CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WSOC/CNN Newsource) – A Charlotte woman and her boyfriend were murdered while they were traveling the world, officials said.

Chynna Deese, 24, and her boyfriend, Lucas Fowler, were shot and killed on a remote western Canadian highway on their way to Alaska.

The victims’ families have no idea why the couple was targeted. The man and woman were shot to death beside their van along a highway, police said.

“She was happy. She was so happy and that gives me comfort,” said Chynna Deese ‘s mom Sheila Deese.

Chynna Deese and Fowler were spending two weeks in a van traveling across Canada, the mother said.

“To be honest, I was not worried about her going to Canada because she had been there before and Lucas was with her,” mom Sheila Deese said.

After visiting national parks in Canada, the pair planned to end the trip in Alaska. They were found dead Monday morning.

“They had mapped out their route. And, to my understanding, the van broke down and that’s where the tragedy happened,” mom Sheila Deese told WSOC-TV.

Fowler was from Australia, where his father was a chief police inspector, according to MSN.