Explosive theory in missing campers case

Police are pursuing one theory of why a gas bottle was placed inside the tent of missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.

The killer of High Country campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay may have tried to blow up their camp to destroy the crime scene.

The Saturday Herald Sun can reveal that one theory is a gas bottle was placed inside the friends’ tent after they had been murdered then the shelter was deliberately set alight in the hope it would cause a massive blast.

The gas bottle, if it exploded, could have levelled the immediate area on the night of March 20 last year.

Instead, it was found charred but intact when police arrived at the site days later.

The fire had destroyed the tent and some camp furniture, as well as leaving scorch marks on Mr Hill’s Toyota four-wheel-drive.

Missing persons squad investigators believe the killings may have been a random act which followed some kind of altercation in the isolated Wonnangatta Valley of East Gippsland.

Russell Hill and Carol Clay's burnt-out campsite. Picture: ABC

Police last week appealed for help to find a blue 1990s Nissan four-wheel-drive they believe belonged to someone camping nearby at the time Mr Hill, 74, and Mrs Clay, 73, arrived.

The pair were still alive at about 6pm when Mr Hill contacted a mate via amateur radio to say they were setting up for the night.

The next major focus of interest for police is a vehicle travelling on the road to Myrtleford at about midnight.

That route came to an abrupt end because of a gate erected to keep travellers out of a bushfire zone.

Investigators believe Carol Clay and Russell Hill were killed in what may have been a random act.

Witnesses who were camping nearby at that time did not see it but heard a vehicle perform a 20 to 30-point turn to head back from where it came.

It is about 45 minutes driving time between the gate and the Wonnangatta camp site.

The witnesses said the vehicle doing the turning manoeuvre had a petrol motor and sounded as though it was towing a trailer.

A blue Nissan towing a trailer was snapped by a roadside camera near Mount Hotham.

The challenging nature of the road network in the area means that it would have taken about four hours to get there from the locked gate.

One theory is that the bodies of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay were disposed of somewhere between the locked gate and the camera.

It would be highly unusual to have a motorist driving for such a long period at that time of night in such a rugged and dangerous area where there is little traffic at the busiest times.

Hunters may but would be unlikely to haul a trailer over such distance while looking for deer.

The police investigation, one of the state’s biggest missing persons inquiries, appears to have gained fresh momentum in recent times.

Detectives are continuing to investigate information reports received in recent weeks as the case heats up.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Thursday that he was confident the case would be solved.

“We are getting close, very, very close,” he said on ABC Radio.

Mr Hill, of Drouin, and Mrs Clay, from Pakenham, left for the High Country on March 19, staying overnight en route to Wonnangatta.

Their disappearance sparked a massive search effort in the area but no trace of them has been found.

A drone belonging to Mr Hill has never been recovered.

Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.