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

[Kemug]

This is all so confusing! At #854 I put forward a theory that could fit (sort of) - the trouble is there are so many possibilities, all with some degree of plausibility, but obviously they can't all be true. Then there are probabilities, of course some will be more and some will be less likely, but something being extremely unlikely doesn't mean that it's not true. And vice versa. And we all can't help but bring our own biases and experience to our thoughts, ideas and theories. And even if we all agreed, we could still all be totally wrong! Grrr!

 

[SouthAussie]

This is all so confusing! At #854 I put forward a theory that could fit (sort of) - the trouble is there are so many possibilities, all with some degree of plausibility, but obviously they can't all be true. Then there are probabilities, of course some will be more and some will be less likely, but something being extremely unlikely doesn't mean that it's not true. And vice versa. And we all can't help but bring our own biases and experience to our thoughts, ideas and theories. And even if we all agreed, we could still all be totally wrong! Grrr!

The police will get there with this case. imo

The detective in the 60 Minutes program said he felt sure they would resolve the case. I think they must have a good idea of what happened ... they are calling for everyone who was in the area that day to please come forward so they can place their locations on a map. This must have something to do with them compiling their case.

Perhaps to show that no-one else was in that location other than someone they know was in that location?

 

[Detectivediva]

Yes and who was he up in the bush with the week before .... Carol may not have been his only girlfriend IMO

It may have been a scouting mission. There was a case of a couple who went missing in Joshua Tree. The guy visited the site alone about a week prior to their trip together. The case ended up ruled murder-suicide.

 

[littlekitten]

Wow. That's absolutely shocking. I can honestly say, in my 40 odd years camping and 4WD'ing, I've never come across theft or unsavoury behaviour. My husband and I used to go 4WD'ing and camping every weekend when we were younger. The only annoying thing we ever came across was dirt bike riders. The noise more than anything.

Someone in an earlier post mentioned that it's impossible to break a car window nowadays. Toughened, tempered glass, not like the old cars. You can buy a special tool to keep for emergencies, which I made a point of trying to get, or apparently ceramic (from spark plugs) will break it. Go figure.

I thought so too, but someone smashed the window of my mum's Holden Omega recently: the glass shattered but was held intact by the film, and they were able to push it upwards and out of the door frame. She literally popped into the shops for a minute and left a tote bag in the back seat. Nobody heard a thing! Granted it was in Melbourne's inner-west

I feel like I'm a magnet for creepy things sometimes, hah scarred for life after camping on private property as a kid in Badger Creek, couldn't sleep so I got up and sat outside, and spotted someone about 50m away butt out a cigarette and walk away into the bush (away from the house and the road!!)

 

[Paul_Pry]

It may have been a scouting mission. There was a case of a couple who went missing in Joshua Tree. The guy visited the site alone about a week prior to their trip together. The case ended up ruled murder-suicide.

This is what I first thought when I saw this case. Although perhaps this is because of my interest last October in the suspected murder suicide of estranged husband and wife Gary (61) & Ruth (58) Ridley. This happened whilst they were on a camping trip... in the remote countryside on the border of Victoria.

Ruth is still missing I think. There is a small thread on this forum about the Ridleys.

Here's a daily mail article with the latest on the Ridley case.

Note Gary Ridley left his son before 'murdering Ruth Ridley and dumping her body in the bush' | Daily Mail Online

 

[bearbear]

murder suicide was my first thought, especially hearing r had taken an earlier trip alone, and my second feeling was someone they knew killing them or getting them killed, the fire could be to hide evidence if they were attacked in the tent or simply out of rage, it feels very personal to me,
if it was someone close theyd have to drive in an unknown vehicle, police would be checking all familiar cars

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Maybe they have dashcam footage of someone of interest. Just not enough to charge them...yet
.

The detective in the 60 Minutes program said he felt sure they would resolve the case. I think they must have a good idea of what happened ... they are calling for everyone who was in the area that day to please come forward so they can place their locations on a map. This must have something to do with them compiling their case.

 

[SouthAussie]

Maybe they have dashcam footage of someone of interest. Just not enough to charge them...yet
.

Yes, that is possible. Also possible that the police have been reviewing CCTV from along the way and see a known vehicle heading that way in the relevant time period.

If so, phone ping data/GPS data might also strengthen their theory. The police have had time to gather that data now, and review it.

 

[Kemug]

This is all so confusing! At #854 I put forward a theory that could fit (sort of) - the trouble is there are so many possibilities, all with some degree of plausibility, but obviously they can't all be true. Then there are probabilities, of course some will be more and some will be less likely, but something being extremely unlikely doesn't mean that it's not true. And vice versa. And we all can't help but bring our own biases and experience to our thoughts, ideas and theories. And even if we all agreed, we could still all be totally wrong! Grrr!

 

[Kemug]

I just really really hope that no-one has died.

 

[Paul_Pry]

This is all so confusing! At #854 I put forward a theory that could fit (sort of) - the trouble is there are so many possibilities, all with some degree of plausibility, but obviously they can't all be true. Then there are probabilities, of course some will be more and some will be less likely, but something being extremely unlikely doesn't mean that it's not true. And vice versa. And we all can't help but bring our own biases and experience to our thoughts, ideas and theories. And even if we all agreed, we could still all be totally wrong! Grrr!

This is such a frustrasting yet engrossingly intriguing case...

The ABC of investigating
A = assume nothing
B = believe no-one
C = check everything

 

[Tinker Taylor]

This is such a frustrasting yet engrossingly intriguing case...

The ABC of investigating
A = assume nothing
B = believe no-one
C = check everything

If only we had access to all the information!!

 

[Black-Cat]

So

I just really really hope that no-one has died.

Sorry .... but I think that two people are definitely dead, we just don’t know how they died.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I'd like to think they are alive somewhere but it's more likely thay they aren't.

 

[ThaiBali]

Sounds like the police need you on their team.

I'd be solved by now...we wouldn't need to waste all that 'white space'...Lol

 

[ThaiBali]

I don't think it's unusual at all that he could afford to buy either the drone or the vehicle.
I doubt very much that he did anything illegal to be able to purchase them.
He didn't exactly live a life where he wasn't working for many years and then there is the presumed income from his wife.
Even "poor people" are allowed more than the dregs off their "superiors" table these days.

I have family members who are labourers earning in the range of $52-$60 per hour. My Father was a builder and built his own house and 3 for his children and he's 87 now. We wern't raiding neighbours bins for leftovers.

 

[ThaiBali]

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

It's commonly known that people leave a lot more than a Toyota and a drone for love.

 

[ThaiBali]

I don't believe there was anyone camped nearby .. and the burnt site was only reported by a single person .. after a substantial time has elapsed.
The reference to a lot of folks in the area is probably vaguely referring to numbers over the following 2 months .. they would easily find this data from people at the Licola General Store and the small town of Dargo.
This incident happened after Easter so I'm not surprised the valley was quiet.

You, don't believe there was anyone camped nearby?

So, it's just speculation no one was camped there.?

 

[JLZ]

It's commonly known that people leave a lot more than a Toyota and a drone for love.

Not if they can have the same result for a lot less cost. What would R & C have gained that they couldn't have had by at most moving states? If they've faked their deaths it has to be for a different reason IMO.

 

[ThaiBali]

Is anyone certain that Carol was at the camping ground?

It just occurred to me that the missing hours from the 7.30 Am pick-up Thursday until the arrival late afternoon on Friday that something is not right regarding this time period.

Just because her things were in the truck doesn't mean she was there. IMO