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

[TootsieFootsie]

Did the drone have a camera ?
What if it recorded something, or someone thought it recorded something, like a drug deal or something else illegal.

 

[Ramjet]

Yes agree and especially with the car keys missing and their mobile phones. The mobile phones didn’t have reception so why would they both take them when they didn’t work - unless they both went for a walk and took them to take photos.
I find the fire suspicious as it’s highly unlikely for a tent/camp site to burn down.
I’m still going with my theory of him using his drone and stumbling upon a cannabis crop with the drone and the grower was there who came looking for them and executed them both including torching the campsite. But obviously very open to all theories.

I have to say this is very fanciful.
There may have been a phone on charge in the tent.
He would have required his phone for controlling the drone and possibly for extra video footage.
He could have used it for navigating.
Always carry your phone if you are going 'bush'... Load it up with nav tools, maps and photos.
Google Maps works great if you have saved the map.
It's also good to carry an emergency beacon.
Cannabis crop? laughable.
An angry encounter with a stranger .. very unlikely

 

[bancam]

What are thoughts on why they didn’t find the car keys or their mobile phones?
Unlikely he took the keys or his mobile with him if carol was at the campsite? And why take their mobiles when they don’t even have reception?

He likely needed his mobile phone to operate the DJI Mavic drone. It slots into the RC controller and provides the “screen” from which to view the relayed moving images from the drone overhead. DJI has a downloadable app for iOS and Android for this purpose. Without a connected mobile device in the RC slot you cannot navigate the drone with visuals or see/record anything from above.

I am curious what device might have caught fire on the charger at the campsite (if in fact that’s what happened there). Her mobile? A second device of his (e.g. a spare mobile or iPad/tablet)? Or was it not a mobile device at all but a spare drone battery on charge that overheated? If investigators can determine what device he had the DJI Go app installed on it could help to determine whether or not he was off somewhere flying the drone - i.e. if the DJI Go app was downloaded only on a device left at the campsite, then chances are he was not flying his drone at the time he disappeared.

A check of his App Store or Google Play account will reveal what apps he had downloaded and onto which device(s) these apps were installed, even if nobody is in possession of those devices any longer.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

'Despite a number of searches over the past seven weeks, the pair have not been located and have not contacted family or friends,' the police statement said.

'These searches are expected to resume in the coming weeks depending on the weather.'
...
'It is still yet to be determined whether their disappearance is suspicious,' the police statement said.

Two major search operations involving drones, helicopters, mounted police, search dogs and ground crews have come up with nothing.

They say he is a very experienced and 'well-equipped bushman,' the Herald Sun reported.

Making the case even more peculiar is that Mr Hill's wife Robyn, 71, revealed she had no idea her husband was with another woman when he went missing.

She said her husband had been friendly with Ms Clay, who was once the President of the Country Women's Association of Victoria, for decades but was unaware they were travelling together.

Following the conclusion of the second search, specialist detectives from the Victoria Police missing persons squad were brought in to assist local investigators.

Acting Sergeant Scott Wilkinson who was part of the team looking for the pair, said the search was substantial, but ultimately fruitless.

We were searching every bit of bush and terrain in the immediate area,' he told Nine News.

'The subsequent search has got nothing in the way of evidence, no signs at all of the missing people.

'We are disappointed, we would like to get some result, particularly for the families of the missing people.'

Detective Insp Andrew Stamper of the Missing Persons Squad said police want to speak with anyone who may have seen the couple near the time they disappeared.

'This is a real and traumatic mystery and we need all the help we can get via Crime Stoppers,' Insp Stamper said.

Police said they continue to hold concerns for the pair due to the length of time they've been missing and because Mr Hill suffers from a number of medical conditions.
New clue in hunt for married man who vanished while camping with his friend seven weeks ago | Daily Mail Online

 

[Ramjet]

 

[Ramjet]

I've been researching the Mavic DJI Pro.
I'm sure Russell would have made himself quite competent with this unit before embarking on this trip.
I'm assuming that the drone was a major component in his planning of this trip.
If I owned this device I would be seeking out the very scenic and drone-worthy area around Bryce Gorge which is at the top of Conglomerate Ck.
He would have to launch from a vantage point around the lower levels close to the Homestead site... possibly from some high point nearby.
This would mean a leisurely 3Km walk from the tent site.
He might have subsequently lost the drone on a flight path towards the Gorge.
Recovery would involve some very challenging and steep scrambling through the bush.
He would have the landing position from the captured video.
That's where I think they will be found.

 

[Ramjet]

And further..
I'll suggest that they might have both left the camp site early on Sat morn to take advantage of the good weather and optimal lighting. (photographers will understand this)
The large battery in the tent would have been used for the usual camp requirements .. including possibly charging of a spare drone battery.
If a third party fast charger was employed for this it is highly likely to have caused the fire.
The HF radio needs to be close to the power source so removing the auxiliary battery from the car and placing it in the tent (or annex area) would mean that he could use it in reasonable comfort.
It makes sense to me.

 

[Ramjet]

 

[Midwestmom2019]

I've been researching the Mavic DJI Pro.
I'm sure Russell would have made himself quite competent with this unit before embarking on this trip.
I'm assuming that the drone was a major component in his planning of this trip.
If I owned this device I would be seeking out the very scenic and drone-worthy area around Bryce Gorge which is at the top of Conglomerate Ck.
He would have to launch from a vantage point around the lower levels close to the Homestead site... possibly from some high point nearby.
This would mean a leisurely 3Km walk from the tent site.
He might have subsequently lost the drone on a flight path towards the Gorge.
Recovery would involve some very challenging and steep scrambling through the bush.
He would have the landing position from the captured video.
That's where I think they will be found.

I presume the video is only in the drone? I don’t know enough to know this answer but is any of this saved in the cloud? Either his phone, drone or her equipment?

 

[Panda]

It is most likely that the drone ran out of battery and did a forced landing... somewhere in difficult terrain.
He would then have tried to recover it. he might have called Carol for help after experiencing problems.
She might have been in the middle of cooking something .. hence the fire.
It would be a challenging flight up the Conglomerate Ck

I don't think Carol would have been cooking in the tent, unless it was raining, in which case it is unlikely Russell would have been off flying the drone. Given that she is very fastidious about her appearance and he is fastidious about camping, letting smoke and splattered fat (as an example) be in an enclosed area of a nice, clean tent seems unlikely.

I personally think there may have been something on charge that caught fire whilst they were both away from the camping area. Coincidences, though rare, do happen.

I still feel they were off flying the drone somewhere when they got into difficulties. The question is, where? And how far would they have had to venture to try and recover the drone if it crashed or force landed? From my understanding, the Mavic Pro has a massive range. If they were following it on the phone and it crashed, they may have had to go quite a distance into the bush to try and find it. In that scenario, it would be very, very easy to become disorientated, lost and get into difficulties leading to their demise.

What's your opinion on the smaller "tent" structure? I thought it was probably a toilet. No shower? Do you know what the weather was like on the likely day they went missing? Might there be a possibility that they went somewhere so Carol could have a swim or a "bush shower"? Could it be possible that Carol was doing this when Russell was flying the drone which became disabled? Just trying to think of areas they may have come into difficulties, as I don't know the area at all.

Thanks for your great, informative posts.

 

[neesaki]

Such a baffling case. I keep thinking it has something to do with the drone. Also, does illegal poaching go on in that area? Could they have run across something like that? I wonder if he had an actual purpose for using the drone, or was it just a really expensive toy.

ETA: also, I don’t recall reading who reported them missing and exactly when. And was this area actual designated campgrounds, or just pick and choose. And were there other campers there close by, I did read where some campers came upon their campground. Were they already missing at that time? I have read most of this thread, apologies for having so many questions.

 

[Ramjet]

Balmy weather on that weekend.. perfect for camping
https://www.accuweather.com/en/au/mount-buller/3497386/march-weather/3497386?year=2020&view=list
Notice the weather on Thurs 18th (Departure from Melb) 32C / 16C
Notice the weather on Fri 19th (Arrival at Wonnangatta) 25C / 17C
Notice the weather on Sat 20th (Camp site burnt 2PM) 26C / 10C

These temps recorded at Mt Bulla (not far from Wonnangatta)

 

[Ramjet]

I presume the video is only in the drone? I don’t know enough to know this answer but is any of this saved in the cloud? Either his phone, drone or her equipment?

Video is captured on the drone media card if it is in record mode.
There is no cloud service in these areas.
The phone is used to assist navigation when the drone is out of sight.
You need 'line of sight' for reliable control of the drone up to 10Kms distance away.
If you lose contact ( the drone goes over the other side of a hill).. it will probably do a forced landing depending on settings.

 

[Ramjet]

Deleted

 

[Midwestmom2019]

They lost the drone and went looking for it. Succumbed to the change in weather. As for the fire, some other campers stumbled upon it, ransacked it for whatever they could find and dropped a match. Smart enough or didn't have an accelerant with them. Who carries a gallon of gas in their backpack while hiking? They had matches, plenty of fabric around. Poof. Up it went.

ADDED: Seems to me it was discovered as burned out but not reported for several days after the fact. If there is no signal out there, several days until the reporting people raised the alarm makes sense. They had to get to a place from where their signal could be spotted. So if they walked in, time to walk out. Even if drive in, locals could tell us how far it would be and time to get to a place where a signal would be available.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

Video is captured on the drone media card if it is in record mode.
There is no cloud service in these areas.
The phone is used to assist navigation when the drone is out of sight.
You need 'line of sight' for reliable control of the drone up to 10Kms distance away.
If you lose contact ( the drone goes over the other side of a hill).. it will probably do a forced landing depending on settings.

So if no service out there, finding them by their phones it out of the questions, too. They may never be found if they cut through the brush and got off of a path.

 

[Panda]

They lost the drone and went looking for it. Succumbed to the change in weather. As for the fire, some other campers stumbled upon it, ransacked it for whatever they could find and dropped a match. Smart enough or didn't have an accelerant with them. Who carries a gallon of gas in their backpack while hiking? They had matches, plenty of fabric around. Poof. Up it went.

ADDED: Seems to me it was discovered as burned out but not reported for several days after the fact. If there is no signal out there, several days until the reporting people raised the alarm makes sense. They had to get to a place from where their signal could be spotted. So if they walked in, time to walk out. Even if drive in, locals could tell us how far it would be and time to get to a place where a signal would be available.

Why on earth would someone ransack a camp site and then torch it? That would just bring attention to the so-called "ransackers", especially if the campsite was "stumbled upon", as the so-called ransackers wouldn't have a clue as to how far away the campers were from the campsite.

As Ramjet indicated, the presence of a burnt out car battery in the fire area indicates the fire was most likely accidental. Plus the police stated they thought the fire was caused by something being on charge.

Not sure what you mean by the discovery period of the burnt out fire. My understanding was that it was reported as soon as discovered.

 

[Ramjet]

Why on earth would someone ransack a camp site and then torch it? That would just bring attention to the so-called "ransackers", especially if the campsite was "stumbled upon", as the so-called ransackers wouldn't have a clue as to how far away the campers were from the campsite.

As Ramjet indicated, the presence of a burnt out car battery in the fire area indicates the fire was most likely accidental. Plus the police stated they thought the fire was caused by something being on charge.

Not sure what you mean by the discovery period of the burnt out fire. My understanding was that it was reported as soon as discovered.

A traveller saw the fire damage at 2:00PM on Sat. (no smoke evident so the fire likely occurred a few hours earlier.)
They reported it several days later (the area is very remote so this is not a surprise)
I believe it is possible that others might have subsequently also seen the burnt camp site and not bothered to report since it would be most likely an unfortunate accident.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

Why on earth would someone ransack a camp site and then torch it? That would just bring attention to the so-called "ransackers", especially if the campsite was "stumbled upon", as the so-called ransackers wouldn't have a clue as to how far away the campers were from the campsite.

As Ramjet indicated, the presence of a burnt out car battery in the fire area indicates the fire was most likely accidental. Plus the police stated they thought the fire was caused by something being on charge.

Not sure what you mean by the discovery period of the burnt out fire. My understanding was that it was reported as soon as discovered.

No doubt fire started with a car battery. I’m just tossing out more ideas of what may have occurred.
I’m not a big believer of coincidences, that’s all.

 

[Ramjet]

No doubt fire started with a car battery. I’m just tossing out more ideas of what may have occurred.
I’m not a big believer of coincidences, that’s all.

I just don't see any mystery to this case.
An elderly couple embarking on a 5 - 6 day camping adventure in the most remote area in Vic.
It's very sad that it came to an end .. and so soon.
Russell was obviously keen on utilizing his new toy (drone camera).
They pushed the limits that's all.
Probably they will both be found somewhere within a 5Km radius.
And that would be a difficult task to search.
The initial search might have been instigated before the drone was found to be missing.
Weather is currently good but access will be hampered by snowy conditions.
This valley is only accessible via steep and rough 4X4 tracks which will be impassable very soon.
Hopefully the police will use drone technology if visibility is good on the slopes as it is almost impossible to scope out dense bush.
We hope for some news soon otherwise speculation will continue and so will the trauma for the friends and loved ones.