RCMP say B.C. fugitives died in what appears to be suicides by gunfire

RCMP have confirmed thetwo bodies found in northern Manitoba last weekare B.C. homicidesuspectsKam McLeodand Bryer Schmegelsky, andthe two died in what appears to be suicides by gunfire.

The bodies were found Wednesday, ending a 15-day cross-country searchfor the two men from Port Alberni, B.C.

Mounties had expressed confidence that the bodies belong tothe men, but officers were not able to confirm the identities until autopsies were completed by the Manitoba medical examiner.

On Monday, B.C. RCMP said the autopsies suggest both McLeod and Schmegelsky were deadforseveral days before they were found,but the exact time of their deaths is not known.

B.C.RCMP spokesperson Dawn Roberts said the duo had been alive for afew days since they were last seen in July, and during the extensive search efforts nearGillam, Man.

Police said two firearms were found near the bodies. Forensic analysis is underway to confirm whether these weapons are connected with the northern B.C. homicide investigations.

The search for McLeod, 19, and Schmegelsky, who would have turned 19 onAug. 4, covered 11,000 square kilometres in northern Manitoba alone an area larger than Jamaica.

The two men are suspects in the deaths of a young couple and a botanist, killed within days of each other in northern B.C. last month. Theyhad all been taking summer road trips.

UBC lecturer Leonard Dyck, 64,was found dead on a highway pullout on July 19. A burned-out camper truck believed to be driven byMcLeod and Schmegelskywas found in the vicinity.

AustralianLucas Fowler, 23,and American ChynnaDeese, 24, had been found dead days earlier next to Fowler's blue Chevy van at the side of the Alaska Highway hundreds of kilometres from whereDyckwould be found. The couple had been shot.

McLeod and Schmegelsky, who told their families they were goingto Whitehorse in search of work, were initially believed to be missing after the camper truck was found. RCMP named them suspects in the three killings on July 23, warning the public theywere armed and dangerous.

Gruelling search in northern Manitoba

A nationwide search for the fugitivesramped up after a Toyota RAV4, later confirmed to have belonged to Dyck,was found scorched near Fox Lake Cree Nation on July 22. RCMPbelieve the suspects had been driving the vehicle.

The gruellingsearch had Mounties and Canadian military trawlingunforgiving Manitoba backcountry riddled with boggy swamps and clouds of insects. The hunt left many locals afraid to leave their homes, threw quiet communities into the international media spotlightand transfixedCanadians across the country.

Investigators received more than 1,000 tips during their search.RCMP announced they were scaling back the operation after nine days of unsuccessful efforts on July 31. But two days later, a damaged boatand several personal items linked to the fugitives were found along Manitoba'sNelson River, which flows between Gillamand Fox Lake.

That discovery led officers to the bodies. The remains werediscovered eight kilometres northeast of where the RAV4was found and one kilometre from where the personal items were located.

Manitoba RCMP Sgt. PaulManaigre said the search was punishing.

"We were describing it over the last couple of weeks as being some pretty dense bush and some pretty remarkable terrain in my opinion that's almost an understatement," said Manaigre,who participated in police searches after the bodies were found.

"It was incredible. The steep hills, you've got a fast moving river with very little riverbank. It's unimaginable how you could traverse that type of area."

Manaigre said a motive forthe B.C. killings is stillunknown.

"That's going to be the biggest puzzle to solve in this investigation," he said. "And we hope we can get some answers on that question."

Dawn Roberts of theRCMP said investigators are working tirelessly on these unanswered questions.

"Our investigators are committed to determining as much of that as possible, and we're hopeful that looking at everything now ... respectingwe may never have a full understanding with regards to motive."