After spending more than week scouring Manitoba for B.C. murder suspects Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky, the RCMP has announced it's scaling down its search efforts in the province.

Asst. Commissioner Jane MacLatchy of the Manitoba RCMP said officers have searched more than 500 homes and buildings, and followed up on over 250 tips from the public, but have not managed to confirm a single sighting of the two suspects.

"We canvassed every home and searched every abandoned building in the Gillam and Fox Lake Cree Nation," she said. "Taking into account all of the work so far, it has come time to reassess our deployment of resources to the area."

Authorities have utilized everything from police dogs to aircraft equipped with infrared sensors in the manhunt for McLeod and Schmegelsky, much of which has been focused on remote and rugged terrain.

Despite the paring down of resources, MacLatchy stressed that the RCMP is not calling off the search entirely. She also noted that police will be ready to ramp up their efforts again should more information come to light about the suspects' whereabouts.

But in the meantime, she offered condolences to the loved ones of the three homicide victims, Leonard Dyck, Chynna Deese and Lucas Fowler.

"I know that today's news is not what the families of the victims and the communities of northern Manitoba wanted to hear," MacLatchy said. "But when searching for people in vast, remote and rugged locations, it's always possible that they're not going to be immediately located."

Earlier on Wednesday, the Canadian Armed Forces revealed it had withdrawn from the search as well. The Department of National Defence said the military had been told its assistance is "no longer required" in the province.

"As a result, our aircrew and aircraft have ceased operations and will be returning to base. As always, we remain on standby for search and rescue operations," a spokesperson said in an email.

MacLatchy said she couldn't comment on unconfirmed reports that the suspects might have been spotted in Ontario.

As for the possibility the young men are already dead somewhere out in the brush, the assistance commissioner said investigators are not ruling anything out.

"The north part of the province is a very unforgiving place," she said. "Very challenging terrain, lots of wildlife. We're keeping all possibilities in mind."