Chilling new details have been released about an Australian man’s ‘unique’ murder after he was found dead with his girlfriend on the side of a Canadian highway.
Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese, 24, were driving to a cattle ranch in British Columbia, in the country’s west, when their car reportedly broke down on the side of the Alaska Highway.
Their bodies were found on the side of the road on Monday and local police believe they were shot by a serial killer after a spate of deaths in the same area in recent years.
The injuries inflicted were so ‘brutal’, Ms Deese’s heartbroken brother, British Deese said, the family was told an open casket would not be allowed at her funeral.
Mr Fowler’s father Stephen, the chief inspector for Sydney’s north-west Hills district, and other family members have embarked on the long flight to Canada ‘to be with our boy and to bring him home’.
‘To lose someone so young and vibrant, who was travelling the world and just enjoying life to the full, is devastating,’ the Fowlers said in a statement.
Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese (centre) are pictured with Ms Deese’s mother (right) and brother (left). The couple were road-tripping through Canada when their bodies were found on Monday
The couple are understood to have been shot and Canadian police have launched an investigation into the suspected murders
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are leading the hunt for the killer.
North District Rocky Mountain Police Sergeant Janelle Shoihet said police were called to the area of the Alaskan Highway at 7am local time.
The bodies were found about 20km south of Liard Hot Springs, and an old blue mini-van was found at the scene.
Local police appealed for anyone who had seen the pair’s dark blue van to contact them.
‘We are particularly interested in speaking with anyone who may have dashcam video,’ Sgt Shoihet said.
‘At this point we have nothing to indicate that their deaths are connected to any other deaths.’
Police added that a ‘vehicle, an older blue minivan with Alberta plates, was found at the scene and police would like to speak with anyone who may have seen the vehicle or rendered assistance.’
The bodies were found about 20km south of Liard Hot Springs, and an old blue mini-van was found at the scene (pictured)
North District Rocky Mountain Police Sergeant Janelle Shoihet (pictured) said police were called to the area of the Alaskan Highway at 7am local time
In a heartbreaking Facebook post, Ms Deese’s brother has told how he knew something was wrong when his sister did not answer his texts.
He said the day he found out she was murdered was ‘the most chaotic day of my life’.
The devoted brother spent hours on the phone with the US Embassy and investigators in the wake of the tragedy, he said in the Facebook post.
’24 hrs ago I found out why my little sis didn’t text me back,’ he wrote on Friday.
‘Chynna and Lucas’ lives were abruptly taken from a random act of violence while starting their road trip through Canada.’
His North Carolina girlfriend was a recent graduate from Appalachian State University who completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business.
The pair met at a hostel in Croatia two years ago, fell in love and on their latest globetrotting escapade packed up an old blue van and set off for a road trip across Canada.
Her brother – who uses the Facebook name British Dwayne – explained his sister travelled to Canada to visit Mr Fowler for the ‘branding of the cows’ at a ranch he worked in.
They were then due to travel the top half of the globe.
‘She’s is so deeply woven as a piece of my childhood and everyday life,’ he continued.
‘I am forever indebted to her for being such an amazing life companion and giving me so many reasons to smile.
‘Life throws curveballs and you made every one easier to handle. This is a curveball I did not expect. Losing you is going to hurt so much.’
Mr Deese told DailyMail.com that his family were not worried about the pair travelling as they had meticulously planned their road trip.
‘They had traveled Europe and Asia together… they were always sensible and cautious,’ he stated.
He further added that his parents were left ‘shocked’ by the sudden and violent deaths and were in contact with Canadian police.
Ms Deese’s brother British said he endured the ‘most chaotic day’ of his life in the wake of the tragedy
Ms Deese’s brother British (pictured left in both pictures with sister) recalled the moment he was advised the couple met a violent end. ‘Chynna and Lucas’ lives were abruptly taken from a random act of violence while starting their road trip through Canada,’ he wrote on Facebook
Lucas Fowler (left) and girlfriend Chynna Deese (right) of Charlotte, North Carolina, were travelling when they were killed. Ms Deese was visiting her boyfriend at a cable farm before they were to travel the top half of the globe
The couple were travelling along a 720-kilometre stretch of road known as ‘The Highway of Tears’ at the time they disappeared.
Between 18 and 50 women have disappeared or have been murdered on the highway in the years since 1970, sparking fears among locals that the couple’s deaths could have been the work of a serial killer, The Daily Telegraph reported.
A woman wrote on Facebook that she saw the young couple with their broken down van on Sunday.
‘We seen the blue van broke down on our journey home on Sunday and we stopped and asked if they needed help,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘I can’t believe that this young couple are dead now.
‘This makes my heart so sad.’
In a moving statement on Friday evening, the Fowler family confirmed they lost Lucas in ‘the most terrible circumstances’.
They are now in the process of travelling to Canada ‘to be with our boy and to bring him home’.
‘To lose someone so young and vibrant, who was travelling the world and just enjoying life to the full, is devastating,’ the Fowler family said.
Ms Deese’s brother said ‘Losing you (Chynna Deese) is going to hurt so much’
Mr Fowler, from Sydney’s Hills District, has been identified as the son of NSW Chief Inspector Stephen Fowler
‘To know his beautiful girlfriend, Chynna Deese of Charlotte, North Carolina also lost her life in this violent event is too cruel.’
Ms Deese’s sister Kennedy said the family are ‘heartbroken’.
‘It is with overwhelming sadness that I share my sister Chynna and her beloved boyfriend Lucas were recently found deceased, homicide victims along a remote stretch of highway in Canada while on a road trip,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘No further information is available at this time, please do not ask.
‘They were bright and beautiful souls. We are all still in shock and heartbroken.’
In a heartbreaking statement on Friday evening, the Fowler family confirmed they lost Lucas (right with Ms Deese) in ‘the most terrible circumstances’. They are now in the process of travelling to Canada ‘to be with our boy and to bring him home’
Ms Deese’s former sorority Zeta Tau Alpha at Appalachian State University said they were honoured to call her a ‘sister’.
‘It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of our sister, Chynna Deese, who recently passed,’ they wrote on Facebook.
‘She was such a kind and adventurous soul and we have been honored to call her our sister.
‘Our hearts are with Chynna’s family during this difficult time, and we are so thankful to everyone for the support and kindness we have already received.’
On Ms Deese’s couchsurfing page, the 24-year-old wrote her ‘current mission’ is ‘traveling the world and looking to meet new people and experience new places from a local’s point of view’.
Ms Deese, who was learning Spanish and studied winemaking in France, described herself as ‘easy going’ and ‘open minded with a positive attitude’.
‘To lose someone so young and vibrant, who was travelling the world and just enjoying life to the full, is devastating,’ the Fowler family said of their son (pictured) in a statement
Ms Deese (pictured right with siblings) was a recent graduate from Appalachian State University who completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business
Northern Rockies officers were called to the highway, about 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs, at 7.19am on Monday.
Police are asking anyone who travelled the stretch of highway between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning before 8am to make contact.
A blue minivan with Alberta number plates was found at the scene and police would like to speak with drivers who saw the vehicle or who may have dashcam footage.
It is not yet clear why the couple were attacked.
Chynna Deese (second from the left) is pictured with her family
Ms Deese’s sister Kennedy said the family are ‘heartbroken’ in a Facebook update
She added her husband has been in contact with Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
In a statement, a NSW Police said they are providing support to the father of the victim.
‘The NSW Police Force has been alerted to the death of a man and a woman in Canada,’ the statement said.
‘The man is the son of a serving senior officer and as such we are providing support to him and his family. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.’
The NSW Police Force have sent two detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad to liaise and provide appropriate support to family members.
‘The investigation into this incident is being led by the Canadian authorities and as such, they will be the appropriate source information as it comes to hand.’
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed they are providing consular assistance to the man’s family.
‘The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance, in accordance with the Consular Services Charter, to the family of an Australian man who died in Canada,’ a spokesperson said in a statement.
‘Due to our privacy obligations we will not provide further comment.’
On Ms Deese’s couchsurfing page, the 24-year-old wrote her ‘current mission’ is ‘traveling the world and looking to meet new people and experience new places from a local’s point of view’
Northern Rockies officers were called to the highway, about 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs, at 7.19am on Monday