The moment armed police swooped to arrest Greg Lynn

Greg Lynn loaded his Nissan with booze and guns then set off on another of what his family jokingly referred to as “his Wolf Creek trips” to the bush. That’s when armed police swooped.

The missing persons squad’s best laid plans unravelled on the morning of November 22, 2021.

Greg Lynn was probably going to be arrested within weeks over the alleged murders of Russell Hill and Carol Clay.

He suspected he was under scrutiny but had managed to continue a relatively normal life, considering what must have been trying circumstances.

Lynn had spent about $20,000 on upgrading his Nissan for what one of his family jokingly referred to as his “Wolf Creek” trips to the bush.

Lynn suspected he was under police scrutiny and painted his dark grey 4WD beige in a bid to avoid detection. Picture: David Caird

He had pencilled in a camping visit to the Grampians to give his improved wheels a relatively short and easy test drive.

But in the days before the planned departure, he finally watched a 60 Minutes story on the case which he had recorded.

Greg Lynn’s family jokingly referred to his camping adventures as his ‘Wolf Creek trips to the bush’. Picture: Supplied

Lynn rightly believed he was the subject of the story and was further unnerved by an article in the Herald Sun which indicated police knew much more than they had previously let on.

Suddenly, as police monitored him, Lynn’s demeanor and plans changed.

Clearly agitated, he loaded the Patrol with camping gear, booze and guns and took off – heading east towards Gippsland as police listened on a surveillance device in the vehicle.

The campsite near Arbuckle where Greg Lynn was arrested by police. Picture: Nine News

The content of conversations he had with himself while en route led them to believe the under-pressure Lynn may have been about to take his own life.

He was picked up on listening devices musing to himself that a snake bite would “be the way to go”.

“Just f--king you never know when it’s coming,” he said.

“God knows what (indistinct) shit, then you got 14 minutes, Australia’s gift.”

Detective Brett Florence told preliminary hearings Lynn also spoke about how his wife, Melanie, would be left with three children to care for.

After that, it was a scramble.

Because of the presence of firearms, investigators were forced to call in the special operations group whose members were choppered to East Gippsland for the operation.

Lynn was arrested without incident and able to compose himself in the immediate aftermath of police making their move.

One officer, who was present when Lynn was detained and told why, said the former pilot coolly remarked: “Oh, they’re the two people at Wonnangatta”.

“He’s got ice-cold water running through his veins. This f--ker used to fly commercial airplanes,” the member recalled.