Drivers of burned-out truck found in Northern B.C. now considered missing

RCMP say the two young male drivers of a pickup truck found on fire in Northern B.C., close to a dead body, arenow considered missing.

On Friday, RCMP discovered the burning truck, fitted with a sleeping camper, near Dease Lake, B.C. They found the body the same day, about two kilometres away in a highway pullout.

• Vehicle fire, discovery of dead body near Dease Lake, B.C., under investigation

RCMPnow say the truck's drivers,19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky, bothfrom Port Alberni, B.C., haven't been in contact with their families for the past few days.

The pair were travelling in the pickup to visit Whitehorse and look for work, police say, and may be in an area without cellphone coverage. RCMP are asking anyone who may have seen them to call police.

Police say they're working to identify thebody found near the burned vehicle, but officers now know that it isn't Schmegelskyor McLeod. They're still figuring out how the body and the vehicle are related, if at all.

Schmegelskyand McLeod were last spotted in the red and grey Dodge pickup trucktravelling south from the Super A general store in Dease Lake at around 3:15 p.m. last Thursday.

Kam McLeod is described as:

• 6 foot 4 or1.93 metres tall.
• Weighing approximately 169 pounds or 77 kilograms.
• Having dark brown hair and facial hair.
• Having brown eyes.

Bryer Schmegelsky is described as:

• 6 foot 4or 1.93 metres tall.
• Weighing approximately 169 pounds or 77 kilograms.
• Having sandy brown hair.

'Growingcommunity concerns'

Police admit there are "growing community concerns" afteratotal of five people have been declared missing or murderedin Northern B.C.in the past weekalthough officers say they don't know if the cases are related.

Earlier last week,a couple was found deadabout 470 kilometres away on a remote stretch of highway. The young couple had been travelling through Northern B.C. to Alaska in a camper van.

RCMP are asking the public to take general safety precautions like sharing travel plans with friends and family and establishing check-in times, as well as to remain vigilant.

Anyone with any informationabout Schmegelskyand McLeodis asked to call Dease Lake RCMPat 250-771-4111, or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.