Four-wheel drive clue emerges in search for missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay

Police say they are “very close” to solving the missing campers case as they reveal this trailer may have moved their bodies.

Police have been flooded with fresh intelligence since going public with the last remaining car of interest linked to the suspected murders of missing Wonnangatta campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.

Missing Persons Squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said on Monday solving the 20-month mystery could be a single phone call away.

“It could be the next phone call – that’s how much I believe in this appeal,” he said.

“We believe there is someone out there that could identify that car or lead us to someone who could provide us answers.

“I think we are getting pretty close.”

A dark blue 4WD – possibly a mid to late 1990s Nissan Patrol with a modified trailer – has emerged as a key vehicle of interest in the probe.

The 4WD attempted to leave the Wonnangatta Valley late on March 20, 2020 – the night Mr Hill and Ms Clay vanished – and was forced to reroute toward Mount Hotham due to bushfire-related gate closures.

A mid-to-late 1990s dark blue Nissan Patrol four-wheel drive and trailer

“That same vehicle (was) spotted on two cameras at the top of Mount Hotham, consistent with where a vehicle would exit the valley given the closure of the Myrtleford gate,” Det Insp Stamper said.

The driver is now a key person of interest in the inquiry, with investigators now scrutinising owners of similar vehicles nationwide.

Det Insp Stamper said the vehicle was modified to navigate rough terrain, indicating the driver could be a hunter or experienced outdoorsman.

“A lot of people who go hunting need a vehicle like that to get to areas that need to hunt,” he said.

Investigators are also considering the theory the trailer was used to relocate the bodies of Mr Hill and Ms Clay in the wider Wonnangatta region.

Det Insp Stamper said it otherwise does not make sense why the driver has not come forward to rule themselves out of the inquiry.

“We find it hard to believe anyone who was there at that time in a car like that would not have presented themselves to us to let us know they were in the area so clearly we cannot eliminate this vehicle,” he said.

A dark blue four-wheel drive which was spotted leaving a remote Wonnangatta Valley campsite the day the pair vanished was a person of interest in the case.

Witnesses have also placed the 4WD near the campsite of Mr Hill and Ms Clay.

Investigators have not ruled out a territorial dispute as possible motivation for the suspected murders.

Mr Hill and Ms Clay’s burnt out campsite was located about 100m from a “prime” area of land located next to the water.

Investigators believe Mr Hill – an experienced bushman – would have chosen that area had it not been occupied, possibly by the killer.

Det Insp Stamper said: “A lot of people go to that area to be alone and then if suddenly someone turns up – it wouldn’t make your day but that’s something with camping, you can’t control that”.

“There could be a range of issues that could cause someone to become upset. We don’t know who we are dealing with at the moment.”

Missing persons squad chief Andrew Stamper told 60 minutes on Sunday night he believed the suspected attack was not premeditated.

Carol Clay and Russell Hill – missing Melbourne campers.

“Everything seems to point towards this being some sort of confrontation, which has started as an argument maybe,” he said.

“But my belief is that the person that carried out this is probably just an ordinary member of the community, who’s operating in a normal job, but carrying this significant load on their mind.”

Reviewing roadside camera footage has led Victoria Police to eliminate all bar one vehicle in their search, which they said looked like a dark blue mid-90s Nissan Patrol with a trailer.

“We understand that initially, given the confusion around COVID-19 and state-wide lockdowns that people may have been reluctant to come forward, or that someone may simply have missed our repeated appeals for information.

“But if you are the driver of this blue Nissan Patrol, or you know who is, we would urge you to come forward – if nothing else, so we can eliminate you from our enquiries and move forward.”

Police are searching for this mid-to-late 1990s dark blue Nissan Patrol four-wheel drive.

Russell Hill’s daughter Colleen told 60 Minutes his family did not know about his relationship with Ms Clay.

“It was a shock when the police mentioned something about ‘do we know a Carol?’” Colleen said.

“But that was the first we knew about it.”

HOW THE POLICE INVESTIGATION UNFOLDED

The blue car is the latest clue police hope will lead them to the person behind Russell Hill and Carol Clay’s disappearance.

When the pair first went missing, their disappearance coincided with the outbreak of Covid in Australia and at first glance, appeared to be a case of lost campers as opposed to potential double homicide — meaning media coverage was light at first.

The seven-day gap between when they vanished — they were last heard from on March 20 via radio contact — and when a member of the public found their burnt-out campsite and reported it to police, also delayed public call-outs for information.

The first mention of the pair in the Herald Sun is a few lines on March 31 in police briefs.

Appearing under a story about a drunk driver, the four-sentence article titled ‘Alpine Search’ says the pair failed to return from an alpine camping trip.

But by late April, media coverage picked up as police urged members of the amateur radio community to contact them if they had heard anything at the time.

Police were clear that they did not think the pair — believed to be having an affair — had staged their disappearance but there was no suspicions of foul play.

Herald Sun police briefs March 31 2020

Speaking to Herald Sun Crime writer Aneeka Simonis, investigators warned “Victoria’s “treacherous” high country can “swallow people up” as they continue to hunt for two missing campers.

The article continues on: “although unable to rule out foul play, detectives ­believe the two might have became lost or injured during their secret trip to the Wonnongatta Valley.

“Detective Inspector ­Andrew Stamper urged members of the amateur radio community to contact police if they remember hearing any calls from Mr Hill.

“‘He may have made a distress call and someone may have seen his call sign,’ Det Insp Stamper said.”

But sadly, as new information came to light, police began to suspect foul play was behind their disappearance.

Their campsite was found burnt but Mr Hill’s vehicle — while damaged — was still operational, meaning he and Ms Clay would have been able to drive and get help had they been in any trouble.

The damaged campsite belonging to Russell Hill and Carol Clay's who have been reported as missing in the Wonnangatta Valley. Picture: ABC

People who had gone camping with Mr Hill came forward and told police he was an experience bushman who would never stray far from camp.

Also, despite an extensive search of the Wonnangatta Valley area by specialised alpine search and rescue teams with members of the dog squad, SES, local police, air wing and Parks Victoria, the couple have not been found.

A search of the Mt Hotham area — 80km from where the pair vanished — was conducted in April, before police moved their focus back to the original campsite area.

An expensive DJI Magic drone belonging to Mr Hill was also missing from their campsite and has never been found.

It is likely police have other information that they have not revealed to the public that leads them to suspect the pair were harmed by another, with Insp. Stamper revealing in June 2020 they believed a “third-party” was involved.

In March 2021, detectives said they knew who was in the High Country area at the time of the pair’s disappearance.

In October, Detective Acting Sergeant Brett Florence told the Herald Sun they had made “significant headway” and whoever was responsible “should be very uncomfortable”.

He said he was certain the pair was still in the valley.

“We firmly believe they’re still in that area somewhere,” he told Herald Sun crime write Mark Buttler.

This week’s revelation — of the blue car — is hopefully the finally piece of the puzzle that will bring some answers for the pair’s distraught family and friends.

Missing persons squad chief Andrew Stamper told 60 Minutes both families were “still desperate for answers about what happened to Russell and Carol and why”.

“I know our investigators are doing all they can to try and get those answers for them,” he said.

“If you do know something or have heard something, no matter what it is, then I urge you to come forward and hopefully we can continue to fill in all the pieces of this puzzle until we get the result and answers both families deserve.”