The families of an American woman and her Australian boyfriend who were murdered in Canada say they fear the killings were egregiously violent.

The Charlotte Observer reports that Canadian authorities have told family members of Chynna Deese that an open casket would not be possible, leading them to conclude that the deaths were particularly brutal.

Little is known about the investigation into a possible suspect or suspects.

“What worries us is that person is still on the loose and they have a head start,” Chynna’s brother British Deese told the newspaper, referring to the killer.

Chynna Deese, 24, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and her boyfriend, Lucas Fowler, 23, of New South Wales, Australia, were found shot to death on the side of a Canadian highway on Monday.

The victims’ families say Canadian investigators are sharing little information about the case.

British Deese said the pair had been dating for two years.

“They were deeply in love,” he told the Charlotte Observer. “They met traveling and that’s just what they did – travel.”

The pair reportedly met at a Croatian hostel in 2017 and traveled all over Europe, Asia and Central America.

Fowler had been working in Canada and the two were reportedly planning a three-week road trip, with one week at a cattle ranch and the rest at national parks.

According to the report, it took police three days to identify the bodies. Authorities found Deese’s passport in the couple’s blue van, which had broken down and was situated near where the bodies were located. It is not known if Fowler’s ID was found anywhere near the scene or if it may have been taken by the killer.

“They were bright souls,” said another Deese brother, Kennedy Deese, in a post on Facebook. “We are all still in shock and heartbroken.”

Chynna Deese graduated from Appalachian State University in 2017 and from Myers Park High in 2013.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to the Northern Rockies Royal Canadian Mounted Police at 250-774-2700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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