Pod Insights Casefile True Crime Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay About this episode *** Content warnings: Gun violence, animal cruelty ***
When 74-year-old Russell Hill and 73-year-old Carol Clay vanished while camping in Victoria’s rugged High Country, their disappearance brought many hidden secrets to light. People theorised that the pair had run away together, were the victims of a murder-suicide, or had accidentally been killed by hunters. But there was only one person out there who knew the truth.
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Narration – Anonymous Host https://www.instagram.com/caseys.snaps/
Research & writing – Eileen Ormsby
Editing – Erin Munro
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Production & music – Mike Migas http://mikemigas.com/
Music – Andrew Joslyn
Audio editing – Anthony Telfer
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Transcript 12,589 words · 3 speakers
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1:57 Speaker 00 Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis center. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.
2:24 Speaker 00 On Saturday, March 21, 2020, Andrew Markwart, his wife and their two children woke to crisp autumn air at their campsite on the Howat High Plains in the Australian state of Victoria. Located within the Alpine National Park in the state's north-east, the area was popular with campers seeking a rugged and remote spot to be within nature. After breakfast, the Markwart family decided to venture down into the nearby Wanangata Valley, hoping to find a campsite closer to the river. As they navigated the winding tracks, Andrew, an experienced bushman, kept watch for suitable clearings.
3:06 Speaker 00 At around lunchtime, he turned into what looked like a promising spot. Once inside, however, it was a different story. A white Toyota Land Cruiser ute, apparently new, was parked in the clearing. All along its passenger-side canopy were black scorch marks. On the ground beside the vehicle was what Andrew first took to be the remains of a campfire, but the blackened area sprawled far larger than any responsible camper would allow. Drawing closer, Andrew realised he was looking at a campsite that had been entirely cremated.
3:48 Speaker 00 Chairs, awning, mattresses and a tent had all been reduced to twisted metal and ash. The only thing left standing was a toilet tent, set apart from the main side. It had largely escaped the inferno, save for some melted zips. The scene was cold, there was no smoke or embers, and the ash had long cooled. The Land Cruiser stood locked and empty. Deciding to keep moving, the Markwarts pressed on upstream, eventually finding a suitable spot to settle near a suspension bridge. But the memory of the burnt-out camp nagged at Andrew throughout the night.
4:34 Speaker 00 The next morning, he walked back to the incinerated site alone. Nothing had changed, yet something felt wrong. A lead trailed from the Land Cruiser's canopy to the ground. The vehicle's passenger-side mirror was missing, as though ripped off, and empty bourbon and cola cans lay scattered behind the rear wheel. Peering through a window, Andrew spotted a pink bag on the front seat. There was an esky tucked under the ute. When Andrew lifted its lid, he saw food inside that looked fresh.
5:13 Speaker 00 Increasingly uneasy, Andrew returned to his family to talk the matter over. They wondered whether there had been an emergency and a second vehicle had taken the Land Cruiser's campers out for medical attention or supplies. With no phone reception and unable to do any more, Andrew photographed the scene. Once he was back in mobile range, he would report the discovery to the police.
6:04 Speaker 00 Two days before Andrew Marquardt had discovered the burnt-out campsite, a 74-year-old named Russell Hill was preparing to go camping in the Wannagatta Valley. This would be Russell's third visit to the area in a month. Just one week earlier, he had camped for a single night in the Alpine National Park. It was a six-hour round trip from his home in the west Gippsland town of Druin, but Russell relished his time in the great outdoors.
6:36 Speaker 00 A former forestry worker who'd later worked as a truck driver, Russell had embraced camping even more after entering retirement. He was an experienced outdoorsman and still relatively fit for his age, though he moved more deliberately than he had as a younger man.
6:55 Speaker 00 His wife Robyn didn't mind that Russell often went camping without her. He had struggled after he stopped working, confiding in a few close friends that his new phase of life was more difficult than anticipated. They had suggested he take up hobbies such as peering for gold or joining a social men's club, but these suggestions hadn't worked out. Travelling out into the wilderness however, seemed to be something that helped him.
7:26 Speaker 00 Early on the morning of Thursday, March nineteen, twenty twenty, Robyn helped her husband pack his bags, including a bottle of Bundaberg rum and some cans of Cougar Bourbon and Coke. She waved him off at seven AM as he cheerfully drove away in his two thousand seventeen white Toyota Land Cruiser four-wheel drive.
7:49 Speaker 00 The Land Cruiser had been expertly fitted out for Russell's adventures and was ideal for driving to the Wannagatta Valley. Considered one of the iconic drives in the Victorian high country, the journey included striking panoramic views and challenging four-wheel drive tracks. Russell wound the Land Cruiser through Lacola, a small town on the banks of the McAllister River, before facing the more challenging tracks which were only accessible to all-terrain vehicles. This was Russell's territory. During his work as a forestry worker, he'd helped build many of these tracks, including the notoriously tricky Zeke Spur.
8:34 Speaker 00 Despite the remoteness of the location, Russell's journey didn't go unnoticed. Multiple people in the area saw Russell's vehicle, including a weed sprayer named Robert Williams who was working along a track. Robert admired the Land Cruiser as it approached, noting that it was fitted out with a custom-made canopy, but was less impressed when Russell roared past him without a customary greeting or friendly wave.
9:03 Speaker 00 Robert had reason to be wary of strangers in the valley. The day before, he'd encountered what he described as a creepy fellow, dressed in a singlet, shorts and gaiters.
9:17 Speaker 00 The man had pulled up in a four-wheel drive hauling a trailer, his clothes stained with sweat, and asked about camping spots. Robert and his fellow sprayers had a joke to darkly about the man's resemblance to infamous Australian serial killer Ivan Mallett, whose crimes were covered in episode 109 of Case File. Later, Robert spotted the same vehicle at a nearby campground known as Buck's Camp, which was a small group of sites on Dry River. It was reversed deep into the bushes with only its bull bar visible, as though its owner wished to remain unseen.
10:01 Speaker 00 As Russell Hill neared the end of his drive to the Wanagata Valley, he was followed for a time by two friends who had travelled down from Sydney to spend a few days foraging for mushrooms. Frustrated by Russell's slower driving, the two men tried to overtake him without success. They were relieved when the Land Cruiser finally turned into Buck's Camp.
10:27 Speaker 00 The Buck's Camp site held personal significance to Russell Hill. Twenty-five years earlier, Russell's cousin Gary Hill had been in the area hunting with his nephew. During this ill-fated trip, Gary's nephew had mistaken his uncle for a deer and shot at him with his 35 caliber rifle. The shot was fatal, and Gary died instantly. The shooting was ruled accidental, with Gary's nephew blaming "buck fever", a term to describe a hunter's rash impulse to shoot. But the death left its mark on the Hill family, and a white cross had been installed at nearby Hillie's Camp to commemorate Gary.
11:13 Speaker 00 It featured a memorial plaque engraved with the warning: "Not every stag under a rub tree is a deer."
11:23 Speaker 00 The tragedy had shaped Russell Hill's views on firearms. He'd surrendered his inherited shotgun during a gun amnesty and never owned another. Yet, Russell's respect for gun safety didn't extend to other regulations. He brazenly ignored prohibitions on cutting snow gum for firewood, dismissing Rangers' warnings with a curt. "I don't give a fuck." He'd also brought along a Mavic drone, the use of which violated the park rule about flying without permits. Russell camped by his own code.
12:04 Speaker 00 Russell parked his Land Cruiser just left of the Buck's Camp entrance. There was one other campsite already set up in the prime spot next to the river entrance, so he'd have to make do with a less desirable spot inland. Russell insisted on top of the range camp gear and had packed a Black Wolf turbo tent, a portable fridge freezer, sturdy chairs, and a proper table.
12:31 Speaker 00 Instead of sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag, he had a comfortable mattress with a blue doona. He even used a toilet tent instead of a drop-dunny, setting it up in front of the Land Cruiser's bonnet and securing it to the bull bar to protect against sudden gusts of wind.
12:50 Speaker 00 Russell's entire approach was that of a seasoned and experienced camper. Not one to rely on smartphone apps, he carried paper maps in his vehicle, including hunting zone charts that marked permitted seasons and weapons across the Alpine region. In order to stay in contact with others while away, Russell indulged in his true passion: amateur radio. This was more than just a simple hobby for Russell. He'd sat for five different examinations to obtain the licence that allowed him to operate across the high-frequency channels used for ham radio communications.
13:31 Speaker 00 Russell had a sophisticated setup that he took everywhere. A home radio complemented by the portable unit in his car’s console, powered by its own dedicated battery. PVC pipes that housed antenna wires ran along the underside of the Land Cruiser’s canopy, curving to the roof, their joints secured with gaffer tape. Known as “the antenna guy” among his mates, Russell had perfected the art of stringing wires through the highest tree branches, using weighted lines to achieve the ideal 10 to 20 metre elevation for clear transmission.
14:11 Speaker 00 Every evening at 6 o’clock, Russell joined a tight-knit group of fellow amateur radio enthusiasts on frequency 3.675 for their half-hour nat, a ritual that was not only social, but a form of safety check for those who were beyond a mobile phone range. His wife Robyn would often listen in on these chats as a way to keep in touch and up-to-date with her husband’s travels.
14:43 Speaker 00 The following day of Friday, March 20, Russell Hill was seen by other campers. His drone was also spotted by weed sprayer Robert Williams, who was still working in the area. At around 5pm, Robert noticed the drone circling directly over his head. He wasn’t a fan of the flying robots. Although they could take good photographs for their users and provide information about the surrounding terrain, Robert found their loud buzzing sound rude and disruptive to the tranquility of the bush.
15:21 Speaker 00 Russell’s purchase of the Mavic drone had also surprised some of his friends, as he wasn’t typically someone who was interested in high-tech gadgets. But it was a hobby Russell had seemed enthusiastic about, and he’d even named the new gadget, calling it “Fred”. The drone was a sophisticated and expensive piece of equipment which Russell controlled through a smartphone interface.
15:48 Speaker 00 The open Wanangada Valley provided perfect conditions for him to explore via the unmanned aerial vehicle.
15:57 Speaker 00 As the drone circled Robert Williams several times, filming him with its camera, he waved up at it. The drone dipped in acknowledgement, then flew off. It continued to hover nearby for about thirty-five to forty minutes, before disappearing downstream. Not long after this, at 6pm, Russell joined his regular evening amateur radio net. Using his call sign VK3VZP, he reported he'd been having transmission issues, but sounded positive overall. His last conversation was with mate Rob Ashland, discussing possible routes toward
16:40 Speaker 00 the nearby town of Dargo. Russell signed off at 6:40pm. Rob would later say that he'd sounded as happy as a pig in shit. Russell missed the next evening's scheduled call. His amateur radio group wasn't concerned, as equipment troubles weren't unusual, and he'd mentioned transmission problems the previous day. But, two more days passed without any contact from Russell. During their nightly nets, the radio enthusiasts called out to their friend, asking him if he'd fallen asleep.
17:21 Speaker 00 As the days wore on, their jokes turned to concern, as they were met with only static in reply. By Friday, March 27, a week had passed since Russell had last checked in with his radio buddies. Rob Ashland could no longer ignore his unease. He contacted Russell's wife, Robyn. She confirmed that she hadn't heard from her husband since listening in on his final radio conversation, the same evening Rob had last spoken with him. When Russell failed to return home that day, Robyn reported him missing, advising police
18:02 Speaker 00 that she was worried as he was alone, and it was unusual for him to be out of contact for so long. Two senior police constables from the town of Mafra headed to the Wanangada Valley, Russell's last known location. After checking the general store at Lakola, they combed the local campsites but found no trace of the missing man. They alerted the people they came across to watch for signs of a lone elderly camper.
18:35 Speaker 00 While beginning their investigation into Russell Hill's disappearance, the police came across a tip that had been reported several days earlier. A man named Andrew Markwart had notified authorities that he'd come across a burned-out campsite on Saturday, March 21, the morning after Russell was last heard from. On Saturday, March 28, the day after Russell was reported missing, officers set off for Buck's Camp to follow up on the lead. What they found confirmed their worst fears: a white Land Cruiser matching Russell's.
19:14 Speaker 00 The campsite itself was a wasteland of twisted metal and ash, covering a precise three-meter square. In the middle were the charred remnants of Russell's tent, mattress, table, and camp chairs. The toilet tent Russell had set up in front of his Land Cruiser was mostly undamaged, though its zips had melted. An esky beneath the vehicle was also intact.
19:42 Speaker 00 The fire's intensity puzzled investigators. Though it had consumed everything within reach, the esky and the Land Cruiser's tires were unmarked, suggesting an accelerant-fueled blaze that had been deliberately contained. Neither smartphones nor Russell's drone were found among the debris, though an older mobile phone sat in the youth's centre console.
20:08 Speaker 00 Through the vehicle's windows, police officers spotted not one, but two open wallets. Both had been stripped of cash and credit cards, and their contents scattered across both footwells.
20:23 Speaker 00 While one wallet confirmed Russell Hill's identity, the other, containing a health insurance card and a driver's licence, drew intrigue. It belonged to someone named Carol Clay, a woman no one had reported missing. Russell's family hadn't mentioned he was camping with anyone.
20:44 Speaker 00 The discovery forced investigators to confront an uncomfortable reality. They weren't looking for one missing person, but two.
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25:19 Speaker 00 Seventy-three-year-old Carol Clay resided in the outer Melbourne suburb of Pakinam. A former president of the Country Women's Association, or CWA, Carol spearheaded a diverse range of programs and actively sought to recruit younger members, telling the Pakinam Gazette on the CWA's 85th anniversary that it was "a modern organisation of women looking out for women". Her tenure as president saw her rubbing shoulders with dignitaries at Government House, traversing Australia and the South Pacific for conferences, and holding positions on the boards of several high-profile organisations.
26:01 Speaker 00 In 2018, Carol's tireless efforts were recognised when she was inducted as a member of honour of the CWA. Carol's influence extended far beyond the association. She volunteered with hospital auxiliaries and the Red Cross, and sat on various committees. She was also so well-known for her baking that she was in high demand for lessons and demonstrations. Generous with her time, if a friend was sick, Carol would be there every day, dropping off hearty meals until they got better.
26:39 Speaker 00 Described by one friend as a glamour queen, Carol was never seen without her signature red lipstick, stylish steel grey hair and pearl earrings. Though her children had grown and had families of their own, she remained actively involved in their lives, doting on her grandchildren from her newly downsized house near the shops and train station.
27:04 Speaker 00 The discovery of Carol's wallet in an abandoned ute nearly 400 kilometres away at Buck's Camp was both puzzling and deeply concerning.
27:15 Speaker 00 Police now faced the difficult task of advising Carol's daughter Emma that her mother had disappeared, seemingly while in the company of 74-year-old Russell Hill. The news came as a shock to Emma. She had known her mother was away camping, but Carol wasn't expected home until the following day of Sunday, March 29.
27:39 Speaker 00 The fact that Carol had been with Russell, however, was not a surprise.
27:48 Speaker 00 The pair had known each other since they were teenagers and Russell had been Carol's first boyfriend. They'd ultimately broken up and married other people, but stayed in touch. Russell and his wife Robyn had even attended Carol's first wedding. However, Russell had lied to Robyn, introducing Carol to her as his cousin.
28:12 Speaker 00 Robyn had believed this ruse for years. It wasn't until the early 2000s, during joint camping trips with Carol and her then-husband Linton, that Robyn noticed how Russell and Carol would frequently break away from the group for private walks. Though this made her uneasy, Robyn pushed her doubts aside, wanting to believe in her husband's fidelity.
28:38 Speaker 00 The deception unraveled when a neighbour confronted Russell after witnessing Carol's visits whenever Robin was away. The neighbour gave Russell an ultimatum: confess to Robin, or she would expose the affair herself. Backed into a corner, Russell admitted everything to Robin and their daughters, swearing to end the relationship and repair his marriage. Robin had believed him, but the affair had secretly continued. Russell's solo camping trips provided perfect cover for his and Carol's continued liaisons. He maintained the facade with a separate burner phone registered in Carol's name, ensuring
29:22 Speaker 00 no suspicious bills would reach home. The couple spoke of separating from their respective partners to be together, but only Carol ultimately went through with it. She divorced her husband to be with Russell, and told her daughter Emma about the affair. Emma felt awkward knowing about the relationship, but her mother assured her that it was very caring and loving. Carol had also confided in one of her sisters and a friend. She appeared content with the arrangement, which allowed her to maintain an intimate relationship, as well as her independence in the aftermath of her divorce.
30:05 Speaker 00 Most of the time Russell and Carol spent together was on their clandestine camping trips. Although camping hadn't always been an interest of Carol's, she embraced the pastime if it meant spending time with Russell. Their routine of private getaways was broken only once in January 2019, when Russell suggested meeting his friend Jim Francis. Jim was travelling around Australia in his caravan when Russell called, warning that he'd be bringing a woman who wasn't his wife. Though surprised, Jim didn't pry. The trio camped together for two weeks.
30:47 Speaker 00 To Jim, Russell and Carol seemed like any other couple, freely sharing their history around the campfire.
30:56 Speaker 00 Carol had been on another camping trip with Russell for Valentine's Day, one month before their Wanangada expedition. As she prepared to leave with Russell again in mid-March, Carol asked some neighbours to water her plants until she returned on Sunday, March 29.
31:16 Speaker 00 On the morning the couple left for their trip, Russell was seen loading Carol's bags into the boot of his Land Cruiser. Carol got into the vehicle carrying a pink floral overnight bag and a clear plastic bag holding three large lever arch folders full of CWA materials. Carol had made two phone calls during the journey and had been sighted both in the Land Cruiser and at Buck's Camp. While Russell collected firewood, maintained the solar setup and secured the site, Carol managed the camp kitchen. As Russell operated his drone or amateur radio, Carol would read.
31:59 Speaker 00 She always made sure to keep quiet during Russell's 6pm radio chats so no one listening in would know she was there. To the other campers who encountered them, Russell and Carol seemed like any other ordinary older couple.
32:19 Speaker 00 After finding the burnt-out campsite and confirming that Carol had been with Russell, investigators informed the Hill family that not only had Russell gone missing in unsettling and suspicious circumstances, he'd been having an affair. Despite their personal shock, both families agreed to media appeals. On Sunday, March 29, police announced the search for the elderly pair, citing concerns about their welfare and a lack of contact.
32:52 Speaker 00 The media statement had the intended effect. Witnesses came forward, including weed sprayer Robert Williams, who reported seeing Russell’s drone in the area before he went missing. The drone had been conspicuously absent from the campsite. Andrew Marquardt forwarded on the photographs he’d taken of the burnt site, and another witness also made contact. Nicholas Linden had been camping in the Wanagata Valley with his 11-year-old son on Wednesday, March 25, two days before Russell was reported missing. The father and son had been walking downstream after fishing when they came across the charred campsite.
33:38 Speaker 00 It was a disturbing sight, and the following day, when Nicholas had a mobile reception again, he reported the discovery to police in the northeast city of Wangaratta. Unfortunately, his report had gotten lost among paperwork and wasn’t passed on to the relevant station.
33:58 Speaker 00 Media interest in the story took off when Robin Hill publicly confirmed that she had originally believed her missing husband was camping alone. What began as a missing persons case became a tabloid sensation. The tale of a CWA stalwart’s secret romance with a married man turned their high-country disappearance into front-page news. Meanwhile, the investigation kicked up a gear.
34:32 Speaker 00 Police deployed drones and helicopters, while dog squads and mountain cattlemen scoured the dense scrub below. Initial theories centered on misadventure. Even skilled bushmen could lose their bearings in thick vegetation. Investigators focused on Russell’s missing drone, wondering if perhaps he’d wandered off searching for the expensive device, with Carol following. Maybe one or both of them got hurt, and the other was unable to find their way back to raise the alarm.
35:07 Speaker 00 After ten days, wild weather forced operations to halt, while emerging Covid-19 restrictions hampered efforts to marshal large volunteer search parties.
35:19 Speaker 00 The pandemic's first wave hit Victoria just as Russell and Carol went missing. Investigators focused on the couple's final known movements.
35:31 Speaker 00 According to Russell's friend, Rob Ashland, he had seemed relaxed during his last radio contact at 6:40pm. Whatever happened to Russell and Carol had occurred between then and Andrew Marquardt's discovery the next morning.
35:49 Speaker 00 When weather cleared on Tuesday, April 14, searchers returned to explore rougher terrain. But three weeks had passed, and hope of finding the couple alive was fading. The missing persons squad took charge, conducting standard proof-of-life checks through banks, hospitals, and phone records. No evidence emerged of accessed bank accounts, active phones, or a second vehicle.
36:18 Speaker 00 Detectives gathered DNA samples and investigated financial records, including insurance policies.
36:26 Speaker 00 Though reports occasionally surfaced of elderly couples matching Russell and Carol's descriptions, none proved credible.
36:35 Speaker 00 By Wednesday, April 22, Russell Hill and Carol Clay had been missing for a little over a month.
36:43 Speaker 00 Police notified the public that their hopes of finding the couple alive had dimmed. Potential witnesses were urged to come forward and assured that they wouldn't face Covid-19 fines for camping during restrictions.
36:59 Speaker 00 Both families released statements expressing their anguish.
37:04 Speaker 00 Russell's family described him as "our brother", "husband", "dad", and "pa", while Carol's family emphasized the disappearance was very out of character, as the pair were well-prepared and Russell knew the area well.
37:20 Speaker 00 Police appealed for witnesses who had been in the region between March nineteen and twenty-four. Various accounts emerged. Road workers reported an erratically driven white twin-cab ute. Diesel had been siphoned from machinery. And, most intriguingly, there were reports of a midnight encounter the night Russell and Carol vanished. Tom Matthews, who had been camping a few kilometres south-east of Buck's camp, recalled being woken around midnight on Friday, March twenty, by an older-model four-wheel-drive towing a rattly old trailer.
38:00 Speaker 00 The vehicle stopped at the river-crossing's "road closed" sign, having seemingly not realised they wouldn't have access to the road. The driver then performed a difficult U-turn and departed. Tom, experienced in bush sounds and vehicles, found the late-hour activity highly unusual.
38:27 Speaker 00 As the case spread online, news sites and social media buzzed with theories. Some were far-fetched, such as the suggestion that people who disapproved of the affair had sent a hitman after the couple. Police dismissed this notion altogether. Other theories seemed more plausible, like the idea that the couple had staged their disappearance to run away together. But both Russell and Carol were financially secure with close family ties, making an elaborate elopement plan unlikely.
39:03 Speaker 00 A friend of Carol's also told the television programme "A Current Affair" that Carol wouldn't have intentionally disappeared, as she had been eagerly planning a cruise with her sister. Police also dismissed this theory, given the lack of activity on their bank accounts.
39:21 Speaker 00 Another theory posited was that of a murder-suicide. Three hunters who recognised Russell from news coverage came forward to say they'd met him at nearby King Billy Number Two campsite a week before his disappearance. They described Russell as a knockabout sort of guy who'd asked permission to fly his drone near their camp. The hunters noted Russell's expertise with his drone and dedication to his radio setup. When he mentioned building the Zika spur track, they sensed pride in his former work.
39:58 Speaker 00 Though friendly, Russell revealed a darker side when discussing retirement. "Now I'm retired and it really fucked me up", he'd told them. His comments about retirement and home life concerned them enough to suggest suicide to investigators.
40:18 Speaker 00 While police considered their observations, they found no other evidence suggesting Russell was suicidal, let alone capable of involving Carol in such a plan. But forensic evidence did indicate that something violent had happened to the couple.
40:36 Speaker 00 Russell and Carol's DNA had been found throughout Russell's Land Cruiser. There was blood on the driver's armrest and DNA recovered from a map under the passenger seat. There were also six bloodstains on the inside of Russell's vehicle canopy that matched Carol's DNA.
40:58 Speaker 00 There had long been whisperings that something sinister was happening in Victoria's high country. Although strikingly beautiful, the region has somewhat of a dark history. Near where Russell and Carol had gone missing stood Wanagatta Station, where station manager James Barclay was found shot dead in 1917. The simultaneous disappearance of his cook, John Bamford, led to Bamford becoming the prime suspect, until he was discovered months later with a bullet in his head. These murders were never solved.
41:38 Speaker 00 More recently, several high-profile disappearances have occurred in the region. In 2008, 57-year-old father Warren Meyer went missing without a trace during a day hike, despite an extensive search effort.
41:55 Speaker 00 Three years later, former prison governor David Prado disappeared while deer hunting, sparking speculation about possible revenge killings. In 2018, the body of Trace Lee Whittaker was found alongside strange items, but her cause of death remained undetermined. And in 2019, experienced hiker Niles Becker vanished during a planned trek, joining a growing list of those who entered the High Country and never returned.
42:29 Speaker 00 The High Country’s unforgiving elements play a role in concealing evidence and thwarting investigations. Extreme weather, treacherous terrain, and dense vegetation can easily obscure trails and hide remains. There are also concerns that the region’s isolation harbors illicit activities like illegal cannabis farms, which could potentially be linked to some disappearances. While tragic accidents are certainly possible, given the risks, the repeated failure to find any trace of those who have gone missing fuelled suspicions that more sinister forces may be at work.
43:14 Speaker 00 Among High Country locals, there are persistent tales of what they call “hill people”—former miners who have retreated into the wilderness to live untouched by society. As detectives investigated the disappearance of Russell Hill and Carol Clay, there was one character who kept recurring in their information reports: the so-called “button man”.
43:39 Speaker 00 Described as an elderly but athletic man, the Button Man had wiry, weathered skin covered in tattoos and bone-stretched earlobes that gave him an otherworldly appearance. He had established a camp on a remote mountainside, which allowed him to observe visitors entering the park and to keep count of each one by building stone pyramids to mark their passage. The reports painted the picture of an unsettling figure who appeared to take pleasure in intimidating campers and hikers. The Button Man’s moniker came from his traditional bushcraft of fashioning buttons from deer bones and antlers.
44:21 Speaker 00 Witnesses reported he had an unnerving gaze and could “easily dispose of bodies”. His reputation grew through reports of disconcerting encounters. The Button Man’s interactions with campers followed a pattern: he would silently materialise at their campfires, steer conversations to troubling topics, and sometimes offer to show off his axe collection. His presence was felt even when unseen, as local bushmen found their hidden firewood supplies and food rations raided overnight. More and more stories spread.
45:04 Speaker 00 A sleeping marine had woken to find a tent erected noiselessly beside him during the night. Another camper woke to find mysterious photographs on their mobile phone’s camera roll. Others found inexplicable ski tracks leading from their campsite away into the Alpine Distance. Detectives working the Hill and Clay case were able to track down the almost mythic character to his camp, and found him to be quite different from the stories that had sprung up about him. He had been cooperative, phone records placed him far from where Russell and Carol disappeared,
45:46 Speaker 00 and he never became a serious suspect. Yet, the media’s fascination had already taken hold, with tabloids branding the Button Man as spooky and bloody scary.
46:00 Speaker 00 Locals defended him. They knew him as an eccentric but civil bushman who asked only for privacy. “The Button Man has been tried, found guilty and hung out to dry by Metro Media,” wrote a journalist for the Mansfield Courier.
46:19 Speaker 00 The publicity proved devastating. Tourists flocked to the area in search of the Button Man’s sanctuary, forcing him into temporary relocation. Though investigators cleared him, he had become an urban legend, distracting from the real mystery of Russell and Carol’s fate.
46:43 Speaker 00 When Victoria entered winter, the Wanagata Valley grew more forbidding, putting a halt to physical searches for the couple.
46:52 Speaker 00 Though the searches paused, investigators pursued every other lead, including alleged sightings at supermarkets that were checked against CCTV footage.
47:03 Speaker 00 Detectives also looked into reports of a reclusive illegal hunter with security cameras and an unsolved death in his past.
47:13 Speaker 00 Phone data quickly eliminated him as a suspect, but detectives suspected that hunting might have still played a role in the case.
47:23 Speaker 00 The High Country attracted both legal and illegal hunters pursuing sambar deer, whose antlers attracted high prices. While stalking was permitted year-round, strict regulations prohibited hunting near campsites and spotlight hunting. High Country musterer Lachlan Cullican had helped in the search for Russell and Carol and noticed an unusually high number of deer carcasses with antlers removed. This seemed to indicate that there was illegal poaching going on. The Sporting Shooters’ Association expressed concern about organised poaching operations,
48:04 Speaker 00 stating “These criminals are labelled as hunters when they are nothing more than criminals carrying out illegal activity.”
48:14 Speaker 00 Detectives wondered if perhaps Russell had captured evidence of illegal hunting on his drone, leading to a confrontation. Franz had described Russell as someone who didn't take crap from anyone, making it plausible that he could find himself in an altercation.
48:32 Speaker 00 An alternative possibility was that either Russell or Carol had been mistaken for prey through unclear thermal imaging equipment and accidentally shot. The panicked hunters might then have eliminated witnesses and destroyed evidence.
48:48 Speaker 00 But without any proof of such crimes, detectives had nothing to support their theories.
48:59 Speaker 00 A year passed without answers. A brief spark of hope flared in March 2021 when a drone matching Russell's was found in the area, but investigators confirmed it was not his. Goddard Dog searched the rugged terrain again, yet still found nothing. Russell's wife, Robyn, told the Australian newspaper she believed her husband was dead, but hoped the pair would be found to "face the music".
49:31 Speaker 00 The Country Women's Association, apparently finding the entire situation distasteful, quietly removed Carol's name from their honour roll.
49:43 Speaker 00 Police publicly stated that they believed that the couple was dead and had been the victims of foul play. They also made an appeal for information about their most puzzling lead. During their investigation, they had been able to identify almost every vehicle that had been in the area when Russell and Carol went missing, all but one. A Nissan Patrol, possibly white, hadn't been tracked down.
50:13 Speaker 00 In April 2021, investigators suddenly shifted their focus to Mount Hotham, eighty kilometres north-west of the burned campsite, where they retrieved two shovels designed for moving loose material. Police were tight-lipped about the shovel’s significance.
50:32 Speaker 00 Following this, the case dropped from the headlines once again and seemed destined to fade into mystery. Until six months later, in October 2021, when police announced that they were making significant headway. Soon after, advertisements ran for an episode of current affairs programme 60 Minutes that would be covering the case. Tantalising soundbites suggested that police were finally closing in on a resolution. On Sunday, November 7, 60 Minutes aired what appeared to be a simple recap featuring Russell’s daughters Debbie and Colleen and Carol’s sister Jill.
51:15 Speaker 00 But Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper had an ace to play.
51:22 Speaker 00 “Central to this case are these roadside cameras,” he revealed, “indicating footage from the valley’s access roads. We’ve accounted for every vehicle that left that weekend, except one. That vehicle, a dark-blue mid-nineties Nissan Patrol with distinctive modifications, had now become their primary focus.
51:47 Speaker 00 The grainy image showed only a side view, its occupants and number plate unclear. This revelation appeared related to investigators’ earlier appeals for an unidentified Nissan Patrol, though that vehicle had been described as possibly being white.
52:07 Speaker 00 Russell’s daughter Debbie made a raw appeal to the public, stating: “If someone watching knows what happened, surely your conscience is telling you that you need to speak up. Even if it’s only a tiny thing, even if you only have a slight suspicion, you need to come forward so both our families can put this to rest.”
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55:40 Speaker 00 A month after Russell Hill and Carol Clay went missing in March 2020, the missing person squad took over the case, with detectives Brett Florence and Abby Justin taking the lead. They began trying to trace the couple's possible movements via technology. Two months in, detective Florence obtained Russell's phone records. The data revealed crucial information about Russell's movements on the day he went missing. Between 9:26am and 9:50am on the day the burnt-out campsite was discovered, Russell's phone briefly connected to towers along the nearby Great Alpine Road,
56:22 Speaker 00 a more than 300 kilometre road through eastern Victoria. Because it connects to multiple ski resorts, the road features automatic number plate recognition cameras, installed to monitor resort access permits.
56:39 Speaker 00 Analysis of the number plate data showed 12 vehicles had passed through during the period when Russell's phone connected. By late June, detectives had isolated one vehicle of particular interest, a four-wheel-drive wagon towing a trailer. The timing aligned with witness Tom Matthews' report of being woken in the middle of the night by a four-wheel-drive and trailer attempting an awkward U-turn after encountering a closed road in the middle of the night.
57:12 Speaker 00 Two cameras had captured the vehicle. While one showed only a blurred side view, the other had captured the number plate clearly. It was registered to a white Nissan Patrol, though the footage showed what appeared to be a darker coloured vehicle, possibly blue. The owner's name was Gregory Lin and he resided in the suburb of Caroline Springs, 20 kilometres west of Melbourne.
57:41 Speaker 00 On Tuesday, July 14, 2020, Detectives Florence and Justin paid a visit to Lin's home. In the driveway sat a Nissan Patrol bearing the number plate from the footage. But, rather than the white of its registration, or blue as captured on camera, the vehicle was beige. Detective Justin activated her recording device as Florence knocked on the front door. A middle-aged man answered, and Detective Florence assured him he wasn't in any trouble. They were simply making some inquiries relating to the missing old couple up in the Wanangatta area. They were following up with everyone whose cars had placed them in the region at the time.
58:28 Speaker 00 Gregory Lin was polite and well-spoken as he invited them inside.
58:34 Speaker 00 When asked why his vehicle wasn't white as per its registration, Lin explained that he'd painted it blue in 2016 after returning from Central Australia.
58:46 Speaker 00 Four years later, in 2020, he'd painted it beige as a Covid project with his children, using leftover Dulux Metal Shield in Sandbank colour he'd had handy.
58:59 Speaker 00 When asked about the trailer he had been towing, a 7 by 4 foot box trailer, Lin told them he had sold it months earlier via the Classifieds website Gumtree, along with a van he'd owned and an antique sleigh bed. It was all part of a lockdown-inspired Spring Clean.
59:19 Speaker 00 The buyer was "an Asian man", but Lin couldn't recall his name or location. When asked about his trip to the Wanangatta Valley in March 2020, Lin's account placed him at different campsites on different dates to Russell and Carol.
59:37 Speaker 00 He denied ever seeing the elderly couple.
59:41 Speaker 00 The detectives deliberately withheld their knowledge about the correlation between his vehicle's movements and Russell's phone data.
59:50 Speaker 00 When detectives Florence and Justin left Lyn's home that day, they turned their attention to finding out everything they could about Gregory Lyn.
1:00:04 Speaker 00 Gregory Stuart Lyn was a 55-year-old commercial airline pilot. Decades earlier, he'd worked for the now-defunct Australian airline Anset. While he came across as charismatic, some of Lyn's coworkers had found him unsettling. One described him as "a dead-set weirdo with a wicked temper". Lyn had married a woman named Lisa, who was a flight attendant and colleague. They built a sprawling family home in Mount Macedon, had two sons, and, inspired by the movie Babe, bought a piglet they named Pig.
1:00:44 Speaker 00 To outsiders, it seemed a delic. Behind closed doors, a darker story emerged.
1:00:54 Speaker 00 Lisa's family and friends described Gregory Lyn as increasingly controlling and abusive. Lisa's mother would relate a detail of frequent incidents of physical and mental abuse. She said that on one occasion, Lyn had exploded into a fit of uncontrollable rage after another man spoke to Lisa and her mother while they were out for dinner at a pub. He verbally attacked the man in the bar, then redirected his rage at Lisa after they left.
1:01:26 Speaker 00 A former neighbour later told 60 Minutes about a punishment meted out by Gregory Lyn when Lisa had drunk too much. Lyn's own unsworn statement corroborated this account. He described wanting to teach Lisa a lesson for her drunkenness.
1:01:45 Speaker 00 "I bound her hands and feet with masking tape and carried her outside into the backyard. I put her near the back steps and hosed her down with water from a garden hose, and she got extremely cold. I agree this action was quite unusual, but my intentions were for her to never drink to excess like that again."
1:02:09 Speaker 00 Lisa was left to freeze overnight.
1:02:14 Speaker 00 The allegations grew more sinister. After Pig dug up Lyn's prized plants, Lyn allegedly killed the beloved pet with an axe, leaving its head on the doorstep for Lisa to find. Neighbours reported finding their dog strung up on their fence, its throat slit after Lyn had complained about its barking. In another incident, he allegedly killed a stray pig with a shovel when it wandered onto his property.
1:02:45 Speaker 00 The marriage crumbled after Lisa discovered photos confirming Lyn's affair with another flight attendant in his pilot bag. Lisa subsequently sought help through the family court for child maintenance. An interim intervention order was imposed in March 1999, preventing Lyn from assaulting, harassing, or threatening Lisa. He would later plead guilty to breaching this order twice, once by breaking in and stealing the family car, purposely leaving Lisa stranded.
1:03:19 Speaker 00 Though Lisa documented the abuse in a diary, she feared pressing charges. On Tuesday, October 26, 1999, she was found dead in their Mount Macedon garden. The coroner found she had died from a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol with a blood alcohol reading of .21. No suicide note was found, and Gregory Lyn had a solid alibi. However, Lisa's family never believed she would take her own life, citing her religious beliefs and devotion to her children.
1:04:01 Speaker 00 After Lisa's death, her parents fought desperately for custody of their grandchildren. However, Gregory Lin maintained custody of his children and emerged financially secure from property settlements. Following his father's death and the collapse of Anset Airlines in 2001, Lin moved his sons overseas to Qatar, where he met Melanie, his second wife. Returning to Australia in 2007, Lin joined Jetstar Airways, rising to check and training captain, a prestigious position that involved conducting flight proficiency tests and certifying other pilots' competency.
1:04:44 Speaker 00 Colleagues described him as "methodical and precise", essential traits for the role. That same year, Gregory and Melanie Lin welcomed their own child.
1:04:56 Speaker 00 Between flying jobs, Lin had worked as an asparagus picker and as a river guide in Tasmania. His passion for the outdoors saw him regularly camping and fishing alone, often sleeping under the stars rather than in a tent. For Lin, membership in elite outdoor clubs formed a crucial part of his identity. He enjoyed shooting and was particularly proud about being a member of the Little River Raiders for Single Action Shooting Club and the Melbourne International Shooting Club.
1:05:30 Speaker 00 His acceptance into exclusive clubs and prestigious memberships were badges of pride that he guarded jealously.
1:05:39 Speaker 00 His latest outdoor pursuit was beekeeping, which began as a COVID project. He and Melanie tended their backyard hive in white protective suits until one day the bees penetrated his mask. The resulting allergic reaction threw his heart out of rhythm, requiring four adrenaline shots and hospitalisation. Grounded from flying until his heart stabilised, he took on duties in simulation training.
1:06:10 Speaker 00 The more detectives discovered about Gregory Lin, the more they questioned the wisdom of him having been responsible for safely transporting hundreds of airline passengers at a time. It was lucky the bees had grounded him, or they might have had to step in.
1:06:31 Speaker 00 Between July and December 2020, investigators continued connecting Gregory Lin to the Hill and Clay case, piece by piece. They tracked his financial records, finding that fuel receipts placed him in the area at the crucial time. They also gathered additional footage from CCTV cameras and interviewed witnesses.
1:06:55 Speaker 00 Though the evidence was circumstantial, it was enough to convince a court to grant warrants for phone taps and surveillance devices.
1:07:04 Speaker 00 Pandemic restrictions meant the Lin family was at home a lot more and prevented investigators from waiting until their house was empty. Instead, a specialist team crept into their household in the dead of night while the family slept. They planted listening devices throughout the rooms and car, then vanished, leaving Gregory, Melanie, and their son none the wiser.
1:07:32 Speaker 00 The surveillance quickly revealed Lin's habit of talking to himself, especially while driving. He muttered cryptically about little old people, about courts and who got to decide what was right and wrong, and the supposed persecution of white people.
1:07:51 Speaker 00 He also wondered aloud about why ballistics experts hadn't requested samples of his ammunition.
1:07:59 Speaker 00 After the bugs revealed that Lin and his wife Melanie regularly watched current affairs show 60 Minutes, investigators came up with a plan.
1:08:10 Speaker 00 They orchestrated a special episode with the show's producers with the aim of provoking Lin. On the evening of Sunday, November 7, 2021, detectives listened intently as the sound of the distinctive 60 minutes clock ticked through the Lin's lounge room speakers.
1:08:30 Speaker 00 When a grainy photograph and artist's sketch of the suspect vehicle appeared on screen showing a distinctive awning, Melanie's laughter rang out in a loud cackle. "It looks like your car. It really does," she said.
1:08:47 Speaker 00 The police had deliberately withheld their clear number plate photo. "It's not funny," Sweepy, Lin responded. His voice had an edge to it.
1:09:01 Speaker 00 Shortly after, an outdoor surveillance camera captured Gregory Lin removing the awning from his car.
1:09:09 Speaker 00 Despite the mounting evidence, investigators still lacked their smoking gun. They had no bodies, no motive, and no direct evidence linking Lin to Russell Hill or Carol Clay.
1:09:28 Speaker 00 On Monday, November 22, 2021, Lin left for another solo camping trip. He had told friends he was heading to the Grampians, but instead he drove towards Wan and Gatter, the area where Russell and Carol had gone missing.
1:09:46 Speaker 00 A detective monitoring the bug in Lin's car grew increasingly alarmed at what he heard. Lin spoke tearfully in the past tense about his wife being left with three children. His musings about mortality became more specific. "A snake bite," he suggested, "would be a good way to go." The combination of his armed state, remote destination, and increasingly dark thoughts forced the investigator's hands.
1:10:18 Speaker 00 A decision was made to intercept Lin before he reached his destination. Police deployed the Special Operations Group, or SOG. Victoria Police's elite tactical unit, the SOG, was typically reserved for armed offenders or terrorism incidents. Deploying them for a missing persons arrest was unprecedented, but Lin's situation warranted the risk.
1:10:46 Speaker 00 When the SOG stormed Lin's camp with their guns drawn, they found him preparing dinner. He calmly denied carrying weapons, though they found his forgotten Damascus knife in a sheath during the pat-down.
1:11:03 Speaker 00 Lin was arrested and driven a two-and-a-half-hour journey to the regional city of Sale for questioning.
1:11:10 Speaker 00 Lin was calm and relaxed during the drive, saying he didn't want a lawyer. He said he was looking forward to sorting the situation out, then returning to his camp.
1:11:22 Speaker 00 But after a two-hour interview that night, during which he denied knowing anything about Russell Hill or Carol Clay, Lin appeared to change his mind. He consulted a legal counsel by phone, and the following morning he adopted their advice to respond "no comment" to any questions. The detectives pressed on, presenting maps and photos, questioning his vehicle's movements. Lin occasionally broke his silence, at one point accusing them of "playing games", before returning to his refrain of "no comment". When questioning turned to his trailer, Lin's composure cracked.
1:12:06 Speaker 00 "I can see where this is going", he said. "Well, you think I've done it, and I haven't."
1:12:14 Speaker 00 Detectives continued to press Lin, encouraging him that talking was in his best interest.
1:12:21 Speaker 00 They reassured him that they didn't think he was a bad person, stating: "It's not like you've gone out of the bush to kill anyone, but when somebody comes into your space, it's an invasion."
1:12:35 Speaker 00 You think I'd kill someone over a campsite? Lynn asked. No, but there's been some disagreement, one of the detectives suggested. There's been something that has gone wrong, and if the person has fallen over, hit his head, that's not to say that you've murdered a person.
1:12:56 Speaker 00 For the entire day, Lynn maintained his silence. Then, on the third day, after another consultation with legal aides, he stunned detectives by announcing: "I'm going to ignore my solicitor's advice and tell you what happened, right from scratch."
1:13:19 Speaker 00 Gregory Lynn requested paper and sketched a calendar of events. His story began on Monday, March 16, 2020, when he arrived in the high country late at night, heading for the Howard Hut campsite. Finding it full, he asked the nearby family for alternatives. They directed him to Vallejo, west of the Zika spur track, a remote area accessible only by four-wheel drive.
1:13:49 Speaker 00 After brief encounters with a friendly ranger with a beard and weed sprayers, Lynn settled at Buck's Camp. He had two days of solitude before a white Land Cruiser skidded into the entrance. Lynn noticed the female passenger's alarmed expression and watched as another white four-wheel drive slowed behind them, its passenger glaring at the Land Cruiser, before speeding away.
1:14:17 Speaker 00 The Land Cruiser's elderly driver, Russell Hill, emerged chatty and very jovial. He explained how these donkeys had been pursuing him into the valley, attempting to overtake and hooning onto the grass, forcing him to race to the campsite.
1:14:35 Speaker 00 Though Russell set up camp closer than etiquette suggested, Lynn claimed he wasn't bothered. "It's a free country," he thought to himself.
1:14:46 Speaker 00 Lin drew the detectives a diagram showing the thick forest, river, and both camps. His site was in prime position near the water. Russell and his companion Carol Clay had settled just inside the entrance near the drop toilet, with a lone tree between them.
1:15:06 Speaker 00 The next morning, as Lin prepared for deer hunting, Russell approached to say he liked the deer and was actually in the area to remember a friend who had been killed deer hunting. Lin recalled Carol adding from behind, "accidentally killed", while Russell stared at him with hostility.
1:15:28 Speaker 00 Though disturbed, Lin left to hunt. Returning empty-handed, he was unloading his gun when a drone buzzed overhead.
1:15:38 Speaker 00 "I only had gazed on it for a couple of seconds and then whoosh, it moved, like, gone", he said. Passing their camp, he saw Russell with a controller, the drone briefly rising to eye level before landing.
1:15:54 Speaker 00 Concerned about being filmed, Lin confronted Russell, whose demeanor had shifted dramatically. Russell accused Lin of firing his gun through their camp and threatened to show police the drone footage.
1:16:09 Speaker 00 "That's just ridiculous", Lin replied.
1:16:13 Speaker 00 He believed Russell was trying to force him from the prime riverside camping spot, hoping he would pack up and leave.
1:16:22 Speaker 00 Lin's response was, by his own admission, childish.
1:16:27 Speaker 00 He opened the doors of his Nissan Patrol and blasted music, from my era, not his, choosing the most irritating songs possible. His firearms, a rifle and a Barathrum Arms Straight Pull Shotgun, lay packed in gunbags on the back seat with ammunition on the front.
1:16:48 Speaker 00 After blaring music for hours, darkness had fallen when Lyn heard a rustling sound. He looked up to see Russell walking away from Lyn's car with his shotgun, loading the magazine into it. When Lyn demanded its return, Russell replied "fuck off" and fired shots into the air. Lyn took cover in the darkness behind Russell's Land Cruiser. He described crouching in the shadows as Russell approached him. He heard Carol yell "Russell, stop it!"
1:17:23 Speaker 00 When the shotgun barrel appeared over the bonnet, Lyn lunged, grabbing it with his right hand. The two men rustled across the vehicle's bullbar. Russell's finger was on the trigger when the gun discharged, the shot travelling through the left side mirror and straight into Carol Clay's head as she cowered beside the vehicle. Russell released the shotgun as he ran to attend to his lover. Lyn returned to his camp, firing once to ensure the weapon was safe before stowing it out of harm's way. As he turned around, Lyn saw Russell bearing down on him, a knife in his right hand, screaming "She's dead!"
1:18:07 Speaker 00 Lyn described the ensuing struggle in detail. His defensive stance, blocking Russell's left-handed swing, grabbing the knife hand. As Russell pushed forward, they fell together. The knife pierced Russell's chest and the man rolled before Lyn got clear. Russell crawled a short distance before collapsing face down.
1:18:37 Speaker 00 By some extraordinary stroke of fate, Russell had fallen onto his own knife at precisely the perfect angle, the blade positioned laterally through his chest, just right of the sternum. Checking Russell's vital signs confirmed he was dead.
1:18:55 Speaker 00 Carol was also clearly dead, half her skull was missing.
1:19:01 Speaker 00 Standing between their bodies, panic overwhelmed Lyn. Although he claimed the deaths were accidental, his thoughts immediately turned to the consequences that would follow. Losing his firearms licence would mean losing his aviation security card and his pilot's career. From there, he'd lose his mortgage, his family's financial security, and his beloved exclusive club memberships. As Lyn told investigators,
1:19:34 Speaker 00 "An event like that, I would just be instantly banned for life. And this at a time when I was actually just finding a really happy place in the world, with family, career, and my personal life outside of work. And so this, for me, was a disaster."
1:19:55 Speaker 00 Terrified of having his life ruined, he decided to cover up the couple's death since dead.
1:20:02 Speaker 00 Lyn concealed Russell and Carol's bodies under his trailer's wooden top before methodically sanitising the scene. Worried that the couple's tent might contain contaminated items, he doused it with petrol and set it alight. He scattered their wallets' cards and contents to suggest robbery, removed the damaged mirror, and burned his bloodied clothes. A closed road disrupted his planned escape route, forcing an awkward U-turn later noted by a witness.
1:20:36 Speaker 00 Lyn recounted a tense, long night drive to Union Spur Track, an overgrown and seemingly abandoned road where he left the bodies covered loosely with sticks. Lyn then drove to Lake Buffalo's southern end to dispose of the couple's mobile phones, stopped in Mansfield for fuel, then spent the night at Big River where he burned Russell's drone. The next day, after washing his trailer in Healsville, he headed home.
1:21:08 Speaker 00 His wife Melanie, distracted by emerging Covid lockdown news, didn't ask about his trip, so he didn't mention leaving two bodies on Union Spur Track.
1:21:20 Speaker 00 As Covid restrictions dominated headlines alongside reports of the missing campers, Lin waited daily for news of the bodies' discovery. It never came.
1:21:33 Speaker 00 During a brief easing of lockdown restrictions on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, he returned to Union Spur Track to check on the remains.
1:21:44 Speaker 00 After 54 days, the bodies remained untouched but were badly decomposed. Surprisingly, no animals had interfered. Lin added more sticks and rocks before leaving.
1:22:00 Speaker 00 Even though Lin hadn't been under surveillance then, he became increasingly paranoid. When the president of one of his clubs and a previously dismissive manager suddenly took an interest in his camping habits, he became suspicious. Then the police approached him at home, and Lin decided he needed to act. He waited through winter, knowing Russell and Carol's bodies would remain undetected due to the snow-blocked roads.
1:22:32 Speaker 00 When restrictions finally eased, he again returned to Union Spur Track at sunset on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
1:22:42 Speaker 00 Nine months had passed since the killings. Russell and Carol's bodies remained where Lin had dumped them, though they had now been ravaged by wild dogs.
1:22:55 Speaker 00 Lin described dousing the remains with two litres of kerosene, then setting them alight. He sat beside the makeshift pyre through the night, feeding the flames. At times, he became sick from the experience. At dawn, he crushed the brittle bones to powder, pulverising the fragments until the largest particles left were no more than two centimetres.
1:23:23 Speaker 00 He scattered them before retreating to a state forest campsite south of Walhalla to recover.
1:23:32 Speaker 00 The detectives found much of Lin's story implausible. Russell Hill had been an elderly man who hadn't owned a firearm in twenty years. How could he have loaded a shotgun while walking barefoot in the darkness? That Russell had accidentally shot Carol directly in the head while wrestling with Lin seemed equally unlikely, as did the odds of Russell landing perfectly on his own knife during a second attack.
1:24:03 Speaker 00 While Lin had been in custody, police had searched his home in Caroline Springs. Beyond camping gear, hunting licences and a toll tag, they found an impressive weapons collection: knives, daggers, swords, axes, a silencer, tomahawks and a small pick. The firearms included a semi-automatic pistol, two six-shot revolvers, a semi-automatic rifle, a semi-automatic shotgun, another twelve-gauge shotgun and two lever-action rifles, along with magazines of ammunition. All were legally owned and stored.
1:24:45 Speaker 00 At six o'clock the next morning, detectives travelled 185 kilometres through heavy fog to Union Spur Track. It matched Lin's description perfectly. Though no identifiable human remains were visible, evidence of fire prompted police to cordon off the area for examination. Forensics teams ultimately discovered approximately 2,100 human bone fragments. Also discovered were fragments of metal and glass, a ring belonging to Carol and a complete watch. Dental records confirmed the remains were Russell and Carol's.
1:25:29 Speaker 00 When investigators would later return to Buck's camp to test Gregory Lin's story, they conducted a methodical grid search and recovered more bone fragments, glass, plastic and a distorted shotgun slug matching the weapon Lin claimed had killed Carol.
1:25:48 Speaker 00 Lyn said Carol was killed while cowering beside Russell's Land Cruiser. The shot had initially struck the Land Cruiser's passenger-side mirror before ricocheting into Carol's head. Notably, the mirror had been torn from the vehicle and burnt with the campsite, so police couldn't confirm this part of Lyn's story. Six bloodstains on the inside of the Land Cruiser's canopy had matched Carol's DNA. Bloodstain pattern analysis indicated a forceful event involving liquid blood forward of the canopy's interior partition. Police tested Lyn's account with a series of experiments using a shotgun
1:26:32 Speaker 00 to see whether Carol could have really been killed, as Lyn said. They found that she could have been, but they remained sceptical of Lyn's story. There was no way to test whether Russell Hill had died the way Lyn described, though forensics indicated he too had died at Buck's Camp, and his blood had been found in the Land Cruiser as well. At 6pm on Wednesday, November 25, 2021, over a year and a half after Russell Hill and Carol Clay were killed, Gregory Lyn was charged with their murders.
1:27:13 Speaker 00 In January 2023, the Melbourne Magistrates Court determined that there was enough evidence for Gregory Lyn to face trial.
1:27:23 Speaker 00 However, the prosecution was barred from presenting much of their evidence, including covert recordings they had made of Lyn and portions of his multi-day interview at Sale Police Station. Nor were the jury permitted to hear about Gregory Lyn's alleged violence towards his first wife or her mysterious death.
1:27:44 Speaker 00 Lyn's trial began in Victoria's Supreme Court in May 2024.
1:27:51 Speaker 00 The prosecution outlined their case alleging Lynne shot Carol Clay in the head and killed Russell Hill by unknown means on Friday, March 20, 2020 at Buck's Camp. The prosecution believed the murders had taken place in the reverse manner to Lynne's claims, with Russell likely killed first and Carol then eliminated as a witness.
1:28:16 Speaker 00 Witnesses described discovering the burnt campsite, while police detailed evidence from phone towers, surveillance footage and interviews. Experts testified about bone fragments, bullet trajectories, DNA and insect larvae. Russell Hill's wife, Robyn, gave poignant testimony. Due to limited mobility, she sat in the media box rather than the podium.
1:28:44 Speaker 00 Robyn recalled listening for Russell's nightly radio calls and growing alarmed when his voice went silent on Saturday, March 21.
1:28:54 Speaker 00 Her composure remained intact as she recalled realising her husband was missing and the subsequent tabloid coverage exposing his affair.
1:29:04 Speaker 00 Robyn was stoic as she testified, jotting down details in a notebook.
1:29:11 Speaker 00 After four weeks of prosecution testimony from 49 witnesses, the defence called just one witness, Gregory Stuart Lynne. It is rare for an accused murderer to take the stand, given the risks of cross-examination. However, the move signalled confidence in Lynne's ability to present his version of events and create reasonable doubt. Speaking softly and precisely, Lynne described the deaths as accidental.
1:29:44 Speaker 00 He repeated his claims of the fight over the gun, Carol being shot and Russell falling on his own knife, almost word for word as he had in his police station confession. He apologised to the victims' families, acknowledging his actions to conceal the deaths were despicable, but maintaining his innocence regarding murder. "I'm very sorry for your suffering", he said.
1:30:13 Speaker 00 The prosecution highlighted the few inconsistencies in Lin's account, including conflicting descriptions of the weapon involved and the implausibility of his story about a struggle across Russell's vehicle. A photo showed a guy rope attached to the car that would have obstructed the alleged fight.
1:30:34 Speaker 00 Lin calmly stated he didn't remember the rope. "He might have slipped under it," he said, "but he never noticed it." When pressed on why he hadn't called for help or come forward sooner, Lin said he was paralyzed by fear and hoped the situation would blow over. He admitted his actions destroyed his career and family, but remained adamant he was not guilty of murder, saying: "I'm guilty of other things, but not murder."
1:31:10 Speaker 00 During closing arguments, the prosecution pointed out that Lin had more than a year to construct a story for the day he was finally caught, and that he had practiced it so often that he repeated the story almost word for word over two days of police interviews.
1:31:28 Speaker 00 "The accused's story is indeed a series of very unfortunate events," the prosecution said. "It is also a complete fiction. You can and should readily reject it beyond reasonable doubt."
1:31:45 Speaker 00 The defence countered with a scathing critique of the prosecution's case, labelling it as shambles.
1:31:53 Speaker 00 They highlighted seventeen perceived flaws in the prosecution's evidence, including failures to address key questions and inconsistencies in witness testimony.
1:32:06 Speaker 00 Before the jury left to deliberate, the judge reiterated key legal principles: the presumption of innocence, the prosecution’s burden of proof, and the need to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Manslaughter was not an option, as the prosecution had only set out to prove that Lin had consciously, voluntarily, and deliberately caused the deaths of Russell and Carol. The jury were only left to consider if he had intended to kill or inflict serious injury. If not, they must return a not guilty verdict. The judge cautioned them against flawed reasoning,
1:32:48 Speaker 00 such as assuming two accidental deaths were so improbable it must therefore be murder. He reminded jurors that the burden rested with the prosecution, not Lin, to prove their case.
1:33:09 Speaker 00 The jury deliberated for six days before notifying the judge that they had reached a verdict. The public gallery was full and the courtroom fell silent as the jury foreperson stood and waited for the judge to ask her two questions. Asked for a verdict on Russell Hill’s murder, she responded: “Not guilty.”
1:33:34 Speaker 00 A soft, collective gasp rippled through the gallery before the crowd fell silent to hear what she had to say to the next question.
1:33:43 Speaker 00 Asked about the murder of Carol Clay, the foreperson told the court: “Guilty.” The gasps and murmurs were louder this time.
1:33:55 Speaker 00 Gregory Lin raised his eyebrows at his fate, but remained otherwise expressionless. His son, who was seated nearby, crossed his arms and shook his head in disbelief. The families of Russell and Carol, who had endured years of uncertainty and grief, absorbed the news with a mix of relief and devastation.
1:34:19 Speaker 00 Outside the courtroom, the families released a statement expressing gratitude to the police and prosecution while mourning the limited evidence and its impact on the outcome.
1:34:31 Speaker 00 Russell Hill's widow, Robyn, spoke to the media after the verdict. She expressed relief that Lynne had been found guilty of at least one murder, as she had feared he would be cleared of both charges. However, her relief was tempered by anger and a desire for justice for her late husband.
1:34:53 Speaker 00 "I hope he suffers for the rest of his life, really," Robyn told reporters. "I hope he has a lovely time in jail." She bore no ill will towards Carol or her family.
1:35:09 Speaker 00 Robyn was not permitted to speak at Lynne's pre-sentencing hearing, nor were any of Russell's other loved ones.
1:35:18 Speaker 00 Because Lynne had been acquitted of Russell's murder, the Hill family were legally barred from providing victim impact statements.
1:35:27 Speaker 00 Carol's daughter, Emma, described her mother as a phenomenal woman, whose death left a void in their family. Her voice steady, she recounted the emotional toll of the ordeal, calling it "a horror movie." Carol's other loved ones spoke of her vibrant personality, contributions to society, and the devastating loss her murder caused.
1:35:52 Speaker 00 In October, the Hill and Clay families assembled once again to hear Gregory Lynne be sentenced. The judge recounted Lynne's actions, from the confrontation in the high country to the calculated disposal of the bodies, which compounded the suffering of the victims' families.
1:36:13 Speaker 00 He acknowledged the legal limbo endured by Russell Hill's family due to the split verdict, breaking down in tears as he recognized their pain.
1:36:24 Speaker 00 Gregory Lynne was sentenced to 32 years in prison for Carol Clay's murder, with a non-parole period of 24 years. This meant that Lynne will be 79 years old at the youngest when eligible for release.
1:36:45 Speaker 00 In late November 2024, Gregory Lin lodged an appeal against his conviction for Carol Clay’s murder. As of the release of this episode, Victoria’s Court of Appeal have yet to decide whether to hear Lin’s appeal, which means he could face a new trial in 2025. Addressing Lin’s intent to appeal, his barrister flagged several grounds, focusing especially on the jury’s inconsistent verdict. He questioned how Lin could be found guilty of murdering Carol but not Russell, when the prosecution’s case hinged on Carol being killed to cover up Russell’s murder.
1:37:27 Speaker 00 This contradiction, the defence argued, could undermine the entire verdict.
1:37:34 Speaker 00 The verdict did cause some initial confusion among members of the public who had been following the case. The jury’s acquittal of Lin for Russell Hill’s murder indicated they hadn’t been convinced by the prosecution’s case. But their conviction of him for Carol Clay’s killing pointed to them not believing Lin’s claims either. He had always insisted Carol had died first following an accidental shooting by Russell, yet the jury found Lin responsible for her murder. As Australian juries are not permitted to speak publicly about their deliberations, people could only speculate as to how they had reached their verdict.
1:38:19 Speaker 00 Crime journalist John Sylvester interpreted the verdict to his readers in an article for The Age, writing: “It would appear the jury concluded that Russell was killed in unprovable circumstances, but Lin then murdered Carol because she was a witness to the death. With the option of manslaughter off the table, the jury had to conclude whether Russell was murdered, a deliberate act, not just unlawfully killed, a reckless act. With no forensic evidence, it was impossible for the jury to establish the exact circumstances of Russell’s death, but they apparently concluded it was so damning that Lin chose to kill Carol and to destroy the crime scene in the cover-up.”
1:39:07 Speaker 00 Sylvester noted that it's unusual for a random gunshot to hit someone ducking from the line of fire, and even more so for a ricocheted shot to hit someone in the head. This made Lynn's claims about Carol's death highly unlikely, although there was evidence that she had been shot. The jury had probably disbelieved Lynn's story about Russell falling on his knife and dying instantly from a single stab wound as well, but could not convict him due to the lack of evidence as to how Russell had died. Lynn's complete destruction of the couple's remains and their campsite made determining the truth almost impossible.
1:39:52 Speaker 00 "Only one person alive knew the truth," Sylvester wrote. That is Gregory Lynn, who will now be in his cell reflecting on the jury's decision.
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