Found Deceased Australia - Russell Hill, 74, & Carol Clay, 72, Wonnangatta Valley, 20 March 2020 #2

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If Carol and Russell have children and the wills were recently changed, who knows what kind of conflict that would start. There is rarely ever, when even small amounts of money are involved, a will that doesn't cause some type of dispute within many families. Money, grief, anger, resentment, jealousy, these things all surface and make people behave appallingly at times.
 
The police have said that they have tracked down over 300 vehicles seen in the immediate and surrounding area during the time Carol and Russell were in the area. The only one they cannot identify based on witness reports is the white dual cab ute. That is why they announced it. I don't doubt it would take a year to track down every single person in that area and question them. Waiting for the anniversary also helps put it in people's minds plus the long weekend meant people would be in the area.
 
PingTheRouter said:
if someone has killed them and if they had taken the drone.. why then dump the drone for someone to find? wouldn't they destroy it and probably bin it
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Well, we don't know what has happened to the drone. The handed-in drone is not Russell's.


PingTheRouter said:
i still think its equally likely they wandered off in to the bush and succumbed to the elements after an injury or heart attack, i think those two things murder and natural death are 50/50 in this case
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How did the fire start? Who controlled it, and stopped it from spreading? Who threw everything into the fire? Where are the bank cards? Where are the sleeping bags?
 
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PingTheRouter said:
if someone has killed them and if they had taken the drone.. why then dump the drone for someone to find? wouldn't they destroy it and probably bin it

i still think its equally likely they wandered off in to the bush and succumbed to the elements after an injury or heart attack, i think those two things murder and natural death are 50/50 in this case

because no matter what the police say, unless there is some great evidence or clues on the drone.. they have nothing over a year now and not a single solid theory about what happened to them or where they might be

also in the doco the bogeyman story the friend told... sounded exactly that a bogeyman story you tell at a campfire ( the one about the strange man who stalked the group and magically appeared at their camp fire and then disappeared back in to the darkness )

to me again the only "murder" scenario that makes sense is that the deer shooters killed them by accident, because they were special goggles or glasses to see the infrared during night shoots, so its possible they shot them with a stray bullet and freaked

i don't think they ran off either to start a new life, they are too old and too secure with their lives to have to worry about doing that, one was divorced and the other had a wife who knew about the affair and seemed to not care, so if they wanted to start a life together they would have been able to without an issue
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What about the missing sleeping bags?
 
Why would he need to run away to start a new life? They were elderly and this affair had been running for decades in an arrangement that worked for them long term. They didn't get disoriented in bushland carrying sleeping bags, drones and phones. This is murder. Camping so remote they should have been safe from prying eyes but the downside is they are a sitting target for someone to harm them and no witnesses nearby. It could be random but there could also be a motive. There is not enough public information to be able to say either way and that is what makes this case frustrating for me.
 
Questions123 said:
Why would he need to run away to start a new life? They were elderly and this affair had been running for decades in an arrangement that worked for them long term. They didn't get disoriented in bushland carrying sleeping bags, drones and phones. This is murder. Camping so remote they should have been safe from prying eyes but the downside is they are a sitting target for someone to harm them and no witnesses nearby. It could be random but there could also be a motive. There is not enough public information to be able to say either way and that is what makes this case frustrating for me.
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I agree. It seems to me most probable they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and attracted the attention of someone who decided this was their chance to get away with murder.

This reminds me of a long-standing unsolved case here in Western Canada, a woman in her 70s who disappeared from her fire watch tower in an area off the beaten track. Her bed quilt was among the few items missing. There's no suggestion she'd antangonized anyone, there was no one that might want to harm her.

Most stranger murderers we hear about lurk in parks, looking to target young women, mostly to feel powerful. Someone similar might live in the backcountry and see an older couple as targets. The documentary indicates that Carol would have continued to look very feminine, out there..
 
Satchie said:
I agree. It seems to me most probable they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and attracted the attention of someone who decided this was their chance to get away with murder.

This reminds me of a long-standing unsolved case here in Western Canada, a woman in her 70s who disappeared from her fire watch tower in an area off the beaten track. Her bed quilt was among the few items missing. There's no suggestion she'd antangonized anyone, there was no one that might want to harm her.

Most stranger murderers we hear about lurk in parks, looking to target young women, mostly to feel powerful. Someone similar might live in the backcountry and see an older couple as targets. The documentary indicates that Carol would have continued to look very feminine, out there..
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I recall a part of the show that said that Russell would have done anything to defend Carol. I believe it was his mate who said that.

That is when I started to think of reasons to (possibly) need to defend Carol.
 
TootsieFootsie said:
No Cookies | Herald Sun

Cops know who was in high country as campers vanished

Detectives say they now know who was in the Wonnangatta Valley area around the time Russell Hill and Carol Clay vanished, as the one-year anniversary of their disappearance approaches.


Behind paywall
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DI Stamper says that the crew have been working behind the scenes and have been making steady headway.
They are pretty confident that they have a good picture of movements in the valley and around the campsite on that day.
They know who was in the valley around the time that Russell and Carol disappeared.
He feels good about that, as they started with pretty much nothing.

They have been making small steps but feel that they have momentum - even if it is 12 months down the road now.
Something like being able to eliminate someone has been a good win.
They are more focused than ever.

They have gone through hundreds of people who were in the area (many getting away before covid restrictions hit) ... including hunters, campers, 4-wheel drivers ... specialist bush searchers have camped out at night, and examined the bush on foot for thousands of hours.

A culmination of circumstances and a process of deduction has made 3rd party involvement rise as the prime theory.
They don't know if it was a reckless criminal act, or if it was done intentionally.

Police are still working to unravel the mysterious case.

(Paraphrased, of course :) )

Article is by Andrew Rule and Mark Butler - who are experienced journos. imo
And the bottom note is ...
"Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit the website www.crimestoppersvic.gov.au."
 
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I've read about that case. I wonder what happened? People don't just vanish. Same with Russell and Carol.

There is an explanation in both cases. In the meantime those left behind have to wonder and suffer the not knowing.

Satchie said:
This reminds me of a long-standing unsolved case here in Western Canada, a woman in her 70s who disappeared from her fire watch tower in an area off the beaten track. Her bed quilt was among the few items missing. There's no suggestion she'd antangonized anyone, there was no one that might want to harm her.
Click to expand...
 
TootsieFootsie said:
Thanks South! I knew you would come to the rescue!
I was hoping they'd found a person of interest.

Maybe they're trying to rattle some cages.
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Sort of sounds as if they have an idea of what has happened ..... "culmination of circumstances and a process of deduction" ... they are just trying to work out if it is a situation that got out of hand (reckless criminal act), or if it was intentional.

The article said it wasn't a 'light bulb moment'.

So, what circumstances have culminated? That have led them to this deduction.

The obvious things are a 20 year affair, and Carol purchasing a new home. If we want to look at it on a personal level.
 
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Perhaps someone came forward with info re the white car.

Maybe caught on dashcam footage, with a couple of sleeping bags in the ute part.

Or someone seen loading not rolled up sleeping bags into a vehicle. Maybe it attracted someone's attention because it took two people to carry the sleeping bag.


SouthAussie said:
So, what circumstances have culminated? That have led them to this deduction.
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Was it confirmed they even had sleeping bags? Two quite elderly people climbing in and out of sleeping bags could be awkward. Maybe they had quilts/blankets and never had sleeping bags? (Quilts are the in thing for some campers now). If they did have sleeping bags and they wandered off looking for the drone and did get lost (phones with them and wearing their shoes), someone who raided their unmanned camp site may have recognised they were expensive sleeping bags, stolen them, gone through the wallets, taken the cards etc. Good 3-4 season down sleeping bags are expensive and often the different brands and models are easily recognised by people familiar with them. RH's wife could have clarified if he had sleeping bags and checked if he took one or two etc. I can't imagine RH getting completely lost in an area he was very familiar with unless he became too unwell to walk or was injured if they were looking for the drone.
 
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