'Love story that ended tragically': police release information about double homicide of int'l couple in BC

Police have a released a composite sketch of a man they wish to contact as they continue their investigation into the double homicide of two individuals in their 20s that happened in northern BC earlier this month.

Police discovered the bodies of 23-year-old Australian Lucas Fowler and 24-year-old American Chynna Deese at 7:19 am on July 15, approximately 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs.

During a press conference on Monday, they confirmed that the two had been travelling through northern BC when they were shot to death.

“We can now confirm that Chynna and Lucas were the victims of gun violence and that their van — a 1986 blue Chevrolet van with Alberta plates — was owned by Lucas Fowler and was being used by the couple to explore northern British Columbia," Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said.

“I want to ensure that people are aware that we’re doing everything that we can in order to ensure that we can advance this investigation to the best of our abilities and find the person or persons responsible,” she later added.

Police did not speak to a potential motive for the killing of the two adults.

While police are currently following up with witnesses, "hours" of dash cam and CCTV footage as well as digital and forensic evidence, Shoihet said, they are asking for public assistance in identifying a man who spoke to Fowler on Hwy 97 on July 14, the day before the couple was discovered.

He is described as Caucasian male with darker skin and dark hair, shorter than Fowler (who was 6'3") and may have a beard or glasses, or both.

The man may be associated with an older model Jeep Cherokee with a black stripe on the hood, also fitted with a black light/bull bar with small, covered lights. He is believed to have been travelling southbound on Hwy 97.

Police said they do not believe this man is a suspect.

Fowler's father, Chief Inspector Stephen Fowler of the New South Wales Police Force, spoke at the press conference, describing his son as a "fun-loving guy" who had met his girlfriend and had become a perfect pair.

"It's a love story that ended tragically," he said.

RCMP said that the double homicide case involving Fowler and Deese could possibly be linked to another case that occurred near Dease Lake in northern BC involving two missing males and their torched vehicle.

“We can’t say definitively they are [linked]. We certainly are open to those possibilities and our investigators are speaking to each other, sharing information and certainly looking at the possibility that they may be linked,” said Shoihet.

“It is unusual to have two major investigations undergoing of this nature in northern BC at the same time. We recognize that there is a possibility that these could be linked.”