Found Deceased Australia - Russell Hill, 74, & Carol Clay, 72, Wonnangatta Valley, 20 March 2020 #2

[JLZ]

Sorry if I was not being sufficiently explicit, I will try to spell out a range of human emotions more carefully:
1. possible shame or anger at campsite burning and losing his stuff
2. possible shame at losing status in eyes of buddies for a stupid fire
3. possible wife and children finding out about other woman
4. possible other woman being upset, either blamed for fire, or blaming him for fire, and not going camping again
5. general sense of despair that camping trip is a royal -up.

If you were talking about someone under the age of twenty-five, I might countenance it. Not for Russell. He's surely experienced failure and conflict before, enough not to be suicidal or murderous when a tent burns down.

 

[trujac]

In our main reference picture of the scene, the battery doesn't seem to be in that location, but there is an object that looks like a battery beside the esky beneath the car. Do you think it's the same object?

Source: detail from picture here: Four people have gone missing within a 60km radius in the past year. Their fate remains a mystery

The yellow box under the truck I believe is a container of food. A news report said detectives found a container of food outside of the truck away from the tent and fire area.

 

[trujac]

i wonder if any fire retardant was found by forensics, how would you put out a fire that size quickly, unless you had buckets of water or hose?

Had fire retardant been used to put out the fire--I think detectives would have mentioned it to the media. There was only one article (I previously posted it here) where the statement..who started and extinguished the fire...was mentioned. I think the statement was not attributed to LE, but was the news reporter's interpretation of the events surrounding the fire. The consistent information about the fire from investigators is the campsite fire provided no clues at all.

 

[they'll get you]

Is there a reward?

 

[they'll get you]

I see those rocks on RHS.
I think of murder weapons.
I might take my paranoia for a walk.



Missing campers had been in a secret relationship for years when they vanished without trace | | Express Digest

 

[trujac]

If you were talking about someone under the age of twenty-five, I might countenance it. Not for Russell. He's surely experienced failure and conflict before, enough not to be suicidal or murderous when a tent burns down.

I thought there was some merit to Satchie's post--not that RH killed CC and then himself...but RH's response to the suddenly out of control fire created more of a crisis, which ultimately put RH and CC in an even more risky situation leading to their demise.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I haven't heard it mentioned?

Is there a reward?

 

[they'll get you]

I haven't heard it mentioned?

There should be.

 

[JLZ]

I see those rocks on RHS.
I think of murder weapons.
I might take my paranoia for a walk.

View attachment 264643

Missing campers had been in a secret relationship for years when they vanished without trace | | Express Digest

I take it that the tarpaulin was covering the site overnight and the rocks were holding it in place. Then tarpaulin was moved aside for continuing work. I'm curious whether the tarpaulin is hiding anything from the camera there.

 

[Kemug]

Re the possibility of Russell perhaps suiciding over the tent fire - I really can't see that. Older people who still have good enough health to do things and go places are very unlikely to commit suicide. They are very aware of how precious life is, and want to live every moment for as long as they can.

 

[trujac]

Re the possibility of Russell perhaps suiciding over the tent fire - I really can't see that. Older people who still have good enough health to do things and go places are very unlikely to commit suicide. They are very aware of how precious life is, and want to live every moment for as long as they can.

Yes, I agree...the main thing that aging can do to someone's thinking process is reduce flexible or quick thinking. Not all elderly experience a marked slowness in reflexes and/or cognitive ability but it is common to a degree for many. RH and CC when faced with an out of control crisis might have made spontaneous choices that weren't to their benefit--assuming they were at their campsite when it caught on fire--which, I don't think they were.

 

[trujac]

There should be.

Yes, it's curious no reward for information has been offered--either by LE or the families of RH and CC. imo, there are possibly two reasons why a reward hasn't been offered...RH and CC were elderly and after a two week intensive search for them news media reported that LE and RH's wife didn't hold much hope in finding RH and CC alive. And, it might be that LE hasn't put together a compelling enough reason to think RH and CC were murdered with a profile of an assailant(s) that would warrant paying for public information.

 

[SouthAussie]

Yes, it's curious no reward for information has been offered--either by LE or the families of RH and CC. imo, there are possibly two reasons why a reward hasn't been offered...RH and CC were elderly and after a two week intensive search for them news media reported that LE and RH's wife didn't hold much hope in finding RH and CC alive. And, it might be that LE hasn't put together a compelling enough reason to think RH and CC were murdered with a profile of an assailant(s) that would warrant paying for public information.

Or ... police have a lot of information and need little help now. They just want a witness or two.

For example: no reward was offered in the Ristevski case either, they knew who their perp was, they just needed to pin him down.

They also got help from o/s in the Ristevski case.

Another example: a huge reward (and immunity from prosecution) is offered in the William Tyrrell case because they really want someone to squeal on someone else. And they don't know exactly who they want to squeal on who.

 

[trujac]

Or ... police have a lot of information and need little help now. They just want a witness or two.

For example: no reward was offered in the Ristevski case either, they knew who their perp was, they just needed to pin him down.

They also got help from o/s in the Ristevski case.

Another example: a huge reward (and immunity from prosecution) is offered in the William Tyrrell case because they really want someone to squeal on someone else. And they don't know exactly who they want to squeal on who.

yes, any scenario is possible...about the only thing folks can bank on is LE is doing another search, and still asking for people to come forward. I don't know if you have noticed but there seems to be a troubling trend when it comes to the elderly missing--rarely is a reward offered for information *Barbara Thomas* comes to mind...imo.

 

[they'll get you]

Or ... police have a lot of information and need little help now. They just want a witness or two.

For example: no reward was offered in the Ristevski case either, they knew who their perp was, they just needed to pin him down.

They also got help from o/s in the Ristevski case.

Another example: a huge reward (and immunity from prosecution) is offered in the William Tyrrell case because they really want someone to squeal on someone else. And they don't know exactly who they want to squeal on who.

I remember the Ristevski case was a lot to do with vehicles, routes and cameras and it took some time to get the results.

Yes SA they could be tracing a certain vehicle through cameras to and from where the couple was camping.
Someone known.
Who knows if Russell’s vehicle did an extra trip.
I’d love to know more about the little missus.
Hell hath no fury and all....

 

[SouthAussie]

I remember the Ristevski case was a lot to do with vehicles, routes and cameras and it took some time to get the results.

Yes SA they could be tracing a certain vehicle through cameras to and from where the couple was camping.
Someone known.
Who knows if Russell’s vehicle did an extra trip.
I’d love to know more about the little missus.
Hell hath no fury and all....

Yes, and it was also a lot to do with whose phone pinged where and when. And exactly when phones were turned off.

The police have had a lot of time to investigate those digital clues now, and gather CCTV from all over the place enroute to and from Wonnangatta Valley, and try to piece things together.

 

[they'll get you]

Russell’s vehicle might have been used to transport the bodies elsewhere. (single cab=1 at a time)

It was drivable, it’s a rock climber and why did the cops want it again to test.
(which is ridiculous as anyone could have been in it after it was returned home)

No tow ball so he didn’t take a trailer along on the trip

 

[Black-Cat]

I think it’s important to remember that even though there isn’t enough coverage to make calls in certain areas of the High Country, phones will get a bar here and there enough to ping on a tower ... police will know more ... IMO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Thanks, that's good to know.

I think it’s important to remember that even though there isn’t enough coverage to make calls in certain areas of the High Country, phones will get a bar here and there enough to ping on a tower ... police will know more ... IMO

 

[they'll get you]

I think it’s important to remember that even though there isn’t enough coverage to make calls in certain areas of the High Country, phones will get a bar here and there enough to ping on a tower ... police will know more ... IMO

Could his radio contact people or them able to contact him and I imagine an experienced camper could have a Telstra phone that works rural converage/long distances from any towers.

O/T but when we were (able) to cruise my bro who had a Testra phone contacted shore 100's of Kilometres off shore whereas my Optus only worked when we were through Sydney heads.
Getting the right gear for tough-as-nails rural coverage