Police move search for missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay to Mount Hotham area, find new clue

Police have uncovered a new clue in the search for missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay as detectives say ‘somebody else’ is likely involved.

Detectives investigating the baffling year-long case of missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay believe “somebody else is involved”.

The investigation deepened on Wednesday as police moved their search 80km northwest to the Mount Hotham area, marking the first time the search has strayed from Wonnangatta, where the pair’s burnt out campsite was found.

Detectives found two shovels during the search just after midday, three hours into the renewed search for the missing pair.

Missing Persons Squad Detective Acting Inspector Tony Combridge could not shed any further details on what information led detectives to moving their search to a new area, only that it had come from “multiple sources” and “accrued over time”.

He said the significance of the shovels would be assessed and all possibilities were being investigated.

“I don’t think anything’s off the table but we look at what’s in front of us and the likely scenario is that somebody else is involved,” Detective Acting Inspector Combridge told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

“We could be one phone call away. That’s the position we hold … from this matter being resolved.”

The shovels were placed into plastic evidence bags and will be forensically examined by specialist police in Melbourne.

Other items have been retrieved from the area and taken away by police in brown paper bags.

Search and rescue police will continue to scour through dense terrain in the region on Wednesday and Thursday, with Detective Acting Inspector Combridge saying police were combing through “some parts of the bush never walked on by humans before”.

Police have uncovered a two shovels (one pictured) after moving their search for missing campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill 80km northeast of their original campsite. Picture: Channel 9

Missing Person Squad detectives and Search and Rescue officers had previously scoured the Wonnangatta Valley area since the pair vanished during a camping trip on March 20 last year.

They were last known to be camping off the Dry River Track.

But detectives “acting on information uncovered during the investigation” led them about 80km further northeast from the Wonnangatta camping grounds to a new area on the Great Alpine Road in Mount Hotham.

Det Combridge said there had been an “enormous” volume of intel coming in to police about the investigation, sparked by recent appeals about a white ute detectives were hoping to find the owners of.

Detectives began searching from 9am on Wednesday and the search “is likely” to continue on Thursday at Mt Hotham.

“The nature of the search, how long it is going to take, it is anyone’s guess, I would expect it is going to well through today and probably into tomorrow,” he said.

Mr Hill and Ms Clay vanished on March 20 during a camping trip in the remote East Gippsland beauty spot, 350km east of Melbourne.

Mr Hill left his Drouin home on March 19 before collecting Ms Clay from her home in Pakenham in his white Toyota LandCruiser.

Russell Hill and Carol Clay vanished on March 20 during a camping trip in the remote Wonnangatta Valley, 350km east of Melbourne.

The friends then travelled via Licola spending one night at Howitt High Plains before heading into Wonnangatta Valley on 20 March.

He was last heard from the following day via HF radio, stating he was at Wonnangatta Valley in the Victorian Alps when he made the call.

Ms Clay told friends she was heading away and was expecting to return home on March 28 or 29.

Previous reports have suggested the pair were high school sweethearts, and that Mr Hill’s wife was not aware Ms Clay was joining him on the camping trip.

Investigators were told the pair were camping together at Wonnangatta River near the Wonnangatta camping ground.

Campers found Mr Hill’s vehicle with signs of minor fire damage at their campsite, which was completely destroyed by fire, near Dry River Creek Track in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 21.

“Investigators are continuing to appeal to anyone who was in the Wonnangatta area around that time, including campers, 4x4 day trippers, hunters, fishermen or trail bike riders, regardless of whether they saw or heard anything,” a Victoria Police spokesman said.

“Detectives are also keen to speak to anyone who was in the area of Howitt Plains and Zeka Spur Track on 19 or 20 March, and the Wonnangatta Valley and Wonnangatta Station between 20-24 March who has not yet made contact with police is urged to come forward.”

Campers found Mr Hill’s vehicle with signs of minor fire damage at their campsite, which was completely destroyed by fire. Picture: ABC

Detectives also established Mr Hill was camping alone with his Landcruiser in the area of the King Billy and Bluff Track between March 11-13, 2020.

Police were also keen to speak to anyone who was in that area on those dates.

Information was later received about sighting of “an older person or pair” in the Black Snake Creek, Eaglevale River crossing and the Ollies Jump area on March 22-23 – but have not been able to establish if this was the missing campers.

Detectives called for anyone in this area, or any older couple who may be these persons, to also come forward.

Anyone who sights Mr Hill or Ms Clay should phone triple-0 immediately.

Anyone with any other information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Originally published as Police move search for missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay to Mount Hotham area, find new clue