Canada murders: Bryer Schmegelsky's father apologises to victims' families on 60 Minutes

Dead Canadian fugitive Bryer Schmegelsky's father, Alan Schmegelsky, has spoken to 60 Minutes. Photo / Supplied

The father of Bryer Schmegelsky, one of the two Canadian teenagers suspected of murdering Lucas Fowler, Chynna Deese and Leonard Dyck, has said sorry to the victims' families.

In a preview of an interview with 60 Minutes set to air on Sunday night, a tearful Alan Schmegelsky expressed his sorrow and disbelief over what his late 18-year-old son did, news.com.au reports.

"I'm so, so sorry for what's happened," Mr Schmegelsky said.

"When someone in your family dies, I know that f***ing pain," he said.

"This is the worst nightmare anyone could ever imagine."

Addressing the families of Mr Fowler, Miss Deese and Mr Dyck, he said:

"Whether it's my son or something else … I have just lost my son, I know exactly how you feel. From our country to the families, I am so sorry."

"Whether it's my son or whether it's something else we don't know. I have just lost my son, I know exactly how you feel." Bryer Schmegelsky's father has spoken to @60Mins about his son's deadly actions and apologised to the victim's families. #9Today pic.twitter.com/5jVYyqaube

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) August 8, 2019

Mr Schmegelsky, who had an at times fractured relationship with his son and is currently homeless, stopped short of calling his son a murderer.

"I'm not going to say my son is a murderer until I get some facts."

Two bodies believed to be those of Bryer Schmegelsky and his suspected accomplice Kam McLeod, 19 were found in thick scrub in a remote area of northern Manitoba on Wednesday.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police found the two bodies about 1km from the banks of the Nelson River, near the small town of Gillam, the centre of the manhunt for the past two weeks.

Mr Schmegelsky's comments come as the family of Leonard Dyck has remembered the 64-year-old University of British Columbia professor and botanist, who was found dead on another highway in British Columbia four days after Mr Fowler and Miss Deese's bodies were discovered.

"Leonard was a special individual, yet the kind of guy who didn't really need to stand out," his cousin Eric Friesen told Canada's Global News on Friday.

"He was a humble individual as well and it's a tragic loss," Mr Friesen said, adding that Mr Dyck "was an extremely bright individual … we want the world to know that Leonard was dedicated to his family."

Mr Friesen said Mr Dyck, who was a talented singer and musician, often took sojourns into the remote countryside, immersing himself in a lifelong fascination with plant life and marine biology.

Mr Dyck leaves behind his wife of 30 years, Helen, and two sons aged 22 and 19. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support them.

The discovery of Schmegelsky and McLeod's bodies brought to an end a three-week manhunt stretching 5000km across Canada. Their remains were taken to Winnipeg for post-mortem examinations.

The heartbreaking saga began on July 15 when the bodies of Mr Fowler, 23, from Sydney, and Miss Deese, 24, from North Carolina were found in a ditch beside their broken down blue 1986 Chevrolet van.