation Chief Walter Spence told media he could not yet confirm whether the latest burning vehicle is connected to the wanted teens.
However police have begun combing a third suspected crime scene in Dease Lake area, about 50km north of where the man’s body was found.
The teenagers, who have now crossed four Canadian states, had previously been spotted two days earlier driving in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan, in a grey 2011 Toyota RAV 4 which is believed to have been stolen.
Sgt Shoihet said: “Our investigators are sharing information with investigators in Manitoba but confirms our belief that they were continuing to travel and the renewed importance of not focusing on one particular area but instead our efforts to locate them.”
Police have posted warnings on social media to alert local communities and to beware and take precautions but not to approach the suspects.
Sgt Shoihet has also warned that the pair may have now changed vehicles and their appearances.
The teenagers, who went to school together, have travelled thousands of kilometres since they left Port Alberni in central Vancouver Island on the west coast on Friday July 12, looking for work in Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, north of British Columbia.
That’s the last time Bryer texted his dad — Al Schmegelsky. That text read “me and Kam are going to Alberta today so I won’t have internet for a while. I’ll talk to you when I can.”
Mr Fowler and Ms Deese were found dead three days later on the Alaska Highway 20 kms south of the Laird Hot Springs.
The grieving Fowler family are in Vancouver awaiting for news about their son’s killer or killers.
Late yesterday Bryer Schmegelsky’s Instagram page has been inundated with messages some of which asked “Did you actually do it Bryer?”.