VANCOUVER—In videos recorded before their suicides, Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky confessed to killing three people and said they wanted to kill more.

In a long-awaited update, RCMP revealed a litany of shocking details about the nationwide manhunt and said they haven’t been able to determine a motive for the two young men.

Schmegelsky, 18, and McLeod, 19, both from Port Alberni, B.C., were charged in the death of Vancouverite Len Dyck and suspected in the double homicide of Australian Lucas Fowler and American Chynna Deese.

“There was no indication that these were planned or predicted, ” said Kevin Hackett, B.C. RCMP assistant commissioner, at a press conference in Surrey. He called the killings crimes of opportunity.

Family members have said the pair set out from Port Alberni on July 12 and were headed to Whitehorse, ostensibly looking for work.

The RCMP shared their working theory, beginning with the pair shooting and killing Fowler and Deese for no known reason. Their bodies were found, with gunshot wounds matching those of McLeod and Schmegelsky, on July 15 near Liard River Hot Springs.

Then, police believe, the two men drove up to the Yukon where they displayed threatening behaviour to another man.

On July 17, close to midnight, a man whose name has not been released pulled off the highway to take a nap two hours outside of Whitehorse. Within five minutes, McLeod and Schmegelsky drove up.

Police believe they stopped their camper van about 45 metres away from the other vehicle, and either McLeod or Schmegelsky got out. Holding a rifle, that teenager would have walked to the edge of the road where the forest begins and then, in a “tactical” or “hunting” stance, advanced toward the man who had been trying to nap. Simultaneously, either McLeod or Schmegelsky, whichever was left in the camper van, began slowly driving toward the man.

Noticing the pair’s threatening approach, the man took off in his vehicle. Four days later, the man provided a witness statement to police.

Then McLeod and Schmegelsky drove south back to B.C. because of vehicle issues. Police believe they killed Dyck on the side of a highway and proceeded to burn their own vehicle to dispose of incriminating evidence. Next they stole Dyck’s vehicle, a silver RAV4, and other items — including his digital camera — before driving east toward Manitoba.

Dyck’s body was recovered on July 19. RCMP say Dyck suffered a gunshot wound, as well as injuries to his head and body, including bruises and burn marks. However, his cause of death will not be shared publicly.

On their way east along B.C.’s highway 16, McLeod and Schmegelsky reportedly stopped at a hardware store in Vanderhoof, just outside of Prince George. There, on July 19, around 5 p.m., McLeod and Schmegelsky purchased a crowbar and electrical tape.

Over the next couple days, they continued east and stopped for gas in Fairview, Alta., in Meadow Lake, Sask., and La Ronge, Sask.

On July 22 they were observed at a McDonald’s in Thompson, Man., where surveillance video shows they used the electrical tape to make “racing stripes” on the hood and back tire of the stolen RAV4. RCMP say they did this to “change the appearance of the vehicle.”

Later that day they burned the car they’d stolen and set out into the wilderness on foot near Gillam, Man.

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The next day, on July 23, the manhunt for McLeod and Schmegelsky began as RCMP announced the men were suspects in all three deaths. Prior to that, they’d simply been considered missing.

It would be another week until the massive search parties — which included hundreds of police officers, a plane with infrared capabilities and eventually the military airforce — would find a backpack full of ammunition, a wallet and clothing in the bushes of Manitoba. An additional week of searching would locate their bodies.

Throughout the manhunt, critics had questioned how McLeod and Schmegelsky eluded the RCMP and military for so long.

Before they died, McLeod and Schmegelsky ended up near a river where they were able to hide but were trapped from going any farther.

Police said at the Friday press conference that the two men recorded several videos, detailing various ideas of what they’d do next. In the first video, which is 58 seconds long, they take responsibility for the three murders and say their plan is to march to Hudson’s Bay and highjack a boat to Africa or Europe.

Hackett said that in the videos McLeod and Schmegelsky were “cold” and “remorseless.”

In the second video, Schmegelsky says they have reached the river, which is big and moving fast. He says they may have to commit suicide, and McLeod agrees.

In the third video, they say they have shaved in preparation for their own deaths and want to retrace their steps and kill more people. They say they expect to be dead within a week.

In the fourth video, the young men say they are going to shoot themselves. A fifth video, which is only six seconds long, appears to be taken by accident, say RCMP.

The sixth and final video is their “last will and testament,” and both men say they want to be cremated.

Three still photos were also recovered from the camera. One depicts Schmegelsky lying on his side posing with an SKS rifle; another is blurred and appears to be taken by accident; the third appears to be a selfie taken by MacLeod that shows him from the chest up.

Soon after, they died by suicide. RCMP say they believe McLeod shot Schmegelsky before completing the pact and shooting himself.

Days later, on Aug. 7, their bodies were found near a river in rural Manitoba, eight kilometres from where they left the stolen and burned-out vehicle. Located near their bodies were the two rifles police believe the men used in all three homicides and their own suicides. The RCMP are still waiting on a coroner’s report for the exact date of death.

Police will not release copies of the videos or photos for fear they might inspire others to copy the actions of the two men. Behavioural specialists who analyzed the video told RCMP they think McLeod and Schmegelsky made the recordings for “notoriety” and therefore, RCMP say that not releasing the videos is also out of respect for the families of the murder victims.

According to police documents, officials have “no indication” that Schmegelsky and McLeod belonged to any white supremacist groups. Journalists had uncovered photos online of Schmegelsky with a swastika arm band and a Hitler Youth knife.

Correction — Sept. 27, 2019: A previous version of this story said Len Dyck had died of a gunshot wound. Although he was found with a gunshot wound, RCMP are not releasing his exact cause of death.

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