Detectives slowly building picture of High Country campers mystery
A staged disappearance? A marijuana crop? A freak injury? Police liken solving the case of missing High Country campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay to putting together a jigsaw puzzle without the box lid. But six months on from their disappearance detectives are slowly building a picture of what went on, writes Mark Buttler.
Police & Courts
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Everyone has a theory but, as Victoria’s High Country eases out of winter, the truth of what happened to bush campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay remains elusive.
What began as a routine missing persons case in March grew into a mystery, before gradually developing much more sinister overtones.
Six months on from their disappearance, there is a mountain of speculation, but no answers, publicly at least.
Long periods of searching, punctuated by retreat from foul weather, marked the first few months of the inquiry, but turned up little.
An intense and unexplained fire which destroyed a tent and some camp furniture at their Wonnangatta Valley stopover remains an intriguing element of the case.
Mr Hill’s prized drone, which has never been recovered by police, adds another layer to the puzzle.
If police are making significant progress, they aren’t about to say so.
They have confirmed it is likely the missing friends have met with foul play, one possible scenario being that they were attacked inside their tent.
Detective Insp. Andrew Stamper, the head of the missing persons squad, told the Herald Sun the protracted investigation was a challenging inquiry from day one.
There was little helpful crime scene evidence and no witnesses in this isolated part of the state.
“We’ve essentially started with nothing. It’s like building a jigsaw without the box lid,” Insp. Stamper said.
“It was an absolute mystery, but slowly, methodically, we are building a picture.”
There are some possibilities which can be discounted with some degree of certainty.
The notion they had staged their own disappearance was always implausible but, half a year on, it is extremely remote.
Mr Hill’s four-wheel-drive, singed by the fire, was found at the campsite and Ms Clay’s vehicle was later found at her Pakenham home, meaning a third vehicle would have been required to get out of the area.
Simply vanishing is hard enough for seasoned criminals in today’ world where just about everyone needs a credit card and a mobile phone to get by.
Even if there was any suggestion they wanted to disappear, it would be quite a feat for two people aged in their 70s whose case has had such massive exposure.
Another potential scenario which has dimmed as the months wore on is that the friends were the victims of an accident.
There was the possibility of one becoming incapacitated and the other, perhaps, walking in the wrong direction into this treacherous environment for help.
But a major operation has been led in the surrounding bush by search and rescue squad specialists whose experience tells them they are not in that zone.
It is possible the remains of one person may not be found but two is at much longer odds.
In any case, those who had camped with Mr Hill say he was not given to roaming far from where he had set up.
There has also been rumours of Mr Hill coming across a marijuana crop, perhaps falling foul of its owner.
Mr Hill had a drone with him which would have allowed him a bird’s eye view of the bush.
But the dope farm speculation seems unlikely, given no cannabis cultivation was found in the search zone and the area is considered an unlikely place for such activity.
So what did happen?
The known facts are that Mr Hill, from Drouin, and Ms Clay left home on March 19.
They travelled east along the Princes Highway then north through Licola before arriving at Dry River Creek Track.
Mr Hill spoke by amateur radio to an old mate, Rob Ashlin, at about 6pm, betraying no sign of concern.
He said he wanted to get set up before darkness descended and that he had planned to travel the 70km to Dargo the next day.
The next day, a passer-by noticed the fire damaged site but moved on, only reporting the matter when he saw it was still there a few days later.
A dominant working theory has for months been that Mr Hill and Ms Clay were the victims of foul play and they have been transported from the area in a vehicle.
Investigators have considered the possibility the fire was deliberately lit to destroy forensic evidence.
Police are believed to be not reading too much into a visit to the area Mr Hill made between March 11 and 13.
The former logging industry worker loved the region and his movements had been restricted by bushfire in the previous months.
He may have been keen to make the most of his freedom before looming COVID-19 restrictions started to bite.
They may have started with a cold trail but the missing persons squad remains determined to get answers.
“We’re very committed. We’ve undertaken a hell of a lot of work on it. We are determined to get the answers that Russell and Carol’s families desperately seek,” Insp. Stamper said.
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