Inside story of the missing campers mystery
The alleged murder of secret lovers Russell Hill and Carol Clay has been shrouded in mystery – now the court case hinges on a series of key questions.
Police & Courts
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If the investigators in Australia’s most baffling homicide case in living memory are to be believed, only former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn knows exactly what happened to High Country campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
More than a year after Mr Lynn’s dramatic arrest, and nearly three years since the secret lovers vanished without a trace, their deaths remain shrouded in mystery.
The campers case is not a whodunit, rather the jury will likely be asked to determine a more complicated set of questions: What happened in the Wonnangatta Valley? And can police, without any eyewitnesses, prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr Hill and Ms Clay were murdered?
When Mr Hill and Ms Clay vanished without a trace, leaving behind their partially burnt 4WD and campsite, rumours began to swirl.
Perhaps they had been swallowed up by the unforgiving terrain after getting lost in the bush. Perhaps they met their fates in a grisly encounter with a figure locals knew as the “button man”.
While the public were kept in the dark, a mobile phone “ping” and security cameras near Mount Hotham ski resort led investigators to Mr Lynn.
Police this week publicly aired, for the first time, details of the remarkable investigation which led them to the Jetstar pilot and keen outdoorsman.
Mr Lynn’s blue Nissan Patrol was captured by automatic number plate recognition cameras on the Great Alpine Road near Mount Hotham on the morning of March 21 – the morning after the alleged murders.
Mr Hill’s mobile was sent a “ping” to a nearby phone tower at the same time.
In a part of the country where time seems to stand still, the breakthrough led police to narrow in on a crucial 20-minute window.
Four months after the couple’s disappearance, Detective Senior Constable Abbey Justin paid a visit to Mr Lynn, 56, at his home in Caroline Springs in Melbourne’s outer west.
By that time, police had eliminated 11 of the 12 vehicles captured on the plate recognition cameras from their investigation.
When she arrived, Sen Con Justin noticed Mr Lynn’s vehicle had been painted from navy to beige.
“I was under the belief it was the same vehicle at the time,” she told Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
“We needed to confirm who was driving.”
Mr Lynn spoke with the detectives for about an hour in his kitchen while his wife worked from her study.
Police suspicions grew and by December secret listening devices had been placed in Mr Lynn’s car and home.
His phone was tapped and all his calls, messages and data were monitored.
For nearly a year, Mr Lynn went about his everyday life, seemingly unaware a team of investigators were tracking his movements and listening to almost every word he uttered. .
Police allege Mr Lynn spoke to himself about the deaths of Mr Hill, 75, and Ms Clay, 73, at home or on solo camping trips.
In November 2021, the heavily armed Special Operations Group moved in and arrested him in remote bushland in the Licola area of Gippsland.
On the same day, his home was raided where firearms including rifles, pistols and shotguns were allegedly uncovered.
“The accused was a keen amateur sporting shooter and firearm enthusiast,” a police summary states.
Days after his arrest, the missing pair’s remains were found in remote bushland following an extensive search north of Dargo.
Few details about what unfolded at the Wonnangatta campsite on the evening of March 20 were publicly known until this week, when a committal hearing to test the evidence against Mr Lynn – who denies he murdered the couple – began.
What was known was that Mr Hill and Ms Clay were in a secret 15-year long relationship they kept hidden from their families.
They embarked on a camping trip to the valley on March 19, 2020 to spend time together.
Mr Hill’s last contact was with a friend via a high-frequency broadcast radio about 6pm the following evening.
Police allege they were murdered later that night.
On Tuesday, the first theory of what led to the couple’s deaths was raised by Mr Lynn’s lawyer Dermot Dann KC.
He asked Victoria Police Forensic expert Mark Gellatly about a scenario in which Ms Clay was accidentally shot while the other men struggled over a shotgun.
“The two were wrestling over the gun causing an accidental discharge … which struck Ms Clay in the head while positioned on the near side of Hill’s vehicle,” Mr Dann said.
Mr Gellatly replied it could not be ruled out.
“Yes,” he said.
“It’s a possible explanation at this point.”
In documents released to the media on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Gellatly said investigators provided him with information that Mr Lynn had confronted Mr Hill and Ms Clay because he was “annoyed” about a drone they were flying in the campsite where they were both staying.
In the scenario put to Mr Gellatly, Mr Hill then allegedly grabbed a shotgun from Mr Lynn’s car before a struggle ensued and it was accidentally discharged, striking Ms Clay in the head.
Mr Lynn then fatally stabbed Mr Hill during a fight, documents allege.
Neither police nor prosecutors formally alleged that scenario took place but the fact Mr Gellatly was tasked to examine items, including both mens’ cars, based on that scenario, suggests it is one of the main working theories.
Forensic experts were unable to determine the precise causes of Mr Hill and Ms Clay’s deaths, but police allege bone fragments and a discharged bullet containing Ms Clay’s DNA were later found at the campsite.
Blood stains were found on the canopy of Mr Hill’s Toyota LandCruiser, with DNA testing revealing Ms Clay was likely the source, Mr Gellatly stated.
Police are yet to reveal the precise details of what they allege happened in the camp ground, but they maintain Mr Lynn acted with “murderous intent”.
“The circumstances of their deaths, and the accused’s behaviour afterwards are consistent with the accused having intended to cause death or at least cause each of them really serious injury,” a summary of the police investigation, filed in court states.
“After killing Hill and Clay, the accused made immediate and overt efforts to contaminate the crime scene and conceal the offences, including destroying the evidence and setting fire to the scene.”
Mr Gellatly had earlier told the court other suspected blood stains had been found on the vehicle’s armrest but they had been destroyed by a campsite fire — allegedly lit by Mr Lynn to cover his tracks.
After carrying out the killings, police allege Mr Lynn placed a gas bottle in the couple’s tent and set fire to their camp before fleeing with their bodies in his trailer — which investigators believe was later sold and has yet to be recovered.
It’s alleged he tried to leave the valley via Wonnangatta Track on the Myrtleford side but was forced to turn around due to a closed river crossing.
Another camper, Tom Matthews, told the court he was woken by the sound of a vehicle towing a trailer past his camp in the middle of the night.
“I found this to be quite strange as it was very late and unusual for cars to be driving around at this time of night,” he said.
Mr Matthews said he thought the driver was alone because he did not hear anyone else assist them as they performed a difficult U-turn in the dark.
Police allege Mr Lynn left the area via the valley’s eastern side towards Dargo before he dumped the bodies near Union Spur Track and drove home.
Mr Lynn also allegedly ditched the pair’s belongings including Mr Hill’s drone, the keys for his LandCruiser and their mobile phones – none of which have been found.
Investigators believe Mr Lynn returned to the area twice – in May and November 2020 – where he allegedly tampered with their remains.
“The accused is alleged to have returned to the area to implement measures to try to destroy the remains of Hill and Clay,” the summary states.
“This involved burning, dispersing, and partially interring them.”
Mr Hill’s remains were later identified through biological testing while Ms Clay was identified by jewellery and items left at the scene, according to investigators.
Wearing a black suit with a grey tie, Mr Lynn was flanked by two custody officers in front of a packed courtroom filled with lawyers, media and members during the first two days of the hearing.
He appeared emotionless during proceedings but scribbled notes down with a pen and paper.
His wife Melanie and son Geordie viewed the hearing remotely via video link with their cameras off.
Giving evidence via video link from NSW and with the assistance of a Serbian translator, another camper Goran Miljkovic told the court he saw an older couple in the valley who he thought could have been a grandfather and grandmother out for a drive.
He remarked it was “strange” to see them park close to another vehicle — Mr Lynn’s blue Nissan Patrol — given the amount of space available.
Other witnesses including weed sprayer Robert Williams, who was working in the valley
at the time, told the court he saw a “grumpy old bugger” driving a Landcruiser on March 20.
“He just seemed to be zooming in a hurry to get to his camp,” he said.
Later that day, Mr Williams said he saw a drone flying over the valley.
More details about the case will be revealed when the hearing resumes on Monday, when lead investigator Brett Florence is expected to take the stand.
After the hearing’s conclusion, Mr Lynn is expected to enter a formal plea of not guilty.
Magistrate Brett Sonnet will then make a decision, either on Monday or at a later date, as to whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial in the Supreme Court.
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