RCMP name Chipman homicide victims found in burnt SUV

New Brunswick RCMP have released the names of a man and woman whose bodies were discovered in a burnt-out SUV in Chipman in November.

Robert Waugh, 47, and Victoria King, 23, both of the Fredericton area, have been identified as the victims of the double homicide, using dental records and DNA, Cpl. Hans Ouellette told CBC News on Monday.

Their bodies were found Nov. 25 inside a white Chevrolet Equinox "that had been consumed by fire" off Midland Road, about 60 kilometres northeast of Fredericton, he said.

RCMP deemed their deaths to be homicides early in the investigation, but Ouellette declined Monday to divulge any information as to why, including whether they were killed by the fire.

"The details of, you know, how they died, was it before, was it after the fire, during the fire, those are all details that are going to be part of that ongoing investigation" by the major crime unit, he said.

Ouellette also declined to say whether the victims were known to police, but reiterated that area residents have no reason to fear.

"It was not random, or is not believed to be random, and it was believed to be targeted."

RCMP announced the homicides two days after the bodies were located. In a news release, Ouellette said members of the Chipman detachment had responded Nov. 25, around 8 a.m, to a report of a vehicle on fire with two people inside.

Ouellette told CBC News at the time RCMP believed the discovery was due to an isolated event, and investigators had requested that information be withheld.

On Monday, Ouellette said police are releasing the victims' names in the hopes that people who knew them or recognize them will come forward with information that could help advance the investigation and bring answers to their loved ones, as well as the community.

This could include information about their movements or conversations in the days leading up to their deaths, he said.

The victims were "known to each other," according to Ouellette, but he could not describe the nature of their relationship.

Nor could he say who owned the vehicle in which their bodies were found.

He did, however, say that police are no longer looking for information on a car, previously described as a "vehicle of interest" in the case.