Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - The B.C. Spree Killers Pt. 1

Episode Date: January 16, 2023

In the start of a new special series on Serial Killers, we’re delving into the minds of killers on the run — cracking open some of the largest manhunts ever undertaken. Our first episode takes us into the vast wilderness of Northern Canada, where the discovery of three bodies along remote highways begins an unprecedented search for a pair of killers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi, listeners, it's Vanessa. Today, we're kicking off a special series. Once a month for the next three months, we're not just going to be talking about serial killers. We're going to be hunting them. That's right. Greg here. These episodes are about the most dangerous mind-bending

and heart-pounding man-hunts in history. We'll learn the top-secret methods they use to track down fugitives, and the techniques they use to stay one step ahead. While we love getting into the minds of our killers, Sometimes the best part of the story is the high-octane chase that finally brings them down. So please, come along for today's ride. Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder.

We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Officer David Ribeiro stood in a clearing in the remote wilderness of northern Canada. In this part of the world, the air was normally fresh, blazed with a sweet scent of pine tree. But instead, an accurate smell filled the air, the stench of scorched sheet metal and burnt rubber. He took stock of the smoldering vehicle in front of him, or at least what was left of it. Flames had ripped through most of the truck, leaving nothing but a gray, burnt-out shell in its place, like the ashy logs of an old campfire. As Rubiero took stock of the situation, a road worker pulled up to the crime scene.

He told the officer to take a look at something else a few miles south. Ribeiro filed the man to a pullout down the road. He trudged down into a ditch, slightly hidden from the freeway, and surveyed a grisly scene. Zip ties and shell casings littered the ground, and lying in a pit was an older man with a great big beard. His body was battered and burned. Next to him was a stream of blood, spilling onto the grass and gravel. The isolated forest was supposed to offer travelers the perfect escape. Northern Canada was far from the frantic politics and internet drama that distracted much of the outside world.

But the same thing that made this place beautiful also made it the perfect hunting ground. Because in this silence, a killer was picking off tourists one by one. And unless the police found him, no one would be safe. Hi, I'm Greg Polson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we're following the nationwide manhunt for two fugitives, who haunted the desolate freeways of British Columbia in 2019. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from

Parcast for free on Spotify. In today's episode, we'll follow several road trips that all lead to a grisly dead end. On the first, a young couple in love explores Canada's beautiful open roads together. The second brings a couple of best friends, teenagers, North, searching for new jobs and a new life. The third takes a 64-year-old botanist grizzly watching as he travels into the bush to commune with nature. Along the way, we'll hear the CSI techniques police use to uncover which travelers were innocent victims and which were deadly killers.

Next time, while the fugitives try to survive the brutal wilderness, the police get help from an indigenous trapper. Using expert tracking skills, he helps detectives hunt down the murderers to protect his community. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the Lonely Hearts Killers,

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Brazilian lemonade accord meets coconut milk and golden brown sugar. Don't miss Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume mist collection only at Sephora. The road trip is an iconic coming-of-age experience. For many in North America, it's a right of passage. It's about

bonding with friends and family. Connected with nature and leaving your past behind. And that last part, leaving your past behind, is a lot of what we're talking about today. So to start, we're going to take you to the first of our travelers, an Australian named Lucas Fowler, who had always felt the call of the open road. Lucas was the son of a New South Wales policeman,

but he didn't grow up wanting to catch criminals like his dad. Instead, he was the adventurous type. By his early 20s in 2017, he was taking his warm smile on a backpacking trip across the world. And that's where he met China. A year older, China Dees was also a free spirit. An American, she was on her own tour of the world. The two clicked immediately and dove headfirst into a romance filled with Van Life Adventures. China's brothers said they milked every last drop of fun out of life.

They met traveling and that's just what they did. Travel. In 2019, Lucas and China planned an epic three-week road trip through British Columbia, Canada, all the way up to Alaska. And on July 12th, they were ready to go. They said goodbye to the lodge where Lucas was working and hit the road in his faded blue Chevrolet van. Far from their families, friends, and everything they knew, Lucas and China could be exactly who they wanted.

Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. According to sociologist Karen Stein and author of Getting Away from It All, Vacations and Identity, Our personalities aren't set in stone. Everything from our temperaments to our goals can change based on our relationships and surroundings.

During our day-to-day routines, we get stuck seeing the same people and places, but a road trip is an opportunity to escape our usual selves to try on an alternative identity. Unfortunately, this other persona isn't always good. Psychologist Dr. Audrey Tang says that while in a new place, people have total anonymity, which could lead to dire consequences. Our usual bonds keep us in check, but away from home, our worst instincts can surface. Because of this, Dr. Tang gives an ominous warning. She says, we all have a dark side, and if we suppress it, it's a bit like a pressure cooker and will explode at some point. Now, we're not necessarily talking about Lucas and China directly here, but for our story today, it is important to think about this,

how time away can give us the permission to explode. For Lucas and China, though, it does seem like, no matter what they were like at home, out in the wilderness, they were free to be who they wanted, which seemed to be simply two people in love. Like the day after they set out when the young couples stopped at a gas station, China playfully stood on a curb, so she was a foot taller than Lucas and leaned over him. They embraced for a moment her resting in his arms. The excitement of their trip and the glow of their love turned every action, even something as mundane as filling up a gas tank, into a special moment.

They hopped back in the van and sped north through British Columbia. A mountainous province on the Pacific coast, BC is blanketed with endless, majestic pine trees and ancient old growth forests. It was the adventure of a lifetime, and maybe it would have all worked out. Maybe it would have all been fine had it not been for the engine. It was July 14th the following day. Lucas and China were driving along the Alaska Highway when suddenly the van stalled. They pulled over to the shoulder and tried to start the car again.

It was a no-go. The engine had flooded. Lucas's van was pretty old, and they were likely used to dealing with issues. That said, the couple was now stranded on one of the country's most desolate stretches of highway. Even during the high season, one could go half an hour without seeing another car. There was no cell service for hundreds of miles, and hospitals were hours away. But the sky-blue van stuck out like a sore, beat-up thumb on the lonely road. So whenever a fellow traveler did lumber past, they stopped to help.

At around 3 p.m., a couple of campers offered up food or water. Lucas and China enjoyed a picnic in the grass, happy and smiling. They weren't going to let a minor setback get in the way of their adventure. So the campers drove off. thinking, oh, they're fine. But four hours later, the engine still wouldn't start. It was like a bad horror movie. The couple was stranded with no cell service, and soon it'd be dark.

There was nothing to do until morning. Then they figured they'd flag another person down and get someone to call a tow truck. They just had to make it till daylight. The following morning, clouds caked the sky. At this latitude, the sun rose as early as 4 a.m. So, at 6.20, as a truck driver sped down the Alaska Highway, the slate gray freeway opened up in front of him in full view. And in the pale gray light, he spotted something abnormal,

a boxy blue van by the roadside. As he got closer, he saw the doors hanging open. The back window was shattered. Something was terribly wrong. He pulled over and hopped out of the truck. There were two young people lying face down in a ditch close to the van. They looked like backpackers. The man had long, dirty blonde hair and a light brown beard.

The girl was bright blonde, but both of their skin was ice cold. They'd been shot and discarded like litter next to the freeway. The trucker was shaken. This far north, there's a sense that violent crime is rare. What he didn't know was that this was only the source. start of the destruction. The victim's names were Lucas and China, and their deaths would kick off one of the biggest manhunts in the country's history. Coming up, a second trip ends in disaster. Snoring, gasping during sleep, feeling fatigued, ask your doctor about zeppbound, tersepotite.

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Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. And now back to the story. In July 2019, Lucas and China went on a journey through Northern British Columbia. In the dead of night, they were shot up. the highway in cold blood. But they weren't the only tourists braving the desolate freeways and ancient slow-growth forests

and headed towards a terrible explosion. The day before Lucas and China left the lodge, teenagers Cam McLeod and Briar Schmigelsky set out on their own adventure. They grabbed some maps, then took off in Cam's 1993 Dodge Pickup, which was red with a gray stripe down its side. As they took off from their home of Port Albarnie, BC, they must have chatted about all they were leaving behind. Cam, who was tall with a soft, light brown beard, grew up in a neighborhood with million-dollar homes,

overlooking a pristine lake. He had a girlfriend, which wasn't surprising. The young man had an easy-going demeanor that made people feel at home. But Breyer was a different story. With dark hair and a thin, boyish face, Breyer came from a worse economic backer. ground than Cam. Instead of growing up in a big home on the lake, he mostly lived with his grandma across the street from a trailer park. He was shy and strange. Likely, Cam was his only real friend. Now, with the open road in front of them, they were able to leave all that behind.

But first, they needed the right supplies. Their first stop, Cabellas, a sporting goods store. They pulled into the Lod and headed inside. At checkout, the clerk likely asked to see some ID for the large box. Cam took out his possession and acquisition license. The two teens had no trouble at all. In a matter of minutes, they walked out with two magazines, 20 rounds of ammunition, and a semi-automatic Soviet SKS carbine. That was along with a rifle that Cam had already brought along.

It may sound like strange equipment for a road trip, but Cam and Breyer had both been hunting before in their hometown of Portland. Port Albarnie, a place and backstory we're going to take a detour to just for a moment. Dwarfed by hulking mountains, Port Alberney is a picturesque port town, but in the 2000s was going through rough times. Many blue-collared union workers were replaced by machines and laid off, a story familiar to many Canadian mill towns. By the time 18 and 19-year-old Cam and Breyer graduated high school in 2019, poverty was rampant. Neither young man decided to go to college. Instead, they signed up to work the Walmart graveyard shift, a pretty

normal choice for two teens needing jobs. But after a couple of weeks on the job, Breyer used his second paycheck for something abnormal. He bought himself a nice black suit. His father, Alan, was perplexed. His son wasn't going to a fancy wedding anytime soon, and he certainly didn't need it for work. He had no idea why Breyer would need a suit. Perhaps, maybe, if he was a It was because Breyer was already anticipating wanting to leave his old life behind. Because over time, the grind of day-to-day life in Port Albany had worn on the teens. We're not sure how long they were at Walmart, but come July of 2019, they told their families they were ready for a change, and a road trip seemed like a good idea.

They spent weeks pouring over maps and planning their route. Then quit their jobs. They were going to look for real work in the UK. which brings us now back to our main story. Breyer and Cam picked up the new rifle, then left the sporting goods store. Next, they likely drove onto a ferry, then took off toward the slow-growing forest of mainland British Columbia. But the next day, back home, Cam's girlfriend started to worry. She had no idea where her boyfriend was, and while he told his family about his plans, he left her without saying goodbye. Then, suddenly, she got a text.

It was from Cam. She unlocked her phone, hoping for answers. The text read, quote, Seriously sorry, but I'm not coming back. She couldn't believe it. She'd just been dumped in the most callous way ever. She had no idea if she'd ever see her soft-spoken boyfriend again. It's easy to wonder what she must have thought about Cam's companion on the trip.

Because far from making people feel at ease, Breyer often made them unsettled with his weird, disturbing comments. One seventh grade classmate said, quote, he didn't really talk to anyone, but when he did talk to people, all he ever said to me was how he wanted to kill me and ways he would do it, end quote. He told some students he wanted to cut their heads off, put a gun in his own mouth, and pull the trigger. He had strange interest, too. Briar was obsessed with the Third Reich and even supported Vladimir Putin. While camping with Cam, and Aquatine saw him, use a replica Nazi knife and wear a swastika armband with military fatigues.

His family might have been concerned, but they didn't think Breyer was really a neo-Nazi. They told themselves he was just a lost kid who thought the memorabilia looked cool. Nobody at school thought much of it either. When it came to his weird threats, they felt he was obviously kidding. Breyer didn't have many friends, and the off-color jokes seemed like a poor attempt at making people laugh. Either way, Cam stuck by his boyhood friend through thick and thin, from high school to Walmart, and now the freeway in British Columbia.

Where Cam, who just told his girlfriend he was never coming back, was probably a little despondent, but he and Breyer were together now, just the two of them, the way it had always been. With their dead end town in the rearview mirror, there was nothing to tie them down to their old selves. They were no longer the quiet, awkward teenagers who felt like they had no friends and no future. Up north on this wild road trip, they could be someone entirely new and do the things they'd only dreamed of, but danger wasn't far away. We fast forward again to days later on July 15th, where Lucas and China's bodies laid in the grass just feet away from their van. They'd been shot dead on the side of the road, in one of the most remote parts of the country. It took a long time

for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP to get to them. They had to drive several hours along the Desolet Freeway. But once they arrived, detectives immediately got to work. The first step in any homicide investigation is to examine the crime scene and catalog evidence. Senior crime scene analyst H.W. Rustlander notes that the number one rule of inspection is not to disturb anything. Examiners often set out a predetermined path through the area to disturb as little as possible and retrace their own steps. They'll look for glaring pieces of evidence, as well as any stains and marks that might help piece together the crime. Ruslander notes that every crime scene is three-dimensional, so investigators can't forget to look at the floor,

walls, and even the ceiling, shining a flashlight on the ground that a sharp angle might help uncover something that couldn't be seen from head on. On a second walkthrough, a CSI will also take a sketch of the scene. Even in a time of state-of-the-art camera phones, a drawing is better able to depict the entire scene. After all, there could be several rooms involved. A sketch also allows detectives to include info like detailed measurements and evidence locations. When examining the body, inspectors will look at the fingernails to see if there's anything there that can be tied to the killer. They'll observe the ruffles in the clothing to see if the corpse has been dragged. But even as they feel the limbs for injuries or check for clues in the pockets,

Rustlander says they're extra careful to never actually move the bodies because even their position is important. For instance, officers noted that Lucas and China were lying face down with their hands by their sides like two paper dolls. Their bodies were both pointing north, while their heads were tilted westward. Perhaps it was a message from the killer himself, taunting the police to head northwest and chase him down. After the examination, Lucas and China's deaths were ruled homicides. But the crime scene gave no indication of whether they were targeted

by someone they met at Lucas's lodge, the gas station, or if the slaying was completely random. About half the time, a victim has a personal connection to their murderer, but it's the other half that detectives really worry about. about because that means anyone could be next. At midnight on July 17th, an Alaskan photographer named Ken Albertson was taking a nap on the side of the highway. Ken had been in Montana a few days earlier on a trip with his wife and kids, but he had to come home early, so he'd hopped in his truck and gunned it home on the Alaskan

highway all by himself. After 15 long, lonely hours, he'd whipped off his jeans and climbed into his back seat to rest. He didn't want a chance falling asleep at the wheel, so he decided to play it safe. But on this particular stretch of highway, he was far from safety. Just as Ken was getting ready to close his eyes, he heard a truck creep past him, careful to move slow and quiet. Luckily, Ken wasn't asleep yet. He opened his eyelids just enough to see the vehicle stop a little farther up the road. A tall skinny man exited the passenger door. In his hand was a rifle. The truck drove away, leaving the figure to creep quietly toward the tree line, staying low to the ground. It quickly became clear he wasn't stepping out to use the

bathroom. He inched closer, stalking from tree to tree, holding the rifle in a low ready position. Ken recognized the behavior. The man was hunting. Now, Ken was paying attention. As he watched the dark figure prowling by the trees, he saw a pair of headlights up ahead. The vehicle slowed to a crawl in front of him, that he realized it was the same truck from before.

That's when it registered. This was an ambush. Before he knew what he was doing, Ken leapt over his back seat in his underwear. He started up the truck, Put it in gear and warred out of there. As he floored it past the other vehicle, he peeked inside. The driver put his hand over his face, making it impossible for Ken to see him.

Ken didn't get his nap, but he was more awake than ever. The shaken photographer drove another three or four hours, desperate to get as far away as he could. Eventually, he made it back to Alaska, safe and sound, wondering who the men were. Not everyone was as lucky. Around the same time, just like Ken Albertson, 64-year-old Leonard Dick was on his own trip through BC. Although for Leonard, it was more about the journey than the destination. He had a kind face and a white beard, a bit like Santa Claus.

And he was looking for the kind of natural richness you can only find to the forest. In fact, he had dedicated his whole career to it. He'd spent two decades researching botany and taught at the University of British Columbia. A fellow professor said he had an amazing way of opening his students' eyes to the diversity of life. When he wasn't spending time with his wife and kids, he sometimes went off on solo camping trips to reconnect with the natural world. On July 16th, Leonard hopped into his 2011 Toyota RAV-4 and headed north. Two days later, he parked at a pullout in DeSlake, likely so he could sleep for the night. Leonard told his wife he was going grizzly watching, which sounds pretty dangerous.

But he had all the gear he could need and years of experience. He knew how to prepare for bears. He didn't know how to prepare for a killer. Coming up, the murderer is unmasked. Every outfit starts with a choice. What am I wearing underneath? Something comfortable? and let's be honest, something that keeps everything looking smooth.

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to commune with nature, to enjoy. the thawing temperatures and vast untouched beauty. He parked just off the highway near the Steakin River to camp for the night. He didn't make it to morning. On July 19th, the RCMP investigated the scene. They discovered a smoldering pickup truck discarded in a clearing along the same highway. A nearby public bathroom was speckled with blood. Large drops coated the floor and the inside of the toilet as if someone had done a poor job trying to clean the place up. Leonard's body was found in a pit, a mile and a half from the burning pickup, lying in a crimson pool of his own blood.

The cops determined he bled out after injuries from an edged weapon and a gunshot wound. His skin was bruised and burned. The clues painted a picture of what might have happened the night before. Someone likely ambushed him in the public toilet. After shooting the professor, they carried his body to the trash can and tried to burn the evidence. But a cremation chamber burns extraordinarily hot at about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, and the perpetrator soon realized the trash can wasn't going to cut it, so they tossed Leonard haphazard haphazard haphazardly into a ditch,

hoping the body would be harder to find there. However, none of that explained the zip ties or the shell casing found near his body, though suggested a darker, more protracted end. The sadistic killer could have tied the old man up, tortured him, and then, only after Leonard pleaded for his life, and it is suffering with a bullet. It was hard to know for sure. On their first walkthrough, detectives found no hints as to whether Leonard's death was connected to Lucas and China's. But these sorts of crimes don't happen very often. It was either a killing spree or an awful coincidence. So officers turned their attention toward the burning truck still smoldering from the night before, hoping for a clue. They ran the vehicle's insurance expecting to uncover the identity of the unknown victim.

Instead, they found another name, McLeod. Because the burnt-out husk wasn't Leonard's 2000 Rav-4, it was a 1993 Dodge, a red pickup with a gray stripe down the side. The truck was Cam McLeod's. same vehicle that he and his friend Breyer used to leave Port Albarnie just a few days earlier. The cops called the families of the two teens and told them what they found. The McLeod's were terrified because at this point they hadn't heard from their son in two whole days, and he was a good kid. The cops were also concerned. With a killer on the loose, they were afraid they'd find Cam and Breyer's bodies soon too. Detectives looked at the puzzle pieces so far,

a dead couple in their early 20s, a 64-year-old professor brutally murdered, and two lost teenage boys. There were more bodies than answers, and as information trickled out, the people who lived along the remote highways were terrified. One local said, quote, stuff like this does not happen up here. I live here because it's quiet, no crime, no violence, end quote. It all changed in a matter of days. Some residents locked their doors for the first time. In Dease Lake, where Leonard's body was found, a gas station cashier slept with a knife. Her coworker went to bed with a shotgun. A 21-year-old American cyclist told the news he always thought of Canada as being the friendly neighbor to the north.

But now, he was cycling along highways plagued by a series of gruesome murders. Once he heard about the slings, he reevalued. evaluated his plans because, quote, out here in the wilderness, you never know. The area was a dead zone with no reception and no cell service. Without even the ability to call 911 in case of an attack, the killer had chosen the perfect hunting grounds. This also led to a severe lack of intel. Journalists had to travel hours into the wilderness

and could only make their reports at the end of the day once they made it back to civilization. The isolation made it harder to know exactly where the murderer was hiding. Without solid leads and with the clock ticking, the RCMP realized they needed the public's help just as much as the public needed theirs. On July 22nd, a press conference room buzzed with reporters. RCMP spokesperson, Staff Sergeant Janelle Schoiet, stood at a podium in front of a bright blue backdrop and a massive RCMP insignia.

Stoic, she told the crowded room that investigators weren't sure if the murders were connected and asked her help finding the two missing teenagers. The cops even asked Cam and Breyer to call in to let them know they were okay. A global news journalist challenged the sergeant, saying, Are we talking about a potential serial killer? People in these communities have a right to know. The lack of answers was frustrating. But the air in the room changed when Lucas Fowler's father,

a veteran Australian police investigator stepped up to the podium. He addressed the room with remarkable poise. He was forlorn, but didn't cry. He said, as you know, I may be an experienced police officer, but today I am standing here as the father of a murder victim. He said the story of Lucas and China was a love story that's ended tragically. It's the worst ever love story.

The plea made it impact. China was American, Lucas, Australian, and Leonard, a local Canadian. What started out as a few homicides went international, and the search for Kam and Breyer captured the world's imagination. People across the globe posted picks of missing teens. Social media users claimed to see them in gas stations, stores, and along roads. Videos about the unfolding drama proliferated through YouTube, like a contagion. But the Facebook and Twitter posts can act as digital wanted posters,

Social media isn't always the most helpful. Sociologist Christopher Schneider, and author of Policing and Social Media, says it's a double-edged sword, because while the info has the potential to assist the cops, it could also help the killers. For instance, a user might post a photo of police near street signs or landmarks. That could clue the fugitives in on where exactly they're patrolling and how best to avoid them. So Schneider says when the police need hard tips, they put out a request through the news or their official Twitter feed. They also might drop a hotline number because they want to reach the public directly. This also helps to establish a clear chain of evidence. For example, let's say a local

takes a photo that proves a suspect's whereabouts. If it's shown through the kaleidoscope of the internet, Photoshop, memes, and everything else make it difficult to use the photo as evidence in a courtroom. However, if the police show that a picture or tip went directly to them rather than through Facebook, a judge is much more likely to view it as legitimate. But whether through official channels or through Facebook, the RCMP plea to the public paid off. The department quickly racked up 1,500 tips and had to follow up on each one.

Everyone wanted to know where Cam and Breyer were, and if they were still alive. Eventually, the commotion finally made its way to Breyer's father. Alan Schmigelsky was reading the news at his home in Victoria. As he flipped through the news, he suddenly saw Breyer's face on the front cover of the Vancouver son, missing, along with his friend Cam. Alan was stunned. Unlike the other family members, the police hadn't notified Alan about Breyer's disappearance, because for much of Breyer's life, he and Alan were estranged.

When Breyer was around five years old, his mom and dad. split. The divorce was so rough that it ended in criminal court and cast a long shadow over the young boy's life. Breyer's mother wished him away to Port Alburnie, where he was passed between family members for a while. And though the boy craved love and attention, Alan said he wasn't given a lot of care. He never learned to ride a bike and didn't have many buddies other than Cam. So he turned to the one friend that was always there. The computer. He spent a lot of time online. In the absence of a steady parent, Alan said he was raised by YouTube and video games. It's normal for lonely teenagers to look for support online, but it could lead to problematic internet use or P-IU,

characterized by addictive, excessive, or impulsive behavior. Teens are especially at risk because the part of their brains that monitors self-control is still developing, so they have a harder time regulating their compulsions. But P.I.U. is common in adolescence from divorced families, just like Breyer's. And that's where a child's self-esteem is often impacted. If Breyer did have low self-worth due to his parents splitting up, the internet was the perfect place to take refuge from himself. There, on social media, dating apps, and counter-strike, he could be anybody he wanted. And far from the shy, reserved kid he usually was, Breyer adopted a new persona online.

To compensate for his hurt, the baby-faced teen took on an ultra-masculent persona. A gamer buddy whom he met online remembered him making jokes on Snapchat about killing people and pretending to masturbate to a photo of Hitler. The stunts didn't raise many alarm bells, though. The other player thought he was just another weird, edgy internet kid. Alan felt the same way. Despite his shady internet presence, Alan knew Breyer was just coping with emotional pain. He wasn't violent. He never got into trouble.

And now his little boy, whose picture he kept in his wallet, was missing, lost somewhere in the woods. Alan believed Cam and Breyer were at the wrong place at the wrong time. He thought they'd witnessed Leonard's murder and were fleeing through the wilderness for their lives. Fighting back tears, he pleaded with the cops saying, I say as a dad those two boys are still out there. Go find them. It didn't take long. After the conference, Sergeant Janelle Shoet stepped off the stage.

She fielded tons of questions and pushback, but she wasn't rattled. It was part of the job. All she knew was that Cam and Breyer were missing, and they needed the public's help. But that night, she walked into the RCMP's director's office, who had some news. A co-op in Meadow Lake Saskatchewan caught footage of two young men strolling through the aisles of the store. A skinny man with dark hair and a pale boy's... face wore fatigues. The other had light brown hair, a beard, and wore a t-shirt. It was Cam and Briar. They were now almost halfway across Canada. At first, Shoet was probably relieved.

The two best friends were alive. But then, the director revealed the other news. They were spotted driving Leonard's gray Toyota Rav 4. Shoyot felt like she'd been hit with a Mack truck. She knew exactly what that meant. The next morning, Sheaid gripped the podium that just a day before had bolstered her as she pleaded with the world to help save the lost teens. Next to her was a sign with the frozen image of the two young men exiting the co-op store. Stone-faced, she finally broke the silence, saying, quote, Cam and Breyer are no longer considered missing. The RCMP are now considering Cam McLeod and Breyer Schmigalski as suspects, end quote. She told the crowd that the young men were considered dangerous.

The public was not to approach and to call 911. Cameras flashed. Reporters sent wires to their editors and locals huddled in their homes. The manhunt had begun. The news shocked the country. Breyer's dad was crushed. It was every father's worst nightmare. But a few days later, a memory bubbled up to the surface.

He recalled the nice black suit Breyer had purchased with his Walmart. check just a week before he left. Before it made no sense, now Alan understood. Breyer planned for this to be a final trip. The suit was for him to wear at his funeral. Alan also knew that Breyer and Cam weren't planning to go down easily. Instead, he said, quote, they're going to go out in a blaze of glory. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be Back next time with part two of Manhunt, the BC Killers, where we follow Cam and Breyer as they try to survive in the brutal Canadian wilderness, pursued by the full weight of the RCMP.

You can find all episodes of Serial Killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Stay safe out there. Cereal Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast, executive produced by Max Cutler. Our head of programming is Julianne Boisro. Our supervising sound designer is Russell Nash, with Nick Johnson as our head of production and quality control by Spencer Howard. Stacey Neemick is our supervising editor and Derek Jennings is our writing lead.

This episode of Serial Killers was written by Ben Carrow, edited by Terrell Wells, fact-checked by Catherine Barner, researched by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood, produced by Bruce Kitovich, and sound design by Michael Motion. Our hosts are Vanessa Richardson and me, Greg Pulsing. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly, big board buck slot machine by aristocrat gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino and San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package.

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Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.