The search for two B.C. murder suspects appears to be over, with autopsies on two bodies scheduled Thursday, but what do their deaths mean for the ongoing homicide investigation?
CTV News Vancouver's Sheila Scott spoke to the BC RCMP's Janelle Shoihet about the case, and asked the staff sergeant what happens next.
Below are some of the answers, which have been edited for length and clarity. Watch the three-minute interview above.
Question: What do you know about motive?
Answer: That's the question that we are still trying to answer, honestly. I mean, there's a lot of information that we have gathered over the course of this investigation, including digital statements, some digital evidence, that we are still in the process of combing through.
In addition, (Manitoba investigators are) still going to be at the scene, my understanding is, for a number of days, combing through the brush there to see if there's any additional information that can be gathered from the scene that may lead us a little closer to that answer.
But certainly, we may never definitively have that answer, and that's one of the difficulties when suspects are found deceased – or we believe it to be our suspects were found deceased – that we don't have the opportunity to sit down with them and ask them the question that everybody wants to know, and that's "why?"
Q: Have you been able to give the victims' families any indication of what happened?
A: We have been in constant contact with those families and been sharing the information that we have, that we think is important for them to know.
Whether or not those discussions include possible motive, I think it would be purely speculative of us to share information, and maybe more damaging to them than if we were to have facts. And really that's what's important to us: to give them the facts.
Q: Are you expecting more charges to be approved?
A: Certainly just because they are deceased does not preclude us from having those discussions with the BC Prosecution Service.
I know that investigators are working still towards that goal – to potentially have some charges in relation to the (Chynna Deese-Lucas Fowler) homicide. We were close and have been close for some time, and it's my understanding we're just waiting on a few investigative forensic reports in order to have that key piece.
There may possibly be charges in the future.
