VANCOUVER—Deep in northern Manitoba’s brush and more than 3,000 kilometres from the crime scenes that made them the subjects of a nationwide manhunt, Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky appear to have shot themselves to death.

Police will never question the pair, but they said Monday they believe forensic analysis of the firearms found next to McLeod and Schmegelsky’s bodies may provide “definitive” connections between the three northern B.C. homcides they are suspected of committing.

Police say they are bringing in a behaviour analysis unit.

Psychologist Sasha Reid said police could use the analysis to identify potential links to unsolved disappearances elsewhere in the province.

Such analysis is used to understand the psychological characteristics of a killer and try to determine their motivations.

“It’s not a technique that tells you who did it, but what it can do is get you closer to understanding the motivations of an offender,” she said. “If you’ve already got someone in mind it’s a really great way to narrow down a suspect list.”

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McLeod, 19, and Schmegelsky, 18, were charged with second-degree murder in the death of Vancouver botanist and UBC lecturer Leonard Dyck near Dease Lake, B.C. They were also named as suspects in the killings of American Chynna Deese and Australian, Lucas Fowler, the couple found shot to death on the side of the Alaska Highway near the Liard Hot Springs in northern B.C. last month.

Last weekend, police said they located several unidentified items on the shores of the Nelson River that were “directly linked” to the pair. The bodies were eventually found about one kilometre away from there and eight kilometres from the burnt-out RAV4 found in the Gillam area on July 22. The two had been seen driving the vehicle, which belonged to Leonard Dyck, in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

“Investigators are now assessing all items located in Manitoba, along with the previous findings related to the three northern B.C. homicide investigations, in order to gain more clarity into what happened to Leonard Dyck, Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese,” a press release from B.C. RCMP said Monday.

As the manhunt for the pair wore on, many raised questions about the likelihood the men could have survived long in the mosquito-laden wilderness of northern Manitoba. The RCMP didn’t know the exact date of their deaths. Signs indicated they had been dead “several days” by the time they were found, but also that they had lived multiple days since they were last seen on July 21.

RCMP said the next of kin for McLeod and Schmegelsky have been notified and offered support.

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In the wake of accusations that they had been slow to share information on their investigation into McLeod and Schmegelsky, RCMP committed in their press release to updating families, and then the public “with respect to the totality of the investigations.”

With files from Ainslie Cruickshank

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