Grisly twist in alleged murder of missing campers

Gruesome details of how the alleged killer tried to dispose of the bodies of the missing campers have been revealed as forensic experts comb through evidence.

The bodies of high country campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay were burnt after they were killed.

In a grisly twist in the Wonnangatta Valley double murder, the Herald Sun can reveal the victims were incinerated in a fire lit in bush in a remote area of East Gippsland.

The blaze may have been an attempt to destroy the pair’s remains.

It is understood the campers were burnt within metres of where they were found buried near the Union Spur Track.

The missing persons squad used the same arson chemists who examined the initial burnt-out campsite at Wonnangatta in March last year during a painstaking inspection of the scene last week.

Senior forensic anthropologist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Professor Soren Blau, was among the elite squad of experts brought in to examine the crime scene north of Dargo.

Police and forensics searching for remains of Wonnangatta campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay near Dargo. Picture: Jason Edwards

Considered one of the state’s top forensic experts, Prof Blau brought decades of experience in the field of human identification to the investigation.

Missing persons detectives who ran a marathon investigation into the killings found remains at the site, near the town of Dargo, on November 30.

That discovery came five days after they charged Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn with the murders of Mr Hill, 74, and Mrs Clay, 73.

Mr Lynn, 55, of Caroline Springs in Melbourne’s western suburbs, has been remanded in custody.

He will next face court on May 31 next year.

Police have seized guns from Mr Lynn, a licensed firearms owner, since his arrest.

They will be ballistically examined as part of the complex inquiry.

The Herald Sun understands Mr Lynn flew Jetstar trips for a brief period after being identified as one of the figures of interest to investigators.

Greg Lynn posted a photo of himself in hospital after being stung by a bee.

But he was grounded for most of that period because interstate air traffic was cut off by pandemic restrictions.

He also had significant health issues which had ruled him out of taking the controls for some time.

His social media feed said, at one stage, he had also been hospitalised after being stung by a bee.

Mr Hill, of Drouin, and Mrs Clay, from Pakenham, vanished while on a camping trip to the Wonnangatta.

Their last known contact was on the evening of March 20 last year when Mr Hill contacted best mate Rob Ashlin via amateur radio.

Police are still hunting for a trailer allegedly used to transport the missing campers from Wonnangatta to their burial ground.

Detectives believe it was sold on Gumtree between March and July last year.

Mr Hill’s drone is still yet to be located.

The investigation is ongoing.