# 307: Russell Hill & Carol Clay

An episode of [Morbidology](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1463979546), 5 May 2025, 1 h 02 min.

Audio: https://prefix.up.audio/s/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/s.gum.fm/s-610c47a4222ada0024acb2d8/pscrb.fm/rss/p/prfx.byspotify.com/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/2IMk17EdnEqyRhJTIpIU/claritaspod.com/measure/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/65400197/morbidology_307_russell_hill_and_carol_clay.mp3

The Wonnangatta Valley is as beautiful as it is remote, a vast expanse of wilderness nestled deep in Victoria’s High Country. It’s the kind of place where people go to disappear—sometimes by choice, sometimes not. When experienced campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay vanished without a trace in March 2020, their disappearance left behind more questions than answers. SPONSORS - Lumo: If bloating is something you deal with—afer meals, while traveling, or even just out of nowhere—Debloat by Lumo can help. Get 15% off with code "MORBIDOLOGY" or click this link: https://trylumo.co/discount/MORBIDOLOGY?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fdebloat-digestive-supplement Nutrafol: Find out why Nutrafol is the best-selling hair growth supplement brand. Get $10 off with promo code "MORBIDOLOGY" at: https://nutrafol.com/ Lumen: Take the next step to improving your health. Get 20% off your Lumen at: https://lumen.me/morbidology Salt River Therapy: Are you feeling overwhelmed by life’s challenges? At Salt River Therapy, their therapists provide you with a safe, affirming space to heal and grow. Schedule a free consultation: https://saltrivertherapy.com/ SHOW NOTES - https://morbidology.com/morbidology-podcast/ PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/morbidology YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/morbidology Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/morbidology--3527306/support.

## Transcript

[0:35] Speaker 1: As I turned around and coming back this way. In
[0:40] Speaker 1: the meantime he had been with miss miss play. He
[0:44] Speaker 1: advances towards me, a knife in his right hand and
[0:47] Speaker 1: a fist punched in his left.
[1:07] Speaker 2: The one in Gata Valley, which is located deep in
[1:10] Speaker 2: the Victorian high Country, is an isolated and rugged expanse
[1:13] Speaker 2: of wilderness. Dense forests stretch on for miles, cutting off
[1:17] Speaker 2: much of the outside world. Phone reception is unreliable, and
[1:21] Speaker 2: some landmarks don't even appear on maps. It's a place
[1:25] Speaker 2: where nature dominates, where a wrong turn or a sudden
[1:28] Speaker 2: shift in weather can leave even the most experienced hikers
[1:32] Speaker 2: disoriented and lost. Over the year, several individuals have disappeared
[1:37] Speaker 2: in the valley. While some cases have been attributed to misadventure,
[1:42] Speaker 2: others remain unexplained. The region itself has a dark history.
[1:47] Speaker 2: Back in nineteen seventeen, the one on Gada murders took place,
[1:51] Speaker 2: one of Australia's most notorious unsolved crimes. A station manager
[1:56] Speaker 2: and his assistant were found dead in mysterious circumstances and
[2:00] Speaker 2: their killer was never identified. Despite its reputation, the Wan
[2:04] Speaker 2: and Gara Valley remains a popular destination for campers and hikers,
[2:08] Speaker 2: drawn by its natural beauty and isolation. In March of
[2:12] Speaker 2: twenty twenty, however, a discovery was made that would add
[2:15] Speaker 2: another chapter to the valley's history of mystery and intrigue.
[2:20] Speaker 2: A camper moving through the remote bushland came across an
[2:23] Speaker 2: unusual site. It was a campsite, burned almost entirely to
[2:27] Speaker 2: the ground. The remains of temples, chairs, and personal belongings
[2:33] Speaker 2: lay among the scorched earth. Nearby, a vehicle sat partially
[2:38] Speaker 2: damaged by the fire. The keys were still in the ignition.
[2:42] Speaker 2: There was no sign of a struggle, no tracks leading
[2:45] Speaker 2: away from the scene, no indication of where the occupants
[2:50] Speaker 2: had gone. Russell Hill was born in nineteen forty seven
[3:09] Speaker 2: and raised in the Lodrobe Valley in Victoria. From a
[3:12] Speaker 2: young age, Russell was drawn to the outdoors. The thick
[3:15] Speaker 2: eucalyptus forests, winding rivers, and untamed wilderness were his playground.
[3:21] Speaker 2: Russell spent his childhood exploring the dense bushland, developing skills
[3:25] Speaker 2: that would later define him resilient self sufficiency and an
[3:29] Speaker 2: innate understanding of the land. His love for the outdoor
[3:33] Speaker 2: shaped both his career and his lifestyle. As a timber contractor,
[3:38] Speaker 2: Russell worked deep in victorious forests, felling trees in areas
[3:42] Speaker 2: that few dared to venture. It was tough and isolating work,
[3:47] Speaker 2: but Russell thrived in it. The bush had always been
[3:50] Speaker 2: where he felt most at place. Russell was also an
[3:53] Speaker 2: avid radio enthusiast, mastering the intricacies of amateur radio. It
[3:58] Speaker 2: was more than just a hobby for Russell. It was
[4:01] Speaker 2: a way to reach out to others from remote locations,
[4:04] Speaker 2: to stay connected even when surrounded by miles of wilderness.
[4:08] Speaker 2: With his background in survival and communication, Russell was as
[4:11] Speaker 2: prepared as anybody could be for life off the beaten track.
[4:16] Speaker 2: Retirement did very little to slow Russell down. Even though
[4:20] Speaker 2: he was now seventy four years old, he continued his adventures,
[4:24] Speaker 2: setting out alone for days or weeks at a time,
[4:27] Speaker 2: immersing himself in the solitude of the mountains. Russell particularly
[4:32] Speaker 2: loved the one on Gada Valley, a remote and breathtakingly
[4:35] Speaker 2: beautiful region of the Alpine National Park. He knew the
[4:39] Speaker 2: valley intimately, he'd even built some of the tracks himself. Furthermore,
[4:45] Speaker 2: his uncle Gary Hill, had been accidentally shot and killed
[4:47] Speaker 2: by a nephew in the area. Back in nineteen ninety four,
[4:51] Speaker 2: there was a plaque erected at a place called Hilly's
[4:54] Speaker 2: Camp in his memory, which read, not every stag under
[4:57] Speaker 2: a tree is a deer. When he was not camping,
[5:01] Speaker 2: Russell was a family man. He and his wife, Robin,
[5:04] Speaker 2: had been married for over fifty years. They built a
[5:07] Speaker 2: live together, raising children and later welcoming grandchildren. But no
[5:12] Speaker 2: matter how much he loved home, the wilderness always called
[5:14] Speaker 2: him back. As he grew older, Russell had picked up
[5:18] Speaker 2: a new hobby. Flying his drone. He captured sweeping shots
[5:22] Speaker 2: of the landscapes. He loved, documenting his journeys in a
[5:25] Speaker 2: way that he never had before. He was a modern
[5:28] Speaker 2: twist to his lifelong passion for exploration. On the nineteenth
[5:33] Speaker 2: of March two thousand and twenty, Russell packed up his
[5:35] Speaker 2: Toyota land Cruiser, hitched his trailer and kissed Robin good bye.
[5:41] Speaker 2: She packed her husband as anti depressant medication and alcohol,
[5:45] Speaker 2: and gave him some cash to get lunch on the road.
[5:48] Speaker 2: He planned a week long trip, visiting campsites along the
[5:51] Speaker 2: Dargo River before making his way through the One and
[5:54] Speaker 2: Gara Valley. It wasn't an unusual trip. Russell had done
[5:59] Speaker 2: this countless times before. He knew the dangers of the
[6:03] Speaker 2: terran the unpredictable weather, the steep mountain passes, the wild animals,
[6:09] Speaker 2: but Russell was prepared as always. What no one knew
[6:14] Speaker 2: that morning as he drove off towards the mountains was
[6:18] Speaker 2: that Russell Hill would never return. It was a bright
[6:30] Speaker 2: morning in the wan and Gara Valley on the twenty
[6:32] Speaker 2: first of March. The air was crisp, the scent of
[6:35] Speaker 2: eucalyptus hanging heavy in the stillness of the Australian bush.
[6:39] Speaker 2: Andrew Marquart had been camping in the area with this
[6:42] Speaker 2: family along the Dry River Creek track. There were no
[6:46] Speaker 2: strangers to the high country, accustomed to its isolation and beauty,
[6:51] Speaker 2: But as they set out that morning, something caught their attention,
[6:55] Speaker 2: something that didn't belong at Bucks camp. They stumbled upon
[6:58] Speaker 2: a white Toyota land cruiser, a single cab ute parked
[7:02] Speaker 2: near what appeared to be a burnt out campsite. It
[7:06] Speaker 2: was a stark contrast to the serene wilderness that surrounded it.
[7:11] Speaker 2: At first glance, it was strange, but not necessarily alarming.
[7:15] Speaker 2: Campers came and went, and sometimes people abandoned sights in
[7:19] Speaker 2: a hurry, but there was an eerie stillness about this one.
[7:24] Speaker 2: Something felt off. Andrew didn't dwell on it, at least
[7:28] Speaker 2: not yet. But the next egg, curiosity got the better
[7:32] Speaker 2: of him. He returned to the side, expecting to find
[7:35] Speaker 2: somebody and maybe an explanation. Instead, he found silence. He
[7:41] Speaker 2: stepped closer, the charred remains of tempoles crunching beneath his boots.
[7:47] Speaker 2: The black and ground told the story of fire, one
[7:50] Speaker 2: that it burned hot and fast. The land Cruiser's metal
[7:54] Speaker 2: canopy bore the scars of the blaze. Its side was
[7:57] Speaker 2: marked with soot. The car battery was scorched, yet the
[8:01] Speaker 2: vehicle itself was still operational. The key sat untouched inside.
[8:07] Speaker 2: Andrew lifted the lid of an escae. Inside he found food,
[8:12] Speaker 2: including tins, packets, and every day sundrys. Nearby, another killer
[8:18] Speaker 2: was filled with rum soft drinks and milk. It looked
[8:22] Speaker 2: as though someone had just walked away, but why. The
[8:26] Speaker 2: most unsettling detail was what had been left behind. Thousands
[8:30] Speaker 2: of dollars worth of camping equipment, untouched and inside the vehicle.
[8:36] Speaker 2: On the passenger seat was a handbag. Andrew took some
[8:39] Speaker 2: photographs of the scene before packing up his own camp
[8:42] Speaker 2: and heading back home to Melbourne. A couple of days later,
[8:47] Speaker 2: Russell's wife, Robin, was growing anxious. It had been almost
[8:52] Speaker 2: a week since she had heard from her husband. The
[8:55] Speaker 2: last time she heard from Russell was on the twentieth
[8:57] Speaker 2: of March. He had radioed his voice crackling through the static,
[9:02] Speaker 2: mentioning that his transmission was weak. At the time, she
[9:06] Speaker 2: hadn't thought much of it. Robin knew how unpredictable reception
[9:10] Speaker 2: was in the valley. It was nothing unusual. But now
[9:14] Speaker 2: days had passed, no contact, no word. A feeling settled
[9:19] Speaker 2: deep in Robin's stomach, a feeling she couldn't shake. Something
[9:24] Speaker 2: wasn't right. She reported her husband missing. When detectives arrived
[9:29] Speaker 2: at the wan and Gara Valley, they stumbled upon the
[9:31] Speaker 2: same unsettling seeing that Andrew had discovered days earlier. It
[9:36] Speaker 2: was Russell's land cruiser, the barnt out remains of a
[9:40] Speaker 2: camp site, the scattered remnants of a trip that seemed
[9:43] Speaker 2: to have ended in chaos. It was Russell's vehicle, his
[9:48] Speaker 2: license plate, but Russell Hill was nowhere to be found,
[9:53] Speaker 2: and he wasn't the only one. As detectives examined the
[9:56] Speaker 2: contents of the vehicle, they made another discovery. Inside the
[10:01] Speaker 2: vehicle was a purse and it belonged to a woman
[10:04] Speaker 2: named Carol Clay, and Carol was missing as well. Carol
[10:18] Speaker 2: Clay was said to be a woman who exuded warmth, grace,
[10:21] Speaker 2: and an undeniable sense of purpose. She dedicated much of
[10:25] Speaker 2: her life to uplifting others, whether through advocacy, community service,
[10:30] Speaker 2: or simple acts of kindness. Born in nineteen forty seven,
[10:34] Speaker 2: Carol had spent her life in Victoria, building a reputation
[10:38] Speaker 2: as a compassionate and driven leader. While she was deeply
[10:41] Speaker 2: devoted to her family and friendships, she was best known
[10:45] Speaker 2: for her unwavering commitment to the Country Women's Association, a
[10:49] Speaker 2: lifeline for rural women across Australia. While we're on the
[10:56] Speaker 2: topic of things that don't sit quite right, let's talk
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[11:42] Speaker 2: Now let's get back to the story. Summer is filled
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[13:10] Speaker 2: been a cornerstone of Carol's life. She didn't just participate
[13:14] Speaker 2: in it she led. Rising through the ranks. Carl became
[13:18] Speaker 2: the State President of the Victoria Branch. She was respected
[13:23] Speaker 2: admired a mentor to Memmy deputy State President Pam Moss
[13:28] Speaker 2: and once said of her, she is held in great
[13:31] Speaker 2: esteem by members and colleagues and is a great mentor.
[13:35] Speaker 2: Carl wasn't only a leader, she was a friend, an inspiration.
[13:39] Speaker 2: But Carol Clay was more than just her titles. Those
[13:43] Speaker 2: who knew her said that she was elegant, refined, a
[13:46] Speaker 2: woman with an effortless sense of style. Franz described her
[13:50] Speaker 2: as intelligent and warm hearted. She carried herself with grace,
[13:55] Speaker 2: but beneath the polished exterior was a woman with an
[13:58] Speaker 2: adventurous spirit. Carol had a love for the outdoors, a
[14:02] Speaker 2: deep appreciation for Australia's natural beauty, and a passion for travel.
[14:08] Speaker 2: When she wasn't serving her community or exploring new landscapes,
[14:12] Speaker 2: Carol found joy in simple pleasures. She loved to cook
[14:15] Speaker 2: him bake, her speciality being a light, fluffy sponge cake.
[14:20] Speaker 2: One friend, Dorothy Comb, affectually called her a glamour queen.
[14:24] Speaker 2: She recalled she always looked gorgeous and well dressed on
[14:29] Speaker 2: the nineteenth of March two thousand and twenty, Carol packed
[14:32] Speaker 2: up her things for a trip into the wan and
[14:35] Speaker 2: Ghada Valley. She told her friends that she would be
[14:38] Speaker 2: back on the twenty sixth. Like Russell Hill, she knew
[14:42] Speaker 2: the land, she knew its beauty and its risks. But
[14:46] Speaker 2: now days later, Carol was nowhere to be found, and
[14:51] Speaker 2: her belongings were in Russell's vehicle. On the surface, Russell
[15:04] Speaker 2: Hill and Carol Clay were simply two people who loved
[15:07] Speaker 2: the wilderness, two experienced campers who had ventured into the
[15:11] Speaker 2: wan and Gara Valley for a week long escape separately.
[15:15] Speaker 2: But there was something more to their relationship, something that
[15:19] Speaker 2: had remained hidden for years. Unbeknownst to their families, Russell
[15:24] Speaker 2: and Carol had been having an affair. Their story went
[15:27] Speaker 2: back decades as teenagers, they had been childhood sweethearts. Carol
[15:33] Speaker 2: had even considered Russell to be her first love. But
[15:36] Speaker 2: young love is often fleeting, and in time they both
[15:39] Speaker 2: went their separate ways. Each went on to marry and
[15:44] Speaker 2: build families of their own. Life took them down different paths,
[15:48] Speaker 2: but they never lost touch. In fact, they remained so
[15:52] Speaker 2: close that in the nineteen sixties. When Russell introduced Carol
[15:55] Speaker 2: to his wife, Robin, he told her that they were cousins.
[15:59] Speaker 2: For years, Carol was nothing more than a family friend
[16:02] Speaker 2: in Robin's eyes, But then when they were in their sixties,
[16:06] Speaker 2: something changed. They rekindled their relationship. At first, their time
[16:12] Speaker 2: together seemed innocent, hagging trips, catching up over shared memories.
[16:17] Speaker 2: Russell told his wife, Robin that he was simply reconnecting
[16:20] Speaker 2: with an old friend, and since Robin still believed that
[16:23] Speaker 2: Carol was his cousin, she had no reason to question it.
[16:27] Speaker 2: But others did. A neighbor, somebody had known Russell and
[16:31] Speaker 2: Robin for years, discovered the affair. They were close with
[16:35] Speaker 2: Robin and gave Russell an ultimatum tell her the truth
[16:39] Speaker 2: or they would Russell had no choice, so he came clean.
[16:44] Speaker 2: Robin was devastated. Their marriage had spanned decades, they built
[16:49] Speaker 2: a live together, raised children, welcomed grandchildren, and now it
[16:54] Speaker 2: all felt like a lie. Russell promised to end the affair,
[16:58] Speaker 2: but he didn't. Promised Carol he would leave his wife,
[17:02] Speaker 2: but he didn't. On the morning of the nineteenth of March,
[17:05] Speaker 2: when Russell kissed his wife goodbye and drove off towards
[17:08] Speaker 2: the mountains. He wasn't alone for long. Before heading into
[17:13] Speaker 2: the one in Garra Valley. He made a stop on
[17:16] Speaker 2: the outskirts of Melbourne. Carol was waiting from here. The
[17:21] Speaker 2: pair set off together, traveling through Hayfield, Lo Cola and
[17:25] Speaker 2: the Cola North, a route that would take them deeper
[17:28] Speaker 2: into Victoria's remote high country. Finally, they turned on to
[17:32] Speaker 2: the Zechi Spur Track, the gateway to one and Gara.
[17:36] Speaker 2: This was a place that Russell knew like the back
[17:39] Speaker 2: of his hand, a place where few people ventured, a
[17:44] Speaker 2: place where they could be alone. Back in wan and
[18:00] Speaker 2: Gada Valley, the search for Russell Hill and Carol Clay
[18:03] Speaker 2: had begun. The scene that the detectives encountered was puzzling.
[18:08] Speaker 2: A white Toyota land Cruiser seemingly abandoned, a burnt out
[18:12] Speaker 2: campsite and thousands of dollars worth of camping gear left behind,
[18:16] Speaker 2: but Russell and Carol were nowhere to be found. Inspector
[18:20] Speaker 2: Craig gaff, one of the officers leading the search, commented,
[18:24] Speaker 2: there's been a minor fire in relation to some of
[18:26] Speaker 2: their equipment, but mister Hill's car is certainly serviceable and
[18:29] Speaker 2: driveable and all their equipment is serviceable. Immediately, something stood out.
[18:35] Speaker 2: Certain key items were missing from the campsite, Russell's drone
[18:39] Speaker 2: and both of their cell phones. Detectives considered a possibility.
[18:44] Speaker 2: Had they wandered into the valley to retrieve with drone.
[18:47] Speaker 2: Maybe Russell had been flying it and it crashed somewhere
[18:50] Speaker 2: in the thick bushland. Had they gone searching for it
[18:53] Speaker 2: and lost their way. Russell had local knowledge, but even
[18:57] Speaker 2: the most experienced outdoorsmen could be disoriented in the dense wilderness,
[19:02] Speaker 2: especially at night, and in the Wan and Gada Valley,
[19:06] Speaker 2: the nights were unforgiving, as the sun dipped below the horizon,
[19:11] Speaker 2: temperatures plunged at night, the mercury dropped below freezing, and
[19:16] Speaker 2: the valley had its own dangers. Packs of wild dogs
[19:20] Speaker 2: roam the area, often hunting in groups of four or more,
[19:24] Speaker 2: and injured or weakened person would be vulnerable. And then
[19:28] Speaker 2: there was the fire. Was it simply an accident, perhaps
[19:32] Speaker 2: a gust of wind had caught an ember from their
[19:34] Speaker 2: smoldering campfire and ignited the tent, or was it something
[19:38] Speaker 2: more sinister? Another theory emerged. Had Russell and Carroll staged
[19:43] Speaker 2: their own disappearance. Had they run off to start a
[19:46] Speaker 2: new live together, leaving behind their former lives. It seemed
[19:51] Speaker 2: unlikely Russell's car was still there, along with this wallet.
[19:56] Speaker 2: Their belongings had been abandoned, but in those early days,
[20:00] Speaker 2: no theory could be ruled out. Search and rescue teams
[20:04] Speaker 2: were immediately deployed. Mountain cattleman and a wild dog trapper
[20:08] Speaker 2: scarred the dense woodland. A police helicopter flew overhead, scanning
[20:12] Speaker 2: for any signs of movement. The Mountain Cattleman's Association of
[20:17] Speaker 2: Victoria joined the search, using their knowledge of the terrain
[20:20] Speaker 2: to assist investigators. Inspector Gaff explained, it's pretty rugged, thick
[20:27] Speaker 2: bush with steep inclines and very remote and there's lots
[20:30] Speaker 2: of different tracks they've maybe taken. A staging post was
[20:35] Speaker 2: set up at Surveyor's hot along the one and Gata track.
[20:39] Speaker 2: The first step in the investigation was retracing their last
[20:42] Speaker 2: known movements. They knew that Russell was a radio enthusiast.
[20:47] Speaker 2: Since sell service in the valley was spotty at best,
[20:50] Speaker 2: Russell had a routine each evening he checked in with
[20:53] Speaker 2: his radio friends at the same time six thirty pm.
[20:58] Speaker 2: They all logged on, a small but tight group who
[21:00] Speaker 2: stayed connected despite the vast distances between them. Robin listened
[21:05] Speaker 2: in as she always did. She wasn't licensed to transmit,
[21:09] Speaker 2: she could only listen, but hearing Russell's voice each night
[21:12] Speaker 2: reassured her that he was safe. But on the twentieth
[21:17] Speaker 2: of March, something was different. Russell's final transmission was brief.
[21:23] Speaker 2: His friend Rob Ashlan recalled he was speaking like normal,
[21:27] Speaker 2: he never had a worry in the world, but Russell
[21:30] Speaker 2: mentioned that he was having issues with his radio signal,
[21:34] Speaker 2: and then silence. He never checked in again. When police
[21:38] Speaker 2: informed Robin that her husband hadn't been alone on his
[21:41] Speaker 2: camping trip, she was devastated. She thought that Russell was
[21:45] Speaker 2: camping by himself, just as he always did. Instead, he'd
[21:50] Speaker 2: been with Carol. Despite the heartbreak, she wanted nothing more
[21:54] Speaker 2: than the both of them to be found safe. When
[21:58] Speaker 2: asked if she had a message for her missing husband,
[22:01] Speaker 2: she gave a simple, painful response, you silly bugger. Days
[22:14] Speaker 2: turned into wakes and there was still no sign of
[22:16] Speaker 2: Russell Hill or Carol Clay. The longer they remained missing,
[22:21] Speaker 2: the grimmer the situation became. They simply got lost, had
[22:25] Speaker 2: they chosen to disappear, or had something far more sinister
[22:29] Speaker 2: happened in the Wan and Gada Valley. Time was slipping
[22:33] Speaker 2: away and within hope. Then the weather took a turn.
[22:37] Speaker 2: Torrential rain battered the valley, turning the dirt tracks into
[22:41] Speaker 2: rivers of mud. The search teams were forced to call
[22:44] Speaker 2: off their efforts. Inspector Gaff, acknowledging the growing urgency, said,
[22:50] Speaker 2: we know they're near water. We know they had food
[22:53] Speaker 2: in their car, but we don't know how much they
[22:55] Speaker 2: had with them. But we are certainly getting into the
[22:57] Speaker 2: point where survivability is something we need to assess. By
[23:02] Speaker 2: the sick of April, with snow blanketing the high country,
[23:05] Speaker 2: authorities made the difficult decision to suspend the search. It
[23:10] Speaker 2: was now highly unlikely that Russell and Carroll were still alive.
[23:14] Speaker 2: Inspector Gaff later admitted, I try to let the evidence
[23:18] Speaker 2: lead us to a conclusion, but unfortunately the evidence at
[23:20] Speaker 2: this stage leads me to believe they are still in
[23:23] Speaker 2: the wan and Gada Valley and it's just a matter
[23:25] Speaker 2: of time before we find them. At first, their abandoned
[23:29] Speaker 2: campsite had raised suspicions, but with time, detectives weren't so sure.
[23:35] Speaker 2: Arson chemists examined the scene but couldn't determine what had
[23:38] Speaker 2: started the fire. While foul play hadn't been ruled out,
[23:42] Speaker 2: investigators now believed that the fire wasn't deliberately lit. One
[23:47] Speaker 2: theory was that a mobile phone left charging inside the
[23:50] Speaker 2: ten had overheated, sparking the blaze. If true, it was
[23:55] Speaker 2: yet another tragic accident in the unforgiving landscape of the
[23:58] Speaker 2: high Country. You know what's truly criminal not understanding what's
[24:06] Speaker 2: happening inside your own body. When I started investigating my
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[26:03] Speaker 2: Then on the twelfth of April, there was a new development.
[26:06] Speaker 2: Authorities announced that the search for Russell and Carol was resuming.
[26:11] Speaker 2: Two days later, detectives made a chilling statement. Russell and
[26:16] Speaker 2: Carroll were now presumed dead. The case had shifted. They
[26:21] Speaker 2: weren't searching for survivors anymore, they were searching for bodies,
[26:26] Speaker 2: especially as alpine officers combed through the rugged landscape. Police
[26:31] Speaker 2: turned to the amateur radio community, asking them to recall
[26:34] Speaker 2: any transmissions from late March. Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper urged
[26:40] Speaker 2: he may have made a distress call and someone may
[26:43] Speaker 2: have seen his call sign. But as the weeks passed,
[26:47] Speaker 2: the search yielded nothing, and then towards the end of May,
[26:52] Speaker 2: rumors began to spread. Rumors about a man, a loner
[26:57] Speaker 2: who roamed the mountains. In the weeks following Russell Hill
[27:09] Speaker 2: and Carl Clay's disappearance, rumors began to circulate. There had
[27:14] Speaker 2: been whispers about a man who lived deep in the wilderness,
[27:18] Speaker 2: a man who didn't belong to any town, who seemed
[27:21] Speaker 2: more at home in the bush than among people. To
[27:24] Speaker 2: those who had crossed paths with him, he was known
[27:27] Speaker 2: only as the button Man. Hunters and hikers spoke of
[27:30] Speaker 2: a strange, elusive figure who roamed the high country, setting
[27:34] Speaker 2: up camp in the most remote corners of the wilderness.
[27:38] Speaker 2: He was just over seventy years old, but strong, remarkably so, eccentric,
[27:44] Speaker 2: yet highly intelligent. Most of the time he lived alone
[27:48] Speaker 2: in the mountains, but every now and then he would
[27:50] Speaker 2: drive his four wheel drive into town for supplies and
[27:53] Speaker 2: stop at a pub in Mansfield for a beer. He
[27:57] Speaker 2: spent his days carving deer antlers, using the bone to
[28:00] Speaker 2: make buttons and large plugs for his stretched ears. He
[28:04] Speaker 2: was unsettling, but was he dangerous. Hunters passing through his
[28:09] Speaker 2: camp reported seeing hand made spears scattered around. Others spoke
[28:13] Speaker 2: of a night around a campfire when the button Man
[28:15] Speaker 2: appeared uninvited. He lingered on the edge of the firelight,
[28:20] Speaker 2: making awkward conversation before vanishing into the trees. And then
[28:25] Speaker 2: there was the wildlife photographer. He'd spent days taking shots
[28:28] Speaker 2: in the high country, unaware that he was being watched.
[28:32] Speaker 2: It wasn't until he returned home and downloaded his photographs
[28:35] Speaker 2: that he found something disturbing. Among his images was a
[28:39] Speaker 2: photo of himself asleep inside his tent. It was enough
[28:44] Speaker 2: to send a shiver down the spine of anybody who
[28:46] Speaker 2: had camped alone in the bush. Could the button Man
[28:50] Speaker 2: have been involved in rustling Carroll's disappearance? Had then countered
[28:54] Speaker 2: him that night in the wan and Gada Valley. The
[28:57] Speaker 2: rumors reached detectives, and soon the mysterious Bousseh shch Man
[29:00] Speaker 2: became a person of interest. Investigators tracked him to his
[29:04] Speaker 2: camp deep in the wilderness, and they questioned him, but
[29:07] Speaker 2: they left satisfied that the button Man had nothing to
[29:10] Speaker 2: do with the disappearances. The investigation hid a dead end
[29:14] Speaker 2: once more. Weeks turned into months, and then by the
[29:19] Speaker 2: end of June, detectives made a grim announcement. Russell and
[29:23] Speaker 2: Carrol had most likely met file play. Their disappearance was
[29:27] Speaker 2: no accident. They believed that somebody had killed them and
[29:31] Speaker 2: then removed their bodies from the area. In a desperate
[29:35] Speaker 2: attempt to generate leeds, detectives turned to the public. They
[29:39] Speaker 2: urged anybody who had been in the wan and Gara
[29:41] Speaker 2: Valley at the same time as Russell and Carroll to
[29:43] Speaker 2: come forward. Detective Inspector Andrews Stamper assured them that they
[29:48] Speaker 2: weren't in trouble, but they needed to know who was
[29:51] Speaker 2: out there and whether they saw anything at all. He
[29:54] Speaker 2: also asked people to score through any CCTV or dash
[29:58] Speaker 2: camp footage to check out anything suspicious had been captured,
[30:03] Speaker 2: maybe a strange car, a lone figure in the trees.
[30:14] Speaker 2: Months continued to pass, the search was practically over and
[30:17] Speaker 2: the headlines had long faded, But for the families of
[30:21] Speaker 2: Russell Hill and Carol Clay, the nightmare was far from over.
[30:25] Speaker 2: Russell's daughters, Colin and Debbie spoke publicly for the first
[30:28] Speaker 2: time in October twenty twenty one. When they first heard
[30:33] Speaker 2: about their father's burnt out campsite, they assumed he had
[30:36] Speaker 2: wandered off to find water, but as the day stretched
[30:40] Speaker 2: into weeks, it became clear that this wasn't any ordinary disappearance.
[30:45] Speaker 2: Debbie said, he wouldn't hide. It's really hard. It's not
[30:50] Speaker 2: getting any better, it's not knowing. You're just stuck. Colin
[30:55] Speaker 2: said that she missed the little things, the everyday moments.
[30:59] Speaker 2: She missed being able to call her father. Carol's sister Jill,
[31:03] Speaker 2: had no doubts about what had happened. She believed that
[31:07] Speaker 2: they had both been killed and did the person responsible.
[31:10] Speaker 2: She had a message, You've undertaken a hey in the sack.
[31:14] Speaker 2: You've got to live with that for the rest of
[31:16] Speaker 2: your lives. While the families mourned, detectives were closing in.
[31:21] Speaker 2: They'd come across a breakthrough in November of twenty twenty one.
[31:26] Speaker 2: On the twenty first of March, just two days after
[31:28] Speaker 2: Russell and Carol vanished, Russell's phone reconnected to the network,
[31:34] Speaker 2: but it wasn't near the one in Gada Valley. It
[31:37] Speaker 2: was in a place called Mount Hawtham, a different section
[31:40] Speaker 2: of the Mountain Rage. His vehicle was still at the
[31:43] Speaker 2: camp site, so how did his phone get to Mount Hawtham.
[31:48] Speaker 2: Somebody had driven it there, and detectives believed that same
[31:51] Speaker 2: person had killed Russell and Carol. There weren't many surveillance
[31:55] Speaker 2: cameras in the high Country, but there was one. Single
[32:00] Speaker 2: camera had been set up to catch drivers skipping the
[32:02] Speaker 2: entry fee at Mount Hoffam Resort. Investigators scarred the footage
[32:08] Speaker 2: cross referencing every single vehicle captured on the camera. One
[32:12] Speaker 2: by one, they tracked on the drivers and rolled them
[32:14] Speaker 2: mount except for one. It was a dark four wheel
[32:18] Speaker 2: drive towing a trailer. It was driven by a man.
[32:23] Speaker 2: Detectives believed that he was the killer, and in the
[32:26] Speaker 2: back of his vehicle were the bodies of Russell Hill
[32:29] Speaker 2: and Carol Clay. Desperate franciers, they released an image of
[32:33] Speaker 2: the vehicle and asked for the public's help. Missing persons.
[32:37] Speaker 2: Squad Chief Andrew Stamper had a theory. He said, everything
[32:42] Speaker 2: seems to point towards this being some sort of confrontation,
[32:45] Speaker 2: maybe an argument, but my belief is that the person
[32:49] Speaker 2: who did this is probably just an ordinary member of
[32:51] Speaker 2: the community. As it turned out, this same vehicle had
[32:55] Speaker 2: been spotted before. Witnesses recalled, saying it near Russell in
[33:00] Speaker 2: Carol's campsite. Some believed that the driver had been camping nearby,
[33:05] Speaker 2: just a stone throw away. Gorn Miljevic had been driving
[33:10] Speaker 2: behind Russell and Carrol when they parked and set up camp.
[33:14] Speaker 2: He recalled how they parked close to the blue four
[33:16] Speaker 2: wheel drive. He found it strange, considering there was plenty
[33:20] Speaker 2: of room for them to park in camp elsewhere. Then
[33:24] Speaker 2: at dawn, Goren heard a single gunshot. It wasn't unusual
[33:28] Speaker 2: to hear such soigns in the wilderness where camping and
[33:30] Speaker 2: hunting was rife. He thought nothing of it at the time,
[33:34] Speaker 2: but now it seemed significant. Detectors wondered if Russell and
[33:39] Speaker 2: Carroll could have gotten into an argument with this solo camper.
[33:43] Speaker 2: It certainly seemed plausible. They heard from a man named
[33:47] Speaker 2: Robert Williams who had seen Russell and Carol camping. He
[33:51] Speaker 2: described Russell as a grumpy old bugger who buzzed him
[33:54] Speaker 2: with his drone. He saw the drone being flown over
[33:57] Speaker 2: other people's campsites that Russell was recording them. Robert said,
[34:04] Speaker 2: you're going down there to have a peaceful camp, and
[34:06] Speaker 2: somebody's flying a drone over the top of you. On
[34:10] Speaker 2: the night that Russell and Carol vanished, the driver of
[34:13] Speaker 2: the blue vehicle had tried to leave the valley, but
[34:16] Speaker 2: the road was blocked. A gate had been closed due
[34:19] Speaker 2: to bushfires, so he had no choice. He had to
[34:23] Speaker 2: turn back, and whatever happened that night, whatever he had done,
[34:28] Speaker 2: he was forced to sit with it, waiting trapped in
[34:32] Speaker 2: the valley. It was a quiet morning in East Gippsland
[34:43] Speaker 2: on the twentieth of November twenty twenty two. That was
[34:47] Speaker 2: until the silence was shattered by two helicopters that roared
[34:51] Speaker 2: above a remote section of the bush. Down below, nestled
[34:55] Speaker 2: among the trees was a single campsite. A broadness and
[34:59] Speaker 2: patrol sat nearby. Its body had been spray painted recently,
[35:04] Speaker 2: as if somebody had tried to change its appearance. A
[35:08] Speaker 2: lead officers from Victoria Police's Special Operations Group moved in.
[35:13] Speaker 2: They were fast and quiet, and within moments a man
[35:16] Speaker 2: was on the ground, handcuffed. He was a middle aged
[35:20] Speaker 2: man camping deep in the wilderness alone. His name was
[35:23] Speaker 2: Greg Lynn, and in the eyes of detectives, he wasn't
[35:26] Speaker 2: just another camper. He was a killer. Greg Lynn was
[35:30] Speaker 2: no drifter, He was no lunar living off the grid.
[35:34] Speaker 2: He was a career pilot, a man whose life revolved
[35:37] Speaker 2: around discipline, precision and control. Born in nineteen sixty six,
[35:42] Speaker 2: Greg Lynn had grown up in Australia, where his childhood
[35:45] Speaker 2: fascination with flight turned into a full time career. He
[35:49] Speaker 2: was a commercial airline pilot, a captain for Jetstar, a
[35:53] Speaker 2: low cost airline under the Quantisk Group. His colleagues described
[35:57] Speaker 2: him as sharp and focused. Coworker said, I've flown with
[36:02] Speaker 2: him a number of times. He's the most amazing pilot.
[36:05] Speaker 2: Greg is one of the nicest people ever. Lynn's personal
[36:09] Speaker 2: life mirrored the Great Australian dream. He had a sprawling
[36:12] Speaker 2: two story home in Caroline Springs in Melbourne's West, a
[36:17] Speaker 2: well manicured garden, an Australian flag hanging in the front window.
[36:22] Speaker 2: Behind the fence, he kept bees. He shared his homegrown
[36:25] Speaker 2: vegetables with neighbors and brought them fish that he had caught.
[36:30] Speaker 2: By all accounts, Greg Lynn was a friendly family man.
[36:34] Speaker 2: He'd lived there for a decade with his wife, Melanie,
[36:36] Speaker 2: and their teenage son. It was the picture of suburban stability.
[36:41] Speaker 2: But beneath that for sad there was another side to
[36:43] Speaker 2: Greg Lynn. His first wife, Linda, had died suddenly outside
[36:48] Speaker 2: their home twenty years earlier. She had andy Depressan's, an
[36:52] Speaker 2: alcohol in her stomach. Her death was the subject of
[36:56] Speaker 2: a coroner's inquest. According to and she never drank. According
[37:02] Speaker 2: to others, her husband didn't attend her funeral. He'd been
[37:06] Speaker 2: abusive throughout their marriage. They had been estranged at the time,
[37:11] Speaker 2: but the coroner's inquest found no evidence that anybody else
[37:13] Speaker 2: had been involved in her death. It was ruled a
[37:17] Speaker 2: tragic suicide or even an accident. Greg Lynn was also
[37:22] Speaker 2: a dedicated member of the Melbourne International Shooting Club. He
[37:26] Speaker 2: was an avid gun collector. His home housed and arsenal rifle, shotguns,
[37:32] Speaker 2: precision weapons. He was a keen pig hunter that kept
[37:36] Speaker 2: a collection of knives, and when the pandemic hit grinding flights,
[37:40] Speaker 2: he found himself with a lot more free time, more
[37:44] Speaker 2: time to disappear into the wilderness, more time to indulge
[37:48] Speaker 2: in his true passions camping, hunting, and being alone. And
[37:53] Speaker 2: now detectives believe he had spent that time covering his tracks.
[38:06] Speaker 2: Greg Lynn had become a person of interest in the
[38:08] Speaker 2: disappearance long before his arrest. Detectives had been watching him
[38:13] Speaker 2: and they had their reasons. They had captured his vehicle
[38:16] Speaker 2: on camera. On the fourteenth of July twenty twenty two,
[38:21] Speaker 2: detectives arrived at his home. They told him that they
[38:24] Speaker 2: were just gathering statements that he wasn't a suspect. They
[38:28] Speaker 2: asked him about the one in Gada Valley. Lynn admitted
[38:32] Speaker 2: that he had been camping there at the same time
[38:34] Speaker 2: as Russell Hill and Carol Clay, but he insisted he
[38:37] Speaker 2: hadn't seen them. As detectives left his home, however, something
[38:42] Speaker 2: caught their attention. Parked on a side street near his
[38:45] Speaker 2: home was a Nissan Patrol. It was freshly painted braun
[38:51] Speaker 2: The license plate was a match to the vehicle captured
[38:53] Speaker 2: on camera. Detectives decided not to confront Lynn. Instead, they
[38:59] Speaker 2: watched him over the following months. He was placed under
[39:02] Speaker 2: covert surveillance. They installed them inside his home and car.
[39:08] Speaker 2: During one conversation with his wife, Melanie, while they watched
[39:11] Speaker 2: a sixty minutes feature on the disappearance, Lynn seemed annoyed.
[39:16] Speaker 2: Melanie told him that the four wheel drive shown in
[39:18] Speaker 2: the video looked like his vehicle. He told his wife
[39:22] Speaker 2: that there were only four hours in the day when
[39:24] Speaker 2: he was in the area when Russell and Carol went missing.
[39:29] Speaker 2: Then in November, detectives made their first move. They went
[39:33] Speaker 2: public with the suspect vehicle. They mentioned a small but
[39:37] Speaker 2: significant detail, retractable awning on the roof. Days later, a
[39:43] Speaker 2: covert camera outside Lynne's home captured him. He was standing
[39:47] Speaker 2: beside his vehicle, removing the awning. Detectives planned to keep watching,
[39:52] Speaker 2: but then something changed. Lynn had an argument with his wife.
[39:58] Speaker 2: A secret camera had captured him. Afterwards, muttering to himself,
[40:02] Speaker 2: he mentioned that she would have to take care of
[40:04] Speaker 2: the children alone. He then said that a snake bite
[40:07] Speaker 2: would be a good way to go. Detectives feared the worst.
[40:12] Speaker 2: They thought that he was heading into the wilderness to
[40:14] Speaker 2: take his life, so they couldn't wait any longer. On
[40:18] Speaker 2: the twentieth of November, they made their move. A special
[40:21] Speaker 2: operations group descended into the bushland where he was camping.
[40:26] Speaker 2: They surrounded his campsite and swooped in. Greg Lynn was
[40:30] Speaker 2: in custody, and now the truth was about to come out,
[40:35] Speaker 2: or at least his version of it. In the wake
[40:46] Speaker 2: of Greglyn's arrest, he sat across from Sergeant Florence and
[40:49] Speaker 2: Detective Daniel Passingcombe, and to their surprise, he didn't deny
[40:53] Speaker 2: that Russelyn Hill and Carol Clay were dead. He admitted it,
[40:58] Speaker 2: but what he described next was his version of events,
[41:02] Speaker 2: a version where he wasn't a cold blooded killer, but
[41:05] Speaker 2: instead a man caught up in a tragic misunderstanding. Lyne
[41:10] Speaker 2: told detectives he had been camping at Buck's camp when
[41:13] Speaker 2: Russell and Carol arrived on the nineteenth of March. At first,
[41:17] Speaker 2: they were friendly. The next evening, however, tensions flared. According
[41:23] Speaker 2: to Lynn, Russell had been flying a drone over his
[41:25] Speaker 2: campsite while he was hunting deer. He found it annoying,
[41:29] Speaker 2: but he thought little of it. That was until later
[41:32] Speaker 2: that night, when Russell allegedly showed up at its campsite.
[41:37] Speaker 2: Lynn claimed that Russell was agitated and accused him of
[41:40] Speaker 2: shooting too close to their camp. According to Lynn, Russell
[41:44] Speaker 2: threatened to make a false report to police, using his
[41:47] Speaker 2: drone footage as evidence. Lynn said that he let the
[41:51] Speaker 2: confrontation go, but later, as yet dinner, he stewed over it.
[41:57] Speaker 2: He decided to irritate Russell by blasting music for from
[42:00] Speaker 2: his car. He said he tried to find the most
[42:03] Speaker 2: annoying song possible. Lynn claimed that Russell snapped that he
[42:08] Speaker 2: stormed over to his vehicle, grabbed his shotgun an ammunition,
[42:12] Speaker 2: and then walked away. Lynn said that he followed him.
[42:17] Speaker 2: He demanded the weapon back, but Russell refused. According to Lynn,
[42:22] Speaker 2: he said he was going to take that to the
[42:24] Speaker 2: police with him, and.
[42:26] Speaker 1: I can kind of run here on confront him, give
[42:28] Speaker 1: it back, you know, what are you doing? And he
[42:30] Speaker 1: said he's going to take that to the place with him.
[42:33] Speaker 1: And then when I advanced towards him, he had the
[42:39] Speaker 1: magazine in the shotgun. At this stage, he pulled the
[42:42] Speaker 1: action back and he let a couple of rounds go
[42:45] Speaker 1: into the air.
[42:47] Speaker 2: He said that Russell then fired too warning shots into
[42:50] Speaker 2: the air and told him to fuck off. Lynn claimed
[42:53] Speaker 2: that at that moment he was terrified. He told detectives, I.
[43:00] Speaker 1: Immediately ran around the back here, fearing that, you know,
[43:05] Speaker 1: I might be able, might be going to cop the
[43:07] Speaker 1: next one. And I waited. It was in shadow around here,
[43:10] Speaker 1: it was dark. I didn't want to run back towards
[43:12] Speaker 1: my car because if he was going to shoot me,
[43:16] Speaker 1: then he would have had a clear shot. Then hear it.
[43:21] Speaker 2: Instead of barking down, he decided to fight for the gun.
[43:24] Speaker 1: I moved in closer again, fearing that if I ran
[43:27] Speaker 1: this way, I'd top another one. I saw the barrel
[43:30] Speaker 1: of the shotgun appear over the bonnet, and to try
[43:34] Speaker 1: and disarm him, I jumped up. I grabbed the shotgun
[43:38] Speaker 1: barrel with my right arm pivoted around so I was
[43:43] Speaker 1: facing him him facing away from the bonnet of the car.
[43:48] Speaker 1: I had the left hand on the stop, right hand
[43:50] Speaker 1: on the barrel, and we wrestled.
[43:54] Speaker 2: He sabby spawned Russell around, pressing him against the front
[43:57] Speaker 2: of the vecle. He glimed. He showed it Russell to
[44:00] Speaker 2: let go, but Russell didn't. It was a chaotic scene
[44:04] Speaker 2: and Carl yelled at Russell to stop, but the struggle continued.
[44:09] Speaker 2: Then a Lloyd bang emanated in the quiet night. According
[44:13] Speaker 2: to Lynn, the shotgun had discharged a projectile, tore through
[44:17] Speaker 2: the mirror of the land Cruiser and struck Carol Clay
[44:21] Speaker 2: in the head. It killed her instantly. She was dressed
[44:26] Speaker 2: in her pajamas.
[44:30] Speaker 1: She was shot through there. To him, I saw her
[44:34] Speaker 1: in the peripheral. I didn't actually see which way she
[44:42] Speaker 1: was standing, but when later she was lying face down
[44:46] Speaker 1: on the ground, ye immediately Russell Hill let go of
[44:50] Speaker 1: the shotgun.
[44:51] Speaker 2: Lynn insisted his hand wasn't on the trigger, but it
[44:54] Speaker 2: was all an accident, that he was just trying to
[44:57] Speaker 2: get his gum back. He said. He up the wap
[45:00] Speaker 2: and had it back to his vehicle and put it
[45:02] Speaker 2: in the passenger seat, but then Russell allegedly re emerged as.
[45:08] Speaker 1: I turned around and coming back this way. In the
[45:13] Speaker 1: meantime he had been with miss play. He advances towards
[45:19] Speaker 1: me with a knife in his right hand and a
[45:21] Speaker 1: fist punched in his left. He first takes a swing
[45:25] Speaker 1: with his left hand. I blocked that with his right hand.
[45:28] Speaker 1: He takes a swing with a knife. I bropped his
[45:31] Speaker 1: wrists and with my left arm pulled over his right
[45:39] Speaker 1: and he pushed me over back under the ground and
[45:44] Speaker 1: the knife went into his chest.
[45:48] Speaker 2: Linn said that in the struggle, the knife drove into
[45:50] Speaker 2: Russell's chest. Linn stood up, Russell crawled for a few moments,
[45:57] Speaker 2: then stopped, rolled over and died right there. It was
[46:01] Speaker 2: a tragic accident self defense, at least that was the
[46:06] Speaker 2: story that greg Lynn told detectives. But if that was
[46:09] Speaker 2: the truth, why did he go to such extreme lengths
[46:12] Speaker 2: to cover it up. Why didn't he seek help? Greg
[46:22] Speaker 2: Lynn told detectives that he panicked the moment that Russell
[46:24] Speaker 2: and Carol were dead. He knew the shotgul was his,
[46:28] Speaker 2: and he knew what that would mean. In just a
[46:31] Speaker 2: few seconds, he weighed his options and decided that there
[46:33] Speaker 2: was no way he could come forward. If he did,
[46:37] Speaker 2: his career would be over, his reputation would be destroyed,
[46:40] Speaker 2: and his family would be left in financial ruin. He
[46:44] Speaker 2: told the detectives, so yeah, I tried to save myself.
[46:50] Speaker 2: Lynn admitted that instead of calling for help, he focused
[46:52] Speaker 2: on eliminating all traces of what had happened. He louded
[46:56] Speaker 2: both bodies into the back of his trailer, wiped on
[46:59] Speaker 2: the camp's and then set it on fire, hoping to
[47:02] Speaker 2: eraise any evidence. The blaze consumed what was left behind
[47:06] Speaker 2: as Lynde drove away, searching for a place to dispose
[47:09] Speaker 2: of the bodies. What he didn't realize at the time, however,
[47:13] Speaker 2: was that Russell's cellphone was still in his pocket, pinging
[47:17] Speaker 2: cell towers and silently marking his path. Eventually, Lyne pulled
[47:23] Speaker 2: off the road onto a remote track in the wilderness
[47:25] Speaker 2: along Union Spur Track in Victoria. The area was isolated,
[47:30] Speaker 2: long forgotten by most except for the occasional four wheel
[47:33] Speaker 2: drive or off road motorbike enthusiast. It was here that
[47:38] Speaker 2: Lynne dragged the bodies into the bush, covering them with
[47:40] Speaker 2: sticks and leaves, before leaving the scene and returning home,
[47:45] Speaker 2: but despite his best efforts to move on, he couldn't
[47:48] Speaker 2: shake the fear that something had been overlooked. Seven months later,
[47:52] Speaker 2: Lynn returned to the site. By then, the bodies had
[47:56] Speaker 2: decomposed and the stench was overwhelming. He said that this
[48:00] Speaker 2: scene was gruesome. Carol's head was largely missing because of
[48:05] Speaker 2: the shotgun blast, but there had also been activity from
[48:08] Speaker 2: a wild dog. Lynn said that he vomited several times,
[48:12] Speaker 2: but he had come prepared. He doused the remains in kerosene,
[48:16] Speaker 2: stacked logs on top, and then set them alight. Sitting
[48:21] Speaker 2: beside the fire, he watched as the last physical evidence
[48:23] Speaker 2: of Russell Hill and Carol Clay burned away. Ours passed,
[48:28] Speaker 2: and when only small fragments of bone remained, he scooped
[48:31] Speaker 2: them with the dust pan and scattered the ashes. Later,
[48:35] Speaker 2: in his confession to police, he coldly stated, there's literally
[48:39] Speaker 2: nothing there. Despite Lyn's believed that he had successfully covered
[48:43] Speaker 2: his tracks, detectives were determined to find Russell and Carroll.
[48:48] Speaker 2: Armed with a confession, a search team was deployed to
[48:50] Speaker 2: the area that he had described. The painstaking process of
[48:54] Speaker 2: sifting through the dirt and debris began with detectives carefully
[48:58] Speaker 2: combing through the landscape looking for any trace of the victims.
[49:03] Speaker 2: Eventually their efforts paid off. Among the scattered remains, police
[49:07] Speaker 2: uncovered charred bone fragments, several teeth, a wristwatch on a
[49:12] Speaker 2: piece of women's jewelry. They also found a single spent bullet.
[49:18] Speaker 2: Forensic testing confirmable detectives already knew Russell Hill and Carol
[49:23] Speaker 2: Clay had finally been found. Greg Lynn had spent nearly
[49:27] Speaker 2: two years trying to erase every physical trace of them,
[49:31] Speaker 2: but in the end, science and persistent had sealed his fate.
[49:35] Speaker 2: He was charged with two counts of murder. By the
[49:47] Speaker 2: thirteenth of May twenty twenty four, a jury of eight
[49:50] Speaker 2: men and six women had been selected and Greg Lynn's
[49:53] Speaker 2: murder trial was set to begin in the Supreme Court
[49:55] Speaker 2: of Victoria. Escorted into the courtroom, Lynn entered a plea
[49:59] Speaker 2: of not guilt to all of the charges against him.
[50:02] Speaker 2: From the outset, His defense team, which was led by
[50:04] Speaker 2: Attorney Dermot Dan, sought to frame the deaths of Russell
[50:08] Speaker 2: Hill and Carol Clay as nothing more than tragic accidents.
[50:12] Speaker 2: During his opening statement, Dan walked the jury through Lynn's
[50:15] Speaker 2: version of events, describing a dispute that began when Russell,
[50:19] Speaker 2: using his drone, had spotted Lynn hunting too close to
[50:22] Speaker 2: their campsite. Tensions escalated, he claimed, because Russell was particularly
[50:27] Speaker 2: uneasy about firearms safety, having lost his uncle in a
[50:31] Speaker 2: hunting accident. According to the defense, after a heated exchange,
[50:36] Speaker 2: Russell took Lynne's shotgun and fired warning shots, leading to
[50:40] Speaker 2: a struggle, during which the gun accidentally discharged and killed Carol.
[50:45] Speaker 2: Dan argued that Russell Len attacked Lynn with a knife,
[50:48] Speaker 2: and in the ensuing struggle, the blade became lodged in
[50:51] Speaker 2: his chest, leading to his death. He acknowledged that his
[50:55] Speaker 2: client had made terrible choices in the aftermath, but insisted
[50:58] Speaker 2: he had only acted out of fear that his life
[51:00] Speaker 2: was about to be screwed. The prosecution, however, rejected this
[51:05] Speaker 2: narrative outright. Lead prosecutor Daniel Porceto argued that Lynn had
[51:11] Speaker 2: killed Russell and Carroll with murderous intent. While the exact
[51:15] Speaker 2: circumstances of Russell's death remained unknown, the prosecutor suggested he
[51:19] Speaker 2: had likely been killed first, given that Carol would have
[51:23] Speaker 2: no reason to provoke a violent confrontation. He also pointed
[51:27] Speaker 2: to Lynn's calculated efforts to cover up the crime, highlighting
[51:31] Speaker 2: how he removed Russell's drone and both victim's mobile phones,
[51:35] Speaker 2: suggesting the dispute may have stemmed from footage captured on
[51:38] Speaker 2: the drone. As the trial progressed, witnesses who had interacted
[51:42] Speaker 2: with Russell in the days leaning up to his death
[51:44] Speaker 2: were called to testify. Fellow camper Blair Anson recalled the
[51:49] Speaker 2: conversation in which Russell had spoken fondly of the Alpine
[51:52] Speaker 2: National Park, reminiscing about his past forestry work in the area.
[51:58] Speaker 2: Russell had even sought permission to fly his drone, demonstrating
[52:02] Speaker 2: his deep appreciation for the wilderness. Just a week later,
[52:07] Speaker 2: Russell was dead in the very place he loved. The
[52:11] Speaker 2: families of both victims took the stand, providing emotional testimony
[52:15] Speaker 2: about the moment they realized that Russell and Carl had vanished.
[52:20] Speaker 2: Carol's daughter, Emma, recalled her initial concerns about the media attention,
[52:24] Speaker 2: stating Russell was married and so I was concerned about
[52:28] Speaker 2: the media release going out and showing them camping together.
[52:32] Speaker 2: Other witnesses describe seeing Russell's drone in the area. Further
[52:36] Speaker 2: supporting the theory that it had played a key role
[52:38] Speaker 2: in the deadly altercation. The prosecution then shifted their focus
[52:43] Speaker 2: to the investigation, detailing how Lynne had become a suspect.
[52:48] Speaker 2: Testimony was presented about his attempts to evade detection, including
[52:52] Speaker 2: repainting his car, removing the awning that had made his
[52:55] Speaker 2: vehicle identifiable, and ultimately confessing to police. Forensic evidence was
[53:00] Speaker 2: a critical part of discussion, with doctor Melanie Archer testifying
[53:04] Speaker 2: that due to the extent of the decompensation and destruction,
[53:08] Speaker 2: the exact cause of death for both victims couldn't be determined.
[53:13] Speaker 2: She stated, sometimes, even when remains are fragmented, we may
[53:17] Speaker 2: find pieces that bear the hallmarks of trauma, but in
[53:20] Speaker 2: this case that was impossible. A significant moment in the
[53:25] Speaker 2: trial came when ballistic expert Paul Griffiths took to the stand.
[53:30] Speaker 2: He testified that the shotgun believed to be the murder
[53:32] Speaker 2: weapon had an unusually heavy trigger weight and didn't discharge
[53:36] Speaker 2: accidentally in their testing. To fire it, he explained, one
[53:41] Speaker 2: would need to manually load the magazine, rack the bold
[53:44] Speaker 2: action firearm, disengage the safety impulled the trigger, making the
[53:49] Speaker 2: defense his claim of an accidental discharge difficulty accept However,
[53:54] Speaker 2: under cross examination, Griffiths admitted that he had conducted his
[53:57] Speaker 2: testing using a different twelve US shotgun than the forensic cerp. However,
[54:03] Speaker 2: under cross examination, Griffiths admitted that he had conducted his
[54:07] Speaker 2: testing using a different twelve gage shotgun from the Forensic
[54:11] Speaker 2: Services Center library rather than the actual firearm recovered from
[54:15] Speaker 2: Lynde's home. The credibility of the forensic investigation took another
[54:20] Speaker 2: hit when Officer Mark Gallantly, a police expert, was accused
[54:24] Speaker 2: of misleading the court. He testified that while no traces
[54:28] Speaker 2: of blood were found on the exterior of the shotgun,
[54:31] Speaker 2: a red bronze stain had been swapped from the inside
[54:34] Speaker 2: of the barrel. He introduced a new theory, suggesting that
[54:38] Speaker 2: blood may have been vacuumed into the barrel when the
[54:41] Speaker 2: weapon was fired. However, defense attorney Dan was quick to
[54:45] Speaker 2: challenge this claim, pointing out that the vacuum theory had
[54:49] Speaker 2: never been mentioned prior to this point in the trial,
[54:52] Speaker 2: and that he had failed to notify the defense about
[54:54] Speaker 2: his intention in presenting it. He argued, can't you see
[54:59] Speaker 2: coming up without three weeks into your murder trial? Is
[55:01] Speaker 2: totally inconsistent with your obligations as an expert witness. It
[55:06] Speaker 2: looks like half bag theories that end up going nowhere.
[55:09] Speaker 2: As the trial neared its most critical stage, the jury
[55:12] Speaker 2: was shown the videotaped confession of Greg Lynn. In the footage,
[55:16] Speaker 2: he appeared composed as he sketched diagrams illustrating what had
[55:20] Speaker 2: allegedly transpired, and pointed out on a map the locations
[55:24] Speaker 2: where he had dumped the bodies. While his confession was
[55:28] Speaker 2: meant to provide clarity, it remained to be seen whether
[55:31] Speaker 2: the jury would believe his version of events or see
[55:35] Speaker 2: it as a calculated attempt to minimize his responsibility for
[55:39] Speaker 2: two brutal murders. The defense team called just one witness,
[55:44] Speaker 2: Greg Lynn himself. Taking to the stand, he offered a
[55:48] Speaker 2: brief statement to the families of Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
[55:52] Speaker 2: He stated, all I can say to the families is
[55:55] Speaker 2: that I am very sorry for your suffering. Lynn went
[55:59] Speaker 2: on to describe Carol was positioned low to the ground
[56:02] Speaker 2: when he and Russell struggled over the weapon. He insisted
[56:06] Speaker 2: that he only saw her in his peripheral vision, but
[56:09] Speaker 2: believed that she was getting up when the gun discharged.
[56:13] Speaker 2: As he recounted the aftermath, he admitted to panicking and
[56:15] Speaker 2: attempting to erase any trace of what had occurred. He
[56:19] Speaker 2: told the jury there was blood spatter on the hitching
[56:22] Speaker 2: rails and the tray base of the Toyota land Cruiser.
[56:25] Speaker 2: There was some on the inside of the canopy. I
[56:28] Speaker 2: wiped all of that off. Under cross examination, Lynne maintained
[56:33] Speaker 2: that he had no reason to kill Russell or Carol.
[56:36] Speaker 2: He described his actions after their deaths as despicable, but
[56:40] Speaker 2: continued to insist he wasn't a murderer. The prosecutor challenged
[56:44] Speaker 2: Lynn on his decision not to call police if the
[56:46] Speaker 2: deaths had truly been accidental. Lynn responded, I feared that
[56:51] Speaker 2: I would be blamed for it. It would be devastating
[56:54] Speaker 2: for everything that was important to me. The prosecutor then
[56:58] Speaker 2: pointed out inconsistencies Lynne's version of events, suggesting that the
[57:03] Speaker 2: deaths could not have unfolded the way he described. He
[57:07] Speaker 2: noted that a rope guide line stretched between the bonnet
[57:09] Speaker 2: of the land Cruiser and a nearby portable toilet tent,
[57:13] Speaker 2: an obstruction that would have made the struggle Lynne described
[57:16] Speaker 2: nearly impossible once Lynn stepped on. The trial neared its conclusion.
[57:21] Speaker 2: During closing arguments, defense attorney Dermot Dan urged the jury
[57:25] Speaker 2: to put themselves in his client's shoes, asking them to
[57:28] Speaker 2: consider what they would have done if improper gun storage
[57:32] Speaker 2: had led to the deaths of two people. He painted
[57:35] Speaker 2: Lynn as a man who had made some terrible choices
[57:38] Speaker 2: out of fear rather than guilt. He stated, he thought
[57:43] Speaker 2: he was going to be blamed for the deaths, and
[57:46] Speaker 2: he was one hundred percent correct. He thought he was
[57:49] Speaker 2: going to be wrongly blamed, and he is being wrongly blamed. Prosecutors, however,
[57:54] Speaker 2: dismissed Lynn's theory is fanciful, a work of fiction he
[57:58] Speaker 2: had nearly two years to profess. They argued that his
[58:02] Speaker 2: elaborate clean up, disposal of the bodies and subsequent return
[58:05] Speaker 2: to burn their remains demonstrated consciousness of guilt rather than panic.
[58:12] Speaker 2: As the jury prepared to deliberate justice, Michael Croucher informed
[58:16] Speaker 2: them that the alternate manslaughter charge had been thrown out.
[58:21] Speaker 2: This meant they could only reach one of two conclusions,
[58:24] Speaker 2: guilty or not guilty of murder. After a week of deliberation,
[58:37] Speaker 2: the jury sent a note to the judge, asking what
[58:40] Speaker 2: would happen if they couldn't reach a unanimous verdict. Justice
[58:44] Speaker 2: Kroucher instructed them that they must all agree on the
[58:46] Speaker 2: same verdict. Not long after they announced they had made
[58:51] Speaker 2: a decision inside the silent courtroom, the verdict was read aloud.
[58:57] Speaker 2: Greg Lynn was found not guilty of the murder order
[59:00] Speaker 2: of Russell Hill, but for the murder of Carol Clay
[59:04] Speaker 2: he was found guilty. The sentencing phase was yet to come,
[59:08] Speaker 2: but before that, Greg Lynn got a brutal haste of
[59:11] Speaker 2: what awaited him behind bars. Inmates targeted him, pelting him
[59:16] Speaker 2: with faces in urine, in an attack that was orchestrated
[59:19] Speaker 2: by somebody with ties to the Clay family. It was
[59:23] Speaker 2: a grim reminder that even before a judge passed sentence,
[59:27] Speaker 2: justice had already began taking its own course. In October,
[59:32] Speaker 2: greg Lynn learned his fate. He was sentenced to thirty
[59:36] Speaker 2: two years in prison, with the possibility of parole after
[59:39] Speaker 2: twenty four years. For Russell Hill and Carol Clay's loved ones,
[59:45] Speaker 2: it wasn't enough to undo the horror of what had happened,
[59:48] Speaker 2: but it was a measure of justice in a case
[59:51] Speaker 2: that had left them with so many unanswered questions. As
[59:55] Speaker 2: for Greg Lynn, the high Country he had once roamed
[59:58] Speaker 2: so freely was now nothing more than a memory, his
[1:00:03] Speaker 2: future confined to the walls of a prison cell. It
[1:00:07] Speaker 2: was no longer his to control. Well, bestie, is that
[1:00:39] Speaker 2: is it for this episode of Morbidology. As always, thank
[1:00:43] Speaker 2: you so much for listening, and I'd like to say
[1:00:45] Speaker 2: a massive thank you to my new supporter au Bon
[1:00:47] Speaker 2: Patreon Josh. As y'all know, Morbidology is a one woman team,
[1:00:52] Speaker 2: so the support upon their seriously go such a long way,
[1:00:55] Speaker 2: and I genuinely am eternally grateful. The link to Patreon
[1:00:59] Speaker 2: is in this show no or alternatively, you can visit
[1:01:02] Speaker 2: Patreon on your desktop and sign up that way. If
[1:01:05] Speaker 2: you don'tload the app and sign up through there, Apple
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[1:01:11] Speaker 2: please do it on the desktop where it is much cheaper.
[1:01:15] Speaker 2: Remember to check us out at morbidology dot com for
[1:01:17] Speaker 2: more information about this episode and to read some true
[1:01:20] Speaker 2: crime articles. Until next time, take care of yourselves, stay safe,
[1:01:24] Speaker 2: and have an amazing week.

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