This report in the
Daily Mail answers some questions we have raised - but also raises others.
We have wondered when Mr Lynn took police to Rose River Road, where he claimed he disposed of various items of property belonging to Mr Hill and Ms Clay:
Information contained within that brief alleges Lynn camped overnight in the wilderness after he allegedly shot Ms Clay and stabbed Mr Hill to death.
On March 1 last year [Arboreal comment: this would be 2022 - several months after his arrest], police allege Lynn took them to a section of Rose River Road and showed them where he disposed of Mr Hill's and Ms Clay's mobile phones.
He allegedly told them he had thrown them into the river.
This may suggest that Mr Lynn "drip fed" information to the police - if Mr Lynne provided to police in November, the location he disposed of the property, would they have waited four months before going to the area? If they did go to the area, did they conduct a search? Did they find anything?
The DM report states that the "
brief alleges Lynn camped overnight in the wilderness" following the murders. This would be the evening of 21/22 March.
According to this time line, the murders are believed to have occurred sometime after 18:00 hrs on the 20th - and the night of 20/21 March, then taken up with burning Mr Hill and Ms Clay's tent and disposing of the bodies. According to the time line, Mr Lynn was captured on the Mt Hotham camera at about 09.50 on the 21st and at 3pm, Mr Lynn’s mobile
phone is detected near Mansfield. [Arboreal comment: this suggests that the prosecution does not have any CCTV of Mr Lynn's vehicle after it was caught on the Buckland’s Gap traffic cameras, about 9.48am.] Mr Lynn arrived at his home on 22 March.
Question:
(1) If Mr Lynn did camp outdoors overnight on the 21/22 March - when did he go to the motel to clean up - recall, evidence that blood was recovered from a bath mat?
(2) When - time wise - was Mr Lynn at the Rose River Road location?
(3) What route does the prosecution alleged Mr Lynn took from Buckland’s Gap, where his vehicle and trailer were photographed at about 9.48am, to Mansfield? Was the vehicle caught on CCTV at any other time? If so, did he still have the trailer?
Here is the
time line, according to Fairfax:
MARCH 16, 2020
Police allege airline pilot Gregory Lynn left Caroline Springs bound for Wonnangatta Valley in a dark blue 1997 Nissan Patrol, camping at an area known as Bucks Camp over the coming days.
MARCH 19, 2020
Russell Hill and Carol Clay arrive at the same campsite in the Wonnangatta Valley in a white Toyota LandCruiser utility about 2-3pm. Hill had in his possession a drone.
MARCH 20, 2020
Hill and Clay are last heard from when they make a radio call to a friend at 6pm. Police allege later that night Lynn murdered the pair before disposing of their bodies using his own trailer. He then allegedly set fire to their campsite.
MARCH 21, 2020
Lynn’s blue 1997 Nissan Patrol towing a box trailer travels through traffic cameras on the Great Alpine Road at Buckland’s Gap, about 9.48am. Analysis of Hill’s mobile phone shows it connects to the nearby Hotham Heights phone tower about 9.47am. At 3pm, Lynn’s mobile phone is detected near Mansfield.
MARCH 22, 2020
Police allege Lynn arrives home in Caroline Springs.
MARCH 26, 2020
Hill is reported missing by his wife Robyn before Clay is reported missing two days later.
MARCH 27, 2020
Another camper reports finding a burnt out campsite in Wonnangatta Valley to police.
March 28, 2020
Police first examine the fire-damaged campsite and find items including Hill’s locked utility.
JULY 14, 2020
Missing person’s squad detectives first visit Lynn’s family home, spotting a 1997 Nissan Patrol parked there which is now painted beige.
NOVEMBER 7, 2021
Police appeal for information to help locate Hill and Clay, releasing an image of Lynn’s car from the Great Alpine Road camera site. It followed a public plea for information from the victim’s family members the previous month.
NOVEMBER 22, 2021
Twenty months after the deaths, Lynn is arrested and later charged with two counts of murder.
NOVEMBER 30, 2021
Human remains are found in bushland north of Dargo.
MARCH 2, 2022
A piece of human skull belonging to Clay is found at the Wonnangatta campsite following a subsequent forensic search of the area. A week later a suspected bullet is also found in the same area.