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

[SouthAussie]

But leave behind an expensive vehicle , Ham Radio gear .. etc etc.. and burn down the tent with all the valuables in it..
yeah right...

I always enjoy your friendly posts. Thanks.

Is there a link about the ham radio equipment being left behind? I had asked that question multiple times a little further back. No-one seemed to know. And I couldn't find a link myself. I think it is important to know exactly what is missing - and it seems the police haven't revealed that in its entirety?

 

[SouthAussie]

And make two bodies vanish.

That is not so difficult, unfortunately. Has been done many times. Novy Chardon, William Tyrrell ..... to name two off the top of my head.

 

[Paul_Pry]

Maybe he got a loan for his vehicle and drone

 

[Ramjet]

I always enjoy your friendly posts. Thanks.

Is there a link about the ham radio equipment being left behind? I had asked that question multiple times a little further back. No-one seemed to know. And I couldn't find a link myself. I think it is important to know exactly what is missing - and it seems the police haven't revealed that in its entirety?

The drone is the only item unaccounted for ..

 

[SouthAussie]

The drone is the only item unaccounted for ..

And there is a link for that? That it is the only thing unaccounted for?
We all know that the drone is missing, as are their mobile phones .... so, evidently more things are missing than just the drone.

There is usually hold-back info that only the police know. To help them identify a perp who knows the hold-back info.

 

[Tinker Taylor]

So Ramjet, have you ever camped at the Wonnangatta Camping ground?

 

[Lee421]

What if they hiked outside of the search area because Russell had something in mind he wanted to see,and it was from there that something went horribly wrong.(Not a impossibility,a Drone Adventure Walk)Of course the fires cause hasn’t been officially released.The police are claiming that they thoroughly searched the valley all GPS logged.And if they were there they’d find them.So now VicPol are bringing out the third party scenario,based on the results of the search,and a concerning fire.Seems like there heading in a logical manner,but there is a elephant in the room.

 

[SouthAussie]

What if they hiked outside of the search area because Russell had something in mind he wanted to see,and it was from there that something went horribly wrong.(Not a impossibility,a Drone Adventure Walk)Of course the fires cause hasn’t been officially released.The police are claiming that they thoroughly searched the valley all GPS logged.And if they were there they’d find them.So now VicPol are bringing out the third party scenario,based on the results of the search,and a concerning fire.Seems like there heading in a logical manner,but there is a elephant in the room.

Possible that they hiked further, but unlikely apparently.

Mr Hill, a seasoned camper and avid outdoors-man, wasn't known to wander too far from where he set up his campsite.
Police suspect foul play involved in the disappearance of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay | Daily Mail Online

And Russell's friend, Mr Ashton, believes it would be unusual for Russell to leave the campsite unattended ...

 

[TrawlwoolwayTracker]

Some strange things about this case, that don’t add up.

1. Two people camping, male and female, who aren’t a couple. I’m aware of claims that they are.
2. The wife of the missing man didn’t know that the two were camping together. Most observers find that astonishing.
3. The fire. I believe it’s a red herring.
4. Police didn’t inform the wife that they suspect a double homicide has occurred. She found out via family, who found out via media*
5. The defensive comments in the article*

*Investigator says married man and female friend who vanished without a trace were likely MURDERED | Brinkwire

Could it be that Carol’s new home was going to also be the home of the other missing person?
If so, could this have been too much to bear, for others?

 

[Black-Cat]

Apart from which, you don't know how much Super he accumulated. He may have lived quite frugally so that he could afford little luxuries now and then. It's not beyond the realms of possibility to afford a drone or a vehicle well kitted out for 4WD'ing if you plan for it and have money set aside. And we don't know how much his wife contributed. She may have worked during their marriage - she could have had a job paying more than him for all we know, or they could have another property that they receive income from by renting it out, or they may have had some sort of business on the side. Being a logger, he may have sold firewood for cash. Who knows? The point is, there's nothing suspicious about him having a four wheel drive vehicle set up well or a new drone at his age. It's not like he was on the dole his whole life.

I don’t know about Russell’s past as a logger as I can only attest to what I know (I work in forestry). Even though it seems like a job that some may think is “on the lower pay scale” logging is a very lucrative industry especially if you own your own equipment and most have their own business either contracting directly from government/individuals or subcontracting from the big mills. It’s hard work, it’s dangerous and it’s well worth the money. Here in the states even in the 80’s the money was well worth it. I admit I do not know about Australia’s industry but I would hazard a guess, MOO, that it’s similar to the states. The same goes for contract labor. Whether building houses, roads or whatever the pay is fairly good. Just check and see how much it will cost you to hire someone to build or repair something...it’s not cheap.

Plus we don’t know his financial situation. He may have parlayed some of the money he made into investments or is good at managing and saving money and decided that at 74 now is the time to enjoy some of that well earned money. It doesn’t mean that at 74 he’s gotten into something nefarious.

Everything is my opinion only

Yes it is the same in Australia, I know people who are loggers who make a good income, also people who own there own equipment who get paid by the government, especially in Gippsland when fires are on, clearing and making fire breaks as you say it’s dangerous but loggers and those working in forestry are often away for the weeks at a time.

 

[SouthAussie]

Do we know what this thing is on the top of Carol's roof? The thing that is showing between the two joins in the roof. Sort of looks like a wind sock?

It can be seen more clearly at about 4:15 in this video.

Missing

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Could it be one of those old fashioned weather vanes ?

 

[SouthAussie]

Could it be one of those old fashioned weather vanes ?

Yes, maybe it is. I was wondering if it was some sign that Russell may have been going to live there ... a ham-radio-something or similar.
I did notice that the new place has a two car garage.
And it is evidently very new ... no plantings in the garden beds yet.

 

[Black-Cat]

Just watched the ACA clip, and the guy from the high country who had been involved in searches said something interesting which I had previously wondered, “people should not have been hunting there” but a lot of people in the high country do .... I wonder if they were accidentally shot .... IMO ..... I lived in East Gippsland for a number of years and many people had guns and hunted.

 

[Tinker Taylor]

Just watched the ACA clip, and the guy from the high country who had been involved in searches said something interesting which I had previously wondered, “people should not have been hunting there” but a lot of people in the high country do .... I wonder if they were accidentally shot .... IMO ..... I lived in East Gippsland for a number of years and many people had guns and hunted.

Yes, after seeing some comments on the Wonnangatta Camping Area where people have relayed stories about illegal hunters, I wondered if something had blown up between them and Russell, which could explain their disappearance and the fire.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has stayed there and encountered something similar.

 

[Black-Cat]

Yes, after seeing some comments on the Wonnangatta Camping Area where people have relayed stories about illegal hunters, I wondered if something had blown up between them and Russell, which could explain their disappearance and the fire.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has stayed there and encountered something similar.

I was more thinking that they have been mistaken for an animal and shot .... accidentally... no fight or blow up just ... just a hunter saw movement and shot before sighting.... IMO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I imagine it would be known by the Police by now if Russell put in any of his own money to help purchase Carol's new house.

 

[Paul_Pry]

Yes, after seeing some comments on the Wonnangatta Camping Area where people have relayed stories about illegal hunters, I wondered if something had blown up between them and Russell, which could explain their disappearance and the fire.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has stayed there and encountered something similar.

When I let my imagination run wild with the scenario (back on page 28) I thought this could be a possibility.

 

[SouthAussie]

When I let my imagination run wild with the scenario (back on page 28) I thought this could be a possibility.

When I saw all the pics in the link I posted of tents on fire I let my imagination run wild and hoped that Russell and Carol's tent was not set alight with them in it.

Mostly because I had read this comment ...


In one particularly terrifying story, a wildlife photographer explained that he had stayed in the area .......
When he got home to download pictures from his camera, he found an unexplained picture of himself asleep - with no idea who took it or when.
Fresh twist in disappearance of campers as human remains discovered high in Victoriaan Alps | Daily Mail Online

 

[Kemug]

Maybe he got a loan for his vehicle and drone

Possibly, but at 74 people wouldn't be exactly queueing up to lend him money, would they.