Canadian authorities are swarming a small town after two “tall, slender individuals” matching the description of the suspected killers of Australian tourist Lucas Fowler were spotted foraging at a dump.
Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, have so far evaded a six-day cross-country manhunt.
They are both 193cm tall and weigh just 77kg.
Two members of the Bear Clan, an indigenous community policing group, possibly spotted the suspects on Sunday afternoon at York Landing in what appears to be the most significant tip in the frantic search for the duo in a remote area of northern Manitoba.
“They fit the description of what was given in the RCMP report,” Bear Clan member Travis Bighetty, who travelled hundreds of kilometres from Winnipeg to help in the search, told CBC.
“It didn’t click right away, it took a few moments.”
He said bears were also in the area.
The dump is about 90km southwest of the town of Gillam, where the duo allegedly torched a Toyota RAV4 on Monday and were presumed to have fled into thick bushland on foot.
The RCMP has deployed a huge contingent of officers in the area and a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130H Hercules is conducting air surveillance along with drones and helicopters.
McLeod and Schmegelsky are considered armed and dangerous after allegedly beginning a killing spree in Canada’s western province of British Columbia two weeks ago.
They are accused of shooting dead Mr Fowler, 23, from Sydney, and his North Carolina girlfriend Chynna Deese, 24, on the side of a freeway.
The old Chevrolet van Mr Fowler and Ms Deese were driving broke down on the Alaska Highway and left them stranded.
Four days later and 470km away a botanist, Leonard Dyck, was found dead on another BC highway.
It appears McLeod and Schmegelsky then drove 3000km east to the Gillam area.
"Despite reports - there is no one in custody at this time," Manitoba RCMP wrote in a tweet on Sunday evening.
"RCMP officers remain in the community of York Landing & continue to investigate the reported sighting of the two suspects.
"All required resources are being used in this ongoing investigation."