It’s been nearly 4 weeks since the bodies of Canadian fugitives, Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky were found in Northern Manitoba’s bush from self inflicted gun shots. The Port Alberni residents were found with a cell phone video message which hasn’t been released by police, but according to a story by the Star Vancouver it contains information about what they wanted done with their bodies. With the exception of efforts by a few good journalists who dug up revealing details from Port Alberni locals, Canadian media has not provided the concerned public with information to help explain why the pair did what they did.

The fugitives were suspected of homicide and were charged with second degree murder, after 3 people were found dead off northern British Columbia’s highways. McLeod and Schmegelsky left Vancouver Island in a hurry in early July, after they quit their jobs at Walmart and told family they planned to drive to the Yukon to find work. In an early-on interview, Schmegelsky’s father, Alan, added that he texted his son in an attempt to entice him not to leave by offering a bottle of cologne he was asked to purchase for him. His son replied by saying he would no longer have reception or be in contact.

On July 15th, the bodies of tourist couple Chynna Deese (U.S.) and Lucas Fowler (Australia) were discovered by a road worker off the Alaska Highway south of Liard Hot Springs, in B.C.’s far north. Four days later on July 19th, the body of Leonard Dyck, a botanist and UBC professor from Vancouver, was discovered by police near Dease Lake. All three victims were shot to death.

Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky became fugitives and travelled nearly across the country without getting caught (something Schmegelsky’s father is eerily proud of). They even inadvertently got help from a civilian in Gillam, Manitoba when the Rav4 they were driving got stuck in the mud. They also managed to talk their way out of being further searched by a Constable for the Tataskweyak Cree Nation after driving through a check stop. It wasn’t until one day later on July 23rd, that the RCMP released public information about the pair being homicide suspects (they were previously suspected missing). At the same time McLeod and Schmegelsky burned the Rav4 about 70 km southeast of Gillam, and we’re last seen alive near the dump at York Landing. Police soon after retracted military forces, claiming that they were at, “square one.”

The ultimate question for concerned citizens is, why? What’s the motive behind the suspected murderers, and why would they kill Chynna, Lucas and Leonard? Is there a possibility of this happening again? Do men like this live in my community? Is it time we take a closer look at what young, privileged white men are up to? (Yes. Like, yesterday.) The unfolding of events understandably had Gillam and York Landing residents on high alert, folks across the country and in Port Alberni still unnerved, too many questions unanswered and way too many Canadians defensive of “the boys”.

After the suspected killers were confirmed dead and all the clicks we’re had, the media finally, mechanically and ominously pushed the message out to the public that, “We may never know why.” And that’s the last we heard about “the boys”.

The boys have also morphed thru online hate group called incels. Incels have fuelled Canada’s most recent mass murder sprees, and there’s a possibility McLeod and Schmegelsky we’re involved with the extremist movement.

WHAT ARE INCELS?

Incels, short for involuntary celibates, are members of an online subculture made up of predominantly heterosexual males who define themselves as incapable of obtaining a sexual partner despite desiring one, and believe women should be violently punished for rejecting them. They isolate themselves and converse regularly. They have strong anti semitic views and spread outstanding rhetorics like the rise of Feminism is a ploy by the Jews to overthrow the West. Incel discussions and behaviours are characterized by resentment, misanthropy, narcissism, self pity, self loathing, misogyny, racism, extremism, radicalization, a sense of entitlement to sex, aggrieved entitlement, *the endorsement of violence against sexually active people and the glorification of violence and mass attacks.

America’s nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center says incels are, “Part of the online male supremacist ecosystem” which consists of larger more pronounced groups including: neo nazis, white nationalists, male supremacists, anti government extremists, anti LGBTQ, and anti immigrant holocaust deniers.

Schmegelsky’s former elementary school-mate, Madison Hempstead, said in a Global interview that Schmegelsky didn’t have many friends and systematically described how he wanted to kill her, her friends, and himself,

“He would say things about how he would like.. cut our heads off and then he would take a gun put it in his mouth, and shoot himself in front of us.”

Madison Hempstead, former classmate of Schmegelsky

They we’re 13 at the time. Hempstead also said that some people in the community, particularly parents, don’t believe Schmegelsky and McLeod committed the crimes and that they had bright futures ahead. Hempstead says she understand why the community is in fear and disbelief, and that her friends remain diligent, “A lot of people are saying they don’t wanna believe it because we grew up with him, they look like good kids. But I know my friends who have had the same experiences as I had with him – they’re all kinda scared about it. And no one really wants to say anything about it because they’re scared.”

Shmegelsky’s father came to the defence of his son in an interview with CHECK, admitting his son played a lot of military tactic video games and was gifted an air rifle by his father, but that there was nothing out of the ordinary for “the boys” to go into the woods and “play war.” He claims that they were innocent of the crimes, that they never got in trouble with the law or picked fights in the past, and repeatedly claimed they we’re “good boys”. He says the pair we’re simply at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

There has been an alarming increase of mass murders in North America committed by young men who have either self-identified as incels or who had mentioned incel-related names and verbiage in their private writings or Internet postings. It would be revealing to know what the police found on the pair’s computers during their investigation. In the last 5 years, there have been over 12 counts of incel related mass killings across Canada and the U.S., which have resulted in 45 deaths.

SHE(BITES) reached out to a number of Canadian anti hate group and anti terrorist representatives who responded by saying it was too early to comment on possible motives. Elizabeth Ford, Project Manager of the Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS) said there was, “virtually no concrete evidence.”

SIMILAR EXAMPLES OF INCEL INSPIRED VIOLENCE

On April 23rd 2018 Alek Minassian killed 10 and injured 14 by running them over with a rented white van off of Yong Street in Toronto. He posted the following on Facebook before his attack;

The term “Incel Rebellion” is used interchangeably with the term “Beta Uprising” which refers to an encouraged and glorified violent response to the incels’ perceived sexual deprivation.

A few months later, Faisal Hussain shot and killed 2 and injured 14 in the Danforth shooting off Toronto’s Greek district. The shooter, Hussain, was an active incel who had a copy of Elliot Rodger’s manifesto.

In May of 2014, son of Hollywood film maker (Hunger Games), Elliot Roger, killed 6 people and injured 14 near the University of California campus by shooting them, stabbing them, and running them over with his black BMW. He also shot and killed himself. The night of his spree he posted an eery, intimate video on Facebook and a 141 page manifesto blaming women for his virginity and rejection; while glorifying mass attacks by incels.

Incels are not a new concept – on December 6th 1989 the École Polytechnique Massacre in Montreal took place, when Marc Lepine went into the polytechnic school with a shot gun, separated the male and female students and shot 14 women engineers before stating, “All feminists must die!”

As recently as last month, two Americans we’re tied to violent incel activity including Christopher Wayne Clearly of Denver Colorado who cited his virginity as the reason for planning a mass shooting. He posted on Facebook that he was going to be “killing as many girls as I see,” adding, “There’s nothing more dangerous than man ready to die.”

CHYNNA AND LUCAS COULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED A “CHAD AND STACY”

Incels categorize women by either “Stacys,” who are hyperfeminine, unattainable and only date sexually prolific “Chads,” or “Beckys,” the “average” woman who also dates “Chads”. Incels also refer to women as “femoids” or “female humanoid organism,” and “normies” are considered anyone who they classify as average on a scale of attraction used by online subcultures. Incels use hate fuelled jargon and vernaculars on their online forums to help spread extremist views and radicalize their members.

It’s likely that McLeod and Schmegelsky witnessed Chynna and Lucas’ intimacy and general existence, and were fuelled by the violent spree they we’re already planning on executing.

Incels are a danger to both women and men – they gain satisfaction and power by posing a threat of violence to both. Example: On July 31, 2016, Sheldon Bentley robbed and killed an unconscious man in an alleyway in Edmonton, Alberta. During his trial, Bentley said he killed the man by kicking his abdomen because he was frustrated with his job as a security guard and being an involuntary celibate. He admitted he had been an incel member for four years.

Sociological research on incels has analyzed them as a hybrid masculinity, where privileged men distance themselves from traditional norms of masculinity (their daddies) also known as  hegemonic masculinity, while simultaneously reproducing it with increased aggression and violence. These men have made online subcultures which include: manosphere, beta males, and incels.

SCHMEGELSKY’S NEO NAZI SYMPATHIZING & RADICALIZATION

In 2018 Schmegelsky allegedly sent photographs of a swastika armband and a Hitler Youth knife to an online gaming friend. There are also pictures that have surfaced that show Schmegelsky in military fatigues, holding an Airsoft replica rifle and wearing a gas mask. Again in defence, Schmegelsky’s father says he doesn’t think his son was a Nazi sympathizer, but admits his son thought the memorabilia was “cool.”

Schmegelsky was also known to lie about his ethnicity and told people he was Russian.”He thought he was Russian. Germans are their enemies!”, his father said of his son’s Nazi fascination in an interview. He added to the Canadian Press that he knew his son was going to end up killing himself, “In very serious pain.. He’s on a suicide mission. He wants his pain to end. They’re going to go out in a blaze of glory… Trust me on this. That’s what they’re going to do.” In tears he added he was concerned that the public will portray him as bad father. (Yes.)

“THE BOYS” SLIP THROUGH

Tommy Ste-Croix, of Cold Lake in northeastern Alberta, unintentionally towed the fugitive’s SUV out of the mud in Gillam, Manitoba and admitted he was glad he made it out alive after he found out a day later about their manhunt. Shockingly still, Ste-Croix questions whether the two “young boys” committed the crimes at all. In a recorded podcast with CBC he said, “I really doubt if they even did it. There’s always two sides to the story. Innocent until proven guilty.” Ste-Croix was visiting his brother’s house at the time which he says was in view shot of the SUV. When Ste-Croix approached the suspects he thought they seemed young and assumed they took their parents car for a rip. His first comment to them was a joke about their mom and dad being upset, which one of them responded by saying, “Mom and dad wanted us to go on a joyride.” They laughed again. He then asked if they had called anyone for help which they quickly responded by saying, “No.” Ste-Croix, still, admitted they seemed nervous.

EXPERTS SAY INCELS ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN WHITE SUPREMACISTS

Incels have been the drivers behind some of the most extreme violence we’ve been seeing. Keegan Hankes, a senior research analyst working for the Southern Poverty Law Center describes violent posts on incel forums as “more … than I’m used to seeing on even white supremacist sites.” Recently in June, in an act of due diligence, Joint Base Andrews military base briefed its personnel on incels, with a spokesman describing them as, “A very real threat to military members and civilians.”

Senior research fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), Amarnath Amarasingam, has criticized incel communities where calls for violence are a commonplace, saying “Under the right set of psychological and personal circumstances, these kinds of forums can be dangerous and push people into violence.”

Shmegelsky’s father wants access to the ‘last testament’ video in an attempt at what he calls “closure.” Safe to say it’s foremost that the parents of Chynna, Lucas and family members of Leonard deserve an understanding and justice for what happened. Further and proactively, it would serve Canadians best to be informed about Incels, so they can identify a threat in their backyard or when it rolls up. Also, best to stop calling individuals who are an extreme danger to society, “boys”.