Canada police launch investigation into murder of Australian, American tourists

The police in Canada have launched a probe into the murder of two young travelers who were fatally shot in northern British Columbia part of the country.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the couple, American Chynna Deese, 24, and Australian Lucas Fowler, 23, were both found dead last week near a popular tourist destination.

Reports say the lifeless bodies of the pair were found near their 1986 blue Chevrolet minivan which was parked on the side of the Alaska Highway, near Liard Hot Springs, between Sunday and Monday.

Police say some eyewitnesses saw the couple on the side of the road when their van broke down, but that they seemed to have it under control.

READ ALSO: Canadian man survives after being swept over Niagara Falls

Fowler’s father, a senior member of the New South Wales Police Force described the murder of his son and his son’s girlfriend as “a love story that ended tragically”.

“I may be an experienced police officer but today I am standing here as the father of a murder victim,” he told media at an RCMP news conference.

Two police officers from Australia have traveled to act as family liaisons during the RCMP investigation. Mr Fowler says they will not get involved in the case directly.

“I’m an experienced police officer and I know how these investigations can go,” he said. “But I can tell you I am more than confident in all of the officers that are working on this case.”

Family of both victims say they had planned on traveling across Canada.

“They were bright and beautiful souls. We are all still in shock and heartbroken,” Kennedy Deese, Chynna’s sister, wrote on Facebook.

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