Found Deceased Australia - Russell Hill, 74, & Carol Clay, 72, Wonnangatta Valley, 20 Mar 2020 #5 *charges*

[Arboreal]

Police can request your Location History from Google Maps Timeline

If you’re criminal and you have Android phone or you use Google Maps on iOS you should consider switching back to your old feature phone. The Verge reported about several cases where police have filed warrants requesting from Google the location logs of suspects.
…
The requested data is collected by a little-known service called Google’s Location History.

The above was published in 2016 but explains how it works. More in article.

geoawesomeness.com/police-can-request-your-location-history-from-google-maps-timeline/

Here’s a 2021 update.

androidpolice.com/2021/07/05/google-maps-insights-show-just-what-a-social-butterfly-youre-becoming/

In the A Current Affair report, they show a clip that Mr Lynn uploaded. This shows a trip into rugged areas. Clearly visible is a tablet. Although only a conjecture, it may be used for maps and navigation. The police are likely to have recovered that after Mr Lynn's arrest. Even if you delete maps from such devices, much data remains as does your interaction with google. It would be reasonable to assume that the tablet is now, "assisting police with their enquiries".

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Inside ‘painstaking’ search for campers

Police have entered their second day searching for the bodies of Victoria’s missing campers within dense bushland in the state’s east.

The painstaking search is centred near the remote town of Dargo, 320km northeast of Melbourne, where specialist cops are combing the bush for Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
Search and rescue crews along with missing persons detectives have now joined Victoria Police with the arduous task, according to Inspector Matthew Gleeson.
“We have a considerable number of police specialist resources attending … it is going to be a painstaking search that could take some considerable time,” he told ABC Gippsland.

 

[Arboreal]

There are a few spots that you could camp in close to where RH and CC were camped that you would not see the other campers from your site, like near the suspension bridge people have camped before. Also there is another camp along a track to the south but it has no Long drop toilet so if you needed to use it you would probably drive up to where RH and CC were to use the one there. It is not far, but probably too far to walk if you were in need if you get my gist. Possibly explains the white dual cab ute that was seen near the long drop.
The 4.30 time frame for the drone flight fits with my thoughts better, rather than after the end of our radio contact as someone else theorized.

Thanks Motomike. That is really helpful.
Press reports also say that the blue Nissan was seen near the toilet.
Also, I raised the issue with the timing of the drone activity. Lachlan Culican said the blackberry sprayer said it was in the evening. that seemed odd, given the time of sunset and also the time of the radio call. I thought it would have been earlier, when there was light. So, the ACA report apparently clarifies that and it makes more sense, as you say.

 

[SouthAussie]

Press reports also say that the blue Nissan was seen near the toilet.

I think it was the white 4WD that was seen near the long drop toilet?
Turns out it was a man and his son. The man later came forward and told what they saw about the burned campsite.

imo

 

[Arboreal]

I'm wondering if LE were able to pinpoint the location they're in today because of the 3 mobile phones. Maybe they managed to get new technology or something and work out that GL, RH & CC's phones all left Wonnangatta at the same time, and were then tracked down to the area they're in now. If GL was under pressure, he may not have thought to turn off the mobiles.
IMO

That's a great point. I checked the Telstra coverage map and it seems that a lot of the Grant Historic area camp ground is covered. But the other issue is that if the phone goes to the top of a hill, then it may momentarily make contact with a tower. That will give general direction, time, and if GPS is on, location. And three phones in the same area...well, that does not look good. Such pinging of a tower only takes a couple of seconds.

 

[Arboreal]

Has anyone heard if the remote control for the drone was recovered or not? If the drone is missing and the remote control for the drone is accounted for then the drone may have been lost by RH, or shot from the sky or lost by some other means. If both the drone and the remote are missing it suggest someone has taken them both in my opinion.

I agree.
I've been looking out for that. No mention has been made of it, of if it was found in the burnt tent.

 

[Ssschu]

A Current Affair spoke to a man who claims he was working in the valley when GL and CC arrived. He says on March 20 last year — the same day GL was last known to be alive — at about 4.30pm, GL flew his drone from his own campsite along the river. He said the drone hovered over the workers' campsite before continuing to fly over other campsites. He’s since spoken to police about what he saw because he recalls encountering someone who made him feel uneasy who camped near RH’s and CC’s campsite.

The worker said the man asked him for directions to the best camp at the northern end of the valley and that the man ended up camping over the bank from RH’s and CC’s spot, so they could have easily set up their camp without realising the man was there.

Whether that person is Mr Lynn is still unclear.

Fresh insights into man arrested over missing Victoria campers

This says RH was flying his drone over campsites and hovering over them before moving on to other campsites. I can see this causing a confrontation if he did it to a short tempered person.

Personally I would find it an annoying intrusion if I travelled all the way out there for peace and seclusion and someone was hovering their drone over us. Of course, I would not say or do anything about it but it would be kind of annoying.

If GL is a confrontational person, it could have gone down much differently. It sounds like he could have irrationally snapped at that kind of thing.

 

[Detective Willy]

I am thinking that Russell and Carol may have been disposed of relatively quickly if GL was in a panic to exit the area and all of this was done by accident etc.

If Police know the general vicinity they should be able to find them. Then the prosecution case against GL gets 100 times stronger IMO.

If GL took a long time to dispose of 2 bodies however (1-2 hours) it indicates a methodical, meticulous, calculating type of person who may have experience with making sure that missing people don't get found? Just speculating IMO.

 

[Arboreal]

I have had a few questions re the campsite and relative distances to other camps , Long drop etc so I have marked up a map. All markings are approximate only.
Red circle 1. RH and CC tent site
Orange circle 2. Concrete fire pit
Light blue circles 3. Other well used camping spots
Yellow ellipse 4. Suspension bridge
White square 5. Long drop toilet.
I hope this helps you get some perspective of the area.

There is quite a large area around the fire pit that people could camp as long as you dont mind camping under trees (generally to be avoided as gums drop limps without warning) There are areas that are safe as well close to the fire pit.

Thanks heaps Motomike. This is really useful. I bet it will be in the HS tomorrow!

 

[Motomike]

4. In all the public statements made by police, they say they believe someone else was camped in the same camping spot, which is accessed by a short track that opens to a clearing. In the middle, of the clearing, more or less, is a large tree and the river at the back. Mr Hill appears to have made his camp near the entrance on the left hand side as you enter the clearing, with the "prime spot", so called by the police, towards the rear of the clearing. [Motomike - is that correct?] It is the desirability of the camp spots and the location of Mr Hill's camp that seems to be a reason the police are saying someone else was camped in this clearing. Other witnesses say they saw the blue Nissan near the toilet or, as the police state, actually in the clearing.

You have made a very accurate description of the campsite. I visited the site earlier this year and camped there myself with a small group. The site of RH and CC tent was still visible as was a small area that must have been fenced off for the horses used in the searches (grass was quite short and lots of horse poo).
If there was no one else camped in the clearing I feel sure Russell would have set up his camp closer to the fire pit in the clearing. The fire pit is just a bit north of the big tree.

 

[Motomike]

In the A Current Affair report, they show a clip that Mr Lynn uploaded. This shows a trip into rugged areas. Clearly visible is a tablet. Although only a conjecture, it may be used for maps and navigation. The police are likely to have recovered that after Mr Lynn's arrest. Even if you delete maps from such devices, much data remains as does your interaction with google. It would be reasonable to assume that the tablet is now, "assisting police with their enquiries".

There is no phone service in the valley, so google maps wont work either if it relies on phone data service, but many of these tablets have inbuilt GPS and many 4WD ers use offline mapping software like Oziexplorer or HEMA maps on a GPS enabled Tablet.

 

[Amber2017]

This is a great find by JudgeJudi. It clears up a few things and provides a possibly reliable data point: flying the drone.
This is the verbatim transcript from the A Current Affair [ACA] report:

2. This was at about 16.30 - not in the evening as Lachlan Culican said on Under Investigation, reporting his conversation on or about 28 March, with a blackberry sprayer, who is likely identical with the man "working in the valley".

Very useful summary Arboreal, and gives us a lot to speculate about. I seem to have the initial timeline wrong and maybe others do, based upon the assumption that RH had set up the camp AFTER he made the radio call at 1800-1830. This now seems to be incorrect? If he and CC had gone to the campsite first, set up in a rudimentary way so as to claim the spot, RH may have gone to Wonnongatta Stn purely to make his transmission either ALONE, or with CC, we don't really know. I am presuming alone as he doesn't mention her at all AFAIK according to Motomike.

He says something about going off to set up, but it's now unclear whether it's the campsite he's talking about or his comms antennae and other radio stuff.

If he was drone flying over campsites around the area this surprises me. Presumably this was to scope out who was where and what was available. Hopefully he was at a legal altitude, but I can understand some ppl got a bit p**d off about it.

The other thing that gives me furiously to think is that he may have been setting up his radio antenna AFTER he got back from W Station, and it may have been this, apart from the drone, which freaked out our alleged culprit. A guy with something to hide or a guilty conscience may have panicked at the sight of comms devices being erected nearby to his site.

We don't know if CC was there by herself before RH returned from his call, or whether she was attacked during his absence for that matter.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Russell Hill, Carol Clay: Day two of police search for bodies

Search started at first light
Rough mountainous terrain
Search area not far from Grant camping area
Larger digger brought in
Local earth moving contractor privileged to help
Incoming campers turned away on Monday

Behind paywall

 

[BrumbyJack]

I don’t think all 3 phones would’ve pinged together out at Grant. The coppers would’ve been trying to track Russell and Carol’s phones from the time they were reported missing, and would’ve been searching for them out there from the start if it was their last recorded location.

That's a great point. I checked the Telstra coverage map and it seems that a lot of the Grant Historic area camp ground is covered. But the other issue is that if the phone goes to the top of a hill, then it may momentarily make contact with a tower. That will give general direction, time, and if GPS is on, location. And three phones in the same area...well, that does not look good. Such pinging of a tower only takes a couple of seconds.

 

[BrumbyJack]

Would legal altitude even been a thing, considering it looks like its illegal to fly a drone in a National Park anyway? So if someone didn’t like drones to start with, and knew the laws, they could be more likely to confront the drone user. I know I’d be pretty annoyed off if someone buzzed my campsite, can’t blame someone for getting stroppy.

If he was drone flying over campsites around the area this surprises me. Presumably this was to scope out who was where and what was available. Hopefully he was at a legal altitude, but I can understand some ppl got a bit p**d off about it.

 

[Plugger1357]

Remains found.. not identified yet

 

[TootsieFootsie]

OMG!

Remains found.. not identified yet

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Remains found in search for Vic campers - Deniliquin Pastoral Times


Police have found remains in their search for missing campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill.

Investigators on Tuesday found the human remains in bushland near Dargo in Victoria's high country as part of their search for the missing couple.

"The remains are yet to be formally identified and it is expected this process will take some time," police said in a statement on Tuesday.

 

[Morrisa]

Just heard. Very sad. At least their families can have some sort of closure and a proper burial.
Now for justice.

 

[Alicia__elizabeth]

Wow! That was quick work!