VANCOUVER—The sister of Chynna Deese, one of three alleged victims of Port Alberni, B.C., teens Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky, has released a statement saying despite her family’s pain, she is willing to “forgive and have mercy.”

The statement, posted to Facebook by Chynna’s sister Kennedy Deese, is in apparent response to Bryer’s father Al Schmegelsky’s statements in the media and a book he wrote titled Red Flagged, describing the rifts in Bryer’s family growing up.

Kennedy Deese’s statement says that her own family was not “defeated by divorce, mental health, violence, poverty ... alcohol or drugs.”

Instead they overcame these challenges, Kennedy wrote. Her sister Chynna was a “once in a lifetime soul,” whose empathy and concern for others lead her to volunteer with “so-called outcasts.”

“She would have befriended her murderers if given the opportunity,” the statement said.

Kennedy Deese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Aug. 7, Manitoba RCMP announced they had found what they believe are the bodies of McLeod and Schmegelsky near the community of Gillam, Man., ending an exhaustive weeks-long manhunt across Western Canada.

RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre said he could not confirm Sunday whether the autopsies on the bodies had been completed, but said B.C. RCMP will provide an update on the matter Monday.

The pair were charged with homicide in the death of Vancouver botanist and UBC lecturer Leonard Dyck near Dease Lake, B.C. The duo were also named as suspects in the killings of American Chynna Deese and her Australian boyfriend Lucas Fowler, who were found shot to death beside the Alaska Highway near the Liard Hot Springs in July.

The police have not said what evidence they have linking McLeod and Schmegelsky to the killings of Deese and Fowler. The investigation is still ongoing, B.C. RCMP said.

Kennedy’s Facebook statement also appears to take issue with what she perceives as Al Schmegelsky’s positioning his family as victims, and making excuses for Bryer’s alleged actions.

“To the murderers and their family, the appropriate action when mistakes are made is taking responsibility,” Kennedy wrote. “The proper response would have been a genuine apology. But we still forgive and have mercy.”

The statement goes on to say that the Deese family hopes to use Chynna’s legacy to start a public school program aimed at educating youth about the “proper use of online interaction, whether through social media or video games.”

Chynna “was building a beautiful life with a future full of love and hope and adventure,” the statement said. “She wanted children of her own, and would have raised them to have eyes that were open to all the wonderful things this world has to offer.”

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With a file from Ainslie Cruickshank

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