Bush track new focus in hunt for remains of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay
Investigators hope this long and windy remote bush track in Victoria’s high country could lead them to find the remains of slain campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
Police & Courts
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Missing persons squad detectives have zeroed in on the Grant Historic Area near Wonnangatta where the burnt-out campsite of slain campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay was found in March last year.
They are faced with the daunting task of finding where accused double murderer Greg Lynn allegedly dumped the pair’s bodies.
Police released images on Friday of a new preliminary search area they have cordoned off in the Great Alpine region, after receiving fresh information about a possible burial site.
The focus on the area comes after Mr Lynn was interviewed by detectives for three days before being charged with two counts of murder on Thursday.
Roadblocks – including the one pictured where Dargo High Plains Rd meets McMillans Rd, north of Dargo – have been set up around the extensive search zone to stop people from entering.
But some campers already there for the weekend told the Herald Sun police had said they could stay.
Police and search and rescue teams are expected to flood the area from Monday to comb through the rugged and dense bushland in the quest to find the two much-loved campers.
In the hours after Mr Lynn was charged on Thursday, Assistant Commissioner Bob Hill said police were “hopeful” they would find the pair’s remains, bringing closure to their families. He would not say if the new search zone came from information Mr Lynn provided while being interviewed.
Police are also continuing to hunt for a trailer they allege was involved in the crime.
In photos released by police this month as part of their attempts to crack the missing campers mystery, a dark blue Nissan Patrol was captured pulling the modified trailer from the valley on the night Mr Hill and Ms Clay were allegedly killed.
Police will allege Mr Lynn was behind the wheel. Roadside cameras spotted the four-wheel-drive along Great Alpine Rd near Mount Hotham, before travelling down towards Dargo.
Police believe the silver trailer was sold on Gumtree between March and July last year, and have urged anyone who may have bought it to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The Herald Sun captured images of a new camping trailer parked in the Lynn family home at Caroline Springs earlier this week.
GREG LYNN’S FAMILY ‘COMPLETELY TRAUMATISED’
The family of murder accused Greg Lynn have broken their silence, revealing how they are “completely traumatised” at him being linked to the deaths of missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
On Friday night the family released a statement through their lawyer.
“It has been distressing for our family and the families of the deceased, and we are completely traumatised as well by these tragic events,” the statement said.
“We need to deal with the legal proceedings as they arise and try to restore some balance in our lives. We also acknowledge the suffering of the Clay and Hill families at this difficult time.”
The family called for their privacy to be “preserved” amid the strong media interest in the case.
It comes as Mr Lynn, 55, faced the Sale Magistrates’ Court via video link from the nearby police station at 10am on Friday.
He was arrested in a bushland raid by members of Victoria Police’s elite Special Operations Group on Monday.
Mr Lynn was represented by top criminal lawyer Chris McLennan, who recently represented disgraced Eastern Freeway driver Richard Pusey.
No details of the allegations against Mr Lynn were aired during Friday’s brief administrative hearing.
But charge sheets released by the court allege Mr Lynn murdered Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73, at Wonnangatta on March 20, 2020.
The pair were last heard from about 6pm that day, meaning the time frame when they were allegedly killed has been narrowed down to a six-hour window.
Mr Lynn, of Caroline Springs, sat silently throughout the hearing.
He wore a grey jumper and a surgical face mask and drank from a plastic cup while proceedings unfolded.
His wife Melanie Lynn watched the court hearing online, but had her camera switched off throughout.
Mr McLennan told the court the police investigation was “fairly substantial” and accepted it could take longer than the usual six weeks for detectives to prepare the brief of evidence.
On Friday, Mr Lynn’s neighbours in Brunton Ave in the suburb in Melbourne’s west remained “shocked” by the double murder charge.
“You just don’t believe this has happened to you a couple of doors down,” Amin Khandakar said.
“It’s like ‘Damn, what is happening in the neighbourhood?’”
Mr Khandakar described his accused neighbour as an “ordinary guy” living in a “quiet neighbourhood”.
“I spoke to my (other) neighbour and he is as shocked as I am too,” he said.
“It’s just unbelievable.”
Melanie Lynn and her teenage son continue to keep a low profile, with very little movement from the Caroline Springs home in recent days.
Mr Lynn made no application for bail and was remanded until May 31 for a committal mention.
A prison van transported him to the Melbourne Assessment Centre on Friday afternoon.
He is likely to remain there for the foreseeable future.
The police investigation continues.
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