VANCOUVER—For almost a month this summer, Canadians held their breath as two men suspected in three northern B.C. killings evaded police across four provinces. Those hoping that the end of the manhunt would result in answers are, it turns out, still holding their breath.

Critics are now questioning whether the Mounties owe the public more answers about the hunt for Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod.

Some information, such as whether the suspects used a small boat found mangled on the shore of Manitoba’s Nelson River or how long they survived in the wilderness, the RCMP simply don’t have, said Manitoba RCMP Cpl. Julie Courchaine in an email Thursday.

Police have still not revealed what items found on the shore led officers to search the area and, eventually, uncover two bodies believed to be Schmegelsky and McLeod. Courchaine said revealing such information could affect the integrity of the investigation.

Still, she did not reveal details that police certainly know. And police not being forthcoming about even minor details leads Canada down a slippery slope, argues an access-to-information advocate.

Canadian law enforcement has never been particularly accountable, said Sean Holman, an associate professor of journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary, and that means the public’s ability to know whether police are conducting themselves and their investigations properly suffers.

“We often view this issue as something that is only of concern to a limited number of individuals in our society,” he said. “But it should concern us all, because if we do not have the information to know if public agencies are operating in the public interest, then we are no longer in a democracy.”

Over time, many Canadian public agencies have slowly stretched their definition of what kind of information should remain private, “to the point they are no longer functioning democratically,” he said.

Holman argues that the word privacy is often being used when “secrecy” is more appropriate.

“Murder is not a private matter, it’s a public matter,” said Tom Engel, an Edmonton lawyer who has challenged police policies and actions in the past.

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Though Engel said police may have legitimate reasons for withholding some information, he took issue with the Mounties’ refusal to divulge how one of the victims, Leonard Dyck, was killed. Schmegelsky and McLeod were both charged with second-degree murder in his death.

RCMP in B.C. have said they are not releasing Dyck’s cause of death out of concern for his family, an explanation that may resonate with many people who are not keen to hear grisly details of a homicide.

“At least give some general information,” Engel said. “I think that the public has a right to know what happened in regard to one of their citizens being murdered and I don’t think it’s for the police to keep it secret.”

Other, more minor pieces of information have also been withheld, such as how many police officers were used to conduct the search.

Schmegelsky and McLeod are also suspects in the double homicide of Australian Lucas Fowler and American Chynna Deese, a young couple found shot to death south of Liard Hot Springs, B.C., about 500 kilometres east of where Dyck’s body was found. The two are thought to have been killed on July 14 or 15.

Meanwhile, one official in Gillam, the community flooded with police officers trying to locate two serious threats to the public, said he’s comfortable with how police have handled the release of information.

“Personally, no, I never expect to hear everything the police have knowledge of — it’s kind of unrealistic to expect that. There’s some stuff they’re going to keep close to the vest and you just won’t find out until later on when they find and release the information,” said Gillam’s deputy mayor John McDonald.

“Just like everybody else I’m waiting for more details to come out.”

RCMP say the case is still open and they are working to confirm their theory as to what happened, cautioning that some questions might never be answered with the two suspects believed to be dead.

Here are some of the questions that remain unanswered:

What might have motivated the suspected killers?

It is the most fundamental of questions — and so far there have been no answers, publicly. It appears the RCMP do not know to a certainty, and that the truth may have died with the suspects.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult for us to ascertain definitively what the motive was,” acknowledged Assistant Commissioner Kevin Hackett of the B.C. RCMP on Wednesday. “Obviously, we will not have the opportunity to speak with these individuals.”

Hackett did say the killings of Chynna Deese, Lucas Fowler and Leonard Dyck did not appear to be targeted.

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What led police to first suspect Schmegelsky and McLeod?

The RCMP have previously told Star Vancouver that a tip changed the status of the two men from “missing persons” to “suspects” on July 23 — and it was very sudden. What was that tip?

How did Leonard Dyck die?

While it has emerged that Deese and Fowler were shot to death, details surrounding the death of the University of the British Columbia botanist remain scant.

Hackett explained Wednesday why police are reluctant to disclose the circumstances of his death.

“We know what those injuries were but, out of respect for Mr. Dyck’s family, I don’t believe there’s any kind of operational necessity to speak to the injuries, out of respect and sensitivities for the family’s sake,” he said.

How long did Schmegelsky and McLeod manage to last in the bush?

The search of the Gillam region began after the last confirmed sighting of the men on July 22. At the time Schmegelsky’s father, Alan Schmegelsky, said the two suspects were trained survivalists. When reporters asked if there was a camp or any signs as to why the search lasted two weeks, police would not answer.

However, Hackett did shed some light on how the suspects might have been able to evade authorities for so long.

“Individuals — when they’re on the run or trying to elude the police — take measures to avoid contact with both the police and the public so they can maintain the freedom for as long as they possibly can,” he said. “I’m surmising that they chose to go into the north, not down to the south, more regularly travelled roads, because that could have enhanced detection.”

If the bodies are confirmed as Schmegelsky and McLeod, how did they die?

The two bodies were found Wednesday morning and no cause of death or time of death estimate has been given pending autopsies scheduled for Thursday.

What items were found on the shoreline near where the bodies were discovered?

Police said items linked to the pair were discovered Friday on the shoreline of the Nelson River, but they did not reveal what exactly was found. At Wednesday’s media conference, the RCMP said the discovery of the items triggered a more focused search nearby, but still refused to divulge more information about those items.

Did the suspects use the boat that was found?

Over the weekend, RCMP found a small metal boat with severe damage they said they believed the suspects may have used. Details of the boat’s possible involvement in the case are still unknown.

What kind of resources did the RCMP use in this manhunt?

From the start of the search, the RCMP would not comment on the resources it was using to track Schmegelsky and McLeod, citing operational confidentiality. Once the bodies were located and the search was over, RCMP still refused to say what kind of resources were used in northern Manitoba.

With files from Tessa Vikander, Cherise Seucharan, Alex McKeen and Omar Mosleh

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