Podcast (23 mins duration) by renowned Australian crime writer and journalist, Andrew Rule:
The Wonnangatta mystery
Nothing groundbreaking here but he discusses the main theories considered by “armchair detectives” as follows:
- Stumbling upon a cannabis crop or something illegal resulting in foul play? - something he considers a long shot.
- Staged disappearance? - something he considers unlikely. It would require hugely elaborate planning including another vehicle planted, stashed cash, and unclear motivation to do so in this manner at their age etc.
- An accident with the (still missing) drone that resulted in Russell/Carol coming to harm/getting lost while attempting recovery? - something he seems to consider is the most likely scenario.
He also talks about the very real risk of dying quite quickly from exposure due to the harsh elements, and he highlights the large known population of wild dogs (hybrid dingos/wolves) in the area that an injured or lost/dying person could easily fall prey to. Not pleasant stuff but he clearly knows the area.
Other things touched on and that I’m still unclear about:
1. How Carol got from her home to the camping site. Her usual car was found still in the garage at home (a house she had recently purchased and only moved into one week before going camping). I don’t know that I can yet rule out with certainty that she didn’t drive another vehicle the long journey up there, tailing Russell. It would make sense if they had planned a staged disappearance (although I accept this is not particularly likely).
2. Whether Russell really had radio comms problems (as he reported to his wife during a radio call the day after arriving) or whether it was a bit of a cover because he had Carol with him and didn’t plan to be on his radio as frequently as when he was camping solo.
3. Why it took several days for the person(s) who first saw the burnt out campsite to actually report it to authorities. It was plainly a decent fire, judging by the photos we’ve seen. Despite no sign of struggle or theft etc, there was obviously something amiss with a camper’s kit. Anyone in the high country bush would immediately report this discovery, or so I would’ve thought.
4. Why the Homicide squad is involved, even if they maintain its primarily a review function they are performing.
Finally, I still find it extraordinary that Russell’s 4WD was released so quickly by Police in the first instance and driven from the campsite back to his home. There was still an active investigation underway, the campsite was still potentially a crime scene (even if considered unlikely), and you’d expect the authorities to take the vehicle (that had contained the missing couple’s IDs and wallets) to secure police storage/forensics pending an outcome. Instead they drove it home, and then had to go pick the 4WD up again a week or two later to give it a second round of testing! An odd and sloppy break in the custodial chain of evidence.
