Found Deceased Australia - Russell Hill, 74, & Carol Clay, 72, Wonnangatta Valley, 20 Mar 2020 #5 *charges*

[they'll get you]

Dentures are made to fit an individual mouth. Dentists take moulds of the mouth and dental technicians use those to make the dentures. I guess somewhere in that process individual records are retained which can allow/assist identification.

To find dentures but not a jaw or a skull?
A ring but not a finger bone?

These items are not eatable by animals iykwim?
Surely LE will find clothing or shoes in the grave?

This is so shocking to have happened to an elderly couple just enjoying a quite time with nature.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

They haven't revealed what human remains they have found, maybe the jaw and skull etc were part of what was found.

To find dentures but not a jaw or a skull!
A ring but not a finger bone?

These items are not eatable by animals iykwim?
Surely LE will find clothing or shoes in the grave?

 

[JBowie]

There may be others found there.

A burial ground perhaps? Interesting.

 

[they'll get you]

They haven't revealed what human remains they have found, maybe the jaw and skull etc were part of what was found.

Police search for missing campers over after remains found

The hunt, which saw officers uncover human remains earlier this week

The area police are scouring is an old gold-mining area known as the Grant Historic Area.

Police search for missing campers over after remains found

 

[sleuther123]

I lurked for several years, but I only became a member last year when Covid meant that I needed a new hobby!

It’s a nice hobby! And great that you’re discussing now. Haha, I’m surprised I stayed away during most of the lockdowns!

I have to take regular breaks, but I especially took a long break from reading about cases after the CSK was convicted - I worked in the area at the time (JR used to come into my work, everyone knew everyone, went to the same places). The mystery puzzled me for years - I started revisiting WS the year before WAPol solved it, wondering if we’d ever get an answer, then..!! So proud of them.

Anyway it’s nice to stop lurking, even if it means y’all are reading these off-topic monologues sometimes..? Ha, sorry

 

[Kemug]

@JBowie, that would indeed be interesting, in a gruesome way. I was thinking that might be why he took them to be buried there, if that was his particular "graveyard". But that can't be so, can it, seeing he tried to leave by the Myrtleford gate?

 

[they'll get you]

The area bottom left is blurred. The shadow of a man standing is seen.

Police discovered human remains during the now-concluded search. (Nine)

Police search for missing campers over after remains found

 

[Kemug]

It’s a nice hobby! And great that you’re discussing now. Haha, I’m surprised I stayed away during most of the lockdowns!

I have to take regular breaks, but I especially took a long break from reading about cases after the CSK was convicted - I worked in the area at the time (JR used to come into my work, everyone knew everyone, went to the same places). The mystery puzzled me for years - I started revisiting WS the year before WAPol solved it, wondering if we’d ever get an answer, then..!! So proud of them.

Anyway it’s nice to stop lurking, even if it means y’all are reading these off-topic monologues sometimes..? Ha, sorry

Yes, it has a lot of advantages as a hobby, eg you don't even have to get out of your PJ's! Also it keeps the little grey cells working. And it would be a good hobby for someone who is physically disabled, I would think. (Not me, but who knows what the advancing years will bring?!)

 

[JBowie]

That would indeed be interesting, in a gruesome way. I was thinking that might be why he took them to be buried there, if that was his particular "graveyard". But that can't be so, can it, seeing he tried to leave by the Myrtleford gate?

Yes, gruesome, but gives pause for thought with mentions elsewhere on here of people gone missing over a period of years.

I'm not familiar enough with the territory to know the significance of particular gates.

 

[Theodora]

I've been working on the assumption that their bodies were burned in the campsite fire before being moved to this site

To find dentures but not a jaw or a skull?
A ring but not a finger bone?

These items are not eatable by animals iykwim?
Surely LE will find clothing or shoes in the grave?

This is so shocking to have happened to an elderly couple just enjoying a quite time with nature.

 

[JBowie]

I've been working on the assumption that their bodies were burned in the campsite fire before being moved to this site

Given what I've seen of traditional funeral pyres, it takes a pretty big bundle of combustible material to effectively burn corpses and I think I'd expect more residue at the site.

However, I don't know what the perpetrator tried to do with fire, other than probably hope to destroy what he may have considered obvious evidence.

Although the fire suggests that something violent has occurred there, has the possibility been discussed that it might have been an accidental byproduct of an altercation? Primus type stove and/or lamp knocked over into tent?

 

[sleuther123]

They may very well be either Russell's or Carol's.

These days it can be hard to tell that you're wearing dentures.

Yes, they can look very natural. Absolutely!

 

[they'll get you]

While fingerprints and dental records of the bodies could reveal their identities within minutes, it is understood detectives will need to rely on DNA samples due to the devastating toll of the harsh environment on their bodies.

The terrain is deemed some of the harshest on the planet, with predators including wild dogs roaming the wilderness.

Russell Hill, Carol Clay: Evidence found near shallow grave could be key in identifying remains | Daily Mail Online

 

[they'll get you]

DNA testing on recently deceased corpses can take a matter of hours, but analysis on older bodies becomes more complex, particularly if all that remains are bones.

Experts in the field of forensic science claim techniques are constantly changing as new methods become available and validated, but the extraction of DNA from bone material remains for now a time-consuming and laborious process.

Bones need to be cleaned and powdered to enhance access of extraction chemicals.

The extraction procedure itself may take several hours or days depending on the condition of the test sample.

Russell Hill, Carol Clay: Evidence found near shallow grave could be key in identifying remains | Daily Mail Online

 

[they'll get you]

Six hard lockdowns have seen routine forensic examinations pushed back for months on end, with some court cases being delayed for years.

Despite the backlog, the remains are expected to jump the queue in the hope of finally providing the families of Mr Hill and Ms Clay the opportunity to give them a proper burial.
Russell Hill, Carol Clay: Evidence found near shallow grave could be key in identifying remains | Daily Mail Online

 

[JBowie]

Bones need to be cleaned and powdered to enhance access of extraction chemicals.

Teeth are amazingly resilient and can sometimes be the only good source of DNA for identification purposes. However, if full dentures are in place, there goes that avenue.

 

[DRT]

I've been working on the assumption that their bodies were burned in the campsite fire before being moved to this site

IMO if the bodies were burnt at the campsite there would be some remains left in the file as I doubt someone could have removed it all and VICPOL would have reported the find last year.

 

[Motomike]

Thank you for clarifying, motomike.

I might be wrong, but I think I read that his wife sometimes tuned in while he was away, to hear if he was ok.. Maybe that’s why he didn’t mention CC.

Yes I know she did, but didn't know if that was public knowledge so did not mention it, just in case

 

[Motomike]

I've been working on the assumption that their bodies were burned in the campsite fire before being moved to this site

the concrete fire pit at that site is only about 1.5m diameter so I don't think that would be big enough. assuming you are thinking the bodies were taken to the nearby fire pit for incineration. The heat of the tent fire I dont think would be enough to incinerate the bodies and leave no obvious human remains.
Edited to improve clarity.

 

[BrumbyJack]

And just to,add to my last post, for @Arboreal - we know he didn’t take Zeka, and he’d be a complete numpty to try and take Herne Spur out, especially alone and with a trailer on in the middle of the night (I dunno that he’d have made it out), so he must’ve taken Wombat Range, which is easier going anyway. I think I probably said that way back somewhere?