The search for two teenagers from Port Alberni who are accused of three murders in northern B.C. continued Sunday, with Mounties in Manitoba responding to a possible sighting in York Landing, more than 200 kilometres - by road - away from where they were last seen.
Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, were last seen near the town of Gillam, Man., on July 22. Police in the area have been conducting door-to-door searches in the small town of about 1,200 residents, as well as scouring the northern Manitoba wilderness in search of the teens.
On Saturday, the Royal Canadian Air Force joined the search, sending a CC-130H Hercules plane and crew to aid the RCMP in its investigation.
Tips about the two fugitives should be reported to local police, rather than posted on social media.
Police said Sunday that multiple alleged sightings of McLeod and Schmegelsky have been posted on social media in recent days, rather than reported directly to police. If such tips are legitimate, posting them online rather than reporting them to police can be detrimental to the investigation, police said.
In a release on Sunday, Manitoba RCMP said they have completed their canvass of Fox Lake Cree Nation and are focusing their efforts on completing their search or homes in Gillam. More than 250 homes in the town have been searched, so far. Outside of Gillam, officers are also searching cottages, cabins, waterways and along the rail line, with crews working on foot and in the air.
RCMP say the two teens are suspects in the death of Australian Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese after their bodies were discovered on the side of a remote portion of the Alaska Highway.
They have also been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Leonard Dyck whose body was discovered over 400 kilometres away in Dease Lake, close to where their first vehicle was found abandoned and burned.
None of the charges against them have been proven in court.
Police say they have received more than 200 tips about McLeod and Schmegelsky in the last five days. None of those tips have established that the men have left the Gillam area.
That said, Mounties say it is possible that the suspects inadvertently received assistance and have left the area. It's also possible that they have changed their appearances.
McLeod is described as 6'4", about 170 pounds, with dark brown hair and facial hair and brown eyes.
Schmegelsky is described as 6'4", about 170 pounds, with sandy brown hair.
Mounties remind the public that McLeod and Schmegelsky are considered dangerous. Anyone who sees them is advised not to approach, but to call 911 or their local police immediately.
