Casefile True Crime - Case 311: Russell Hill & Carol Clay

Episode Date: March 22, 2025

*** Content warnings: Gun violence, animal cruelty ***When 74-year-old Russell Hill and 73-year-old Carol Clay vanished while camping in Victoria’s rugged High Country, their disappearance brought many hidden secrets to light. People theorised that the pair had run away together, were the victims of a murder-suicide, or had accidentally been killed by hunters. But there was only one person out there who knew the truth.---Narration – Anonymous HostResearch & writing – Eileen Ormsby Editing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly RasoProduction & music – Mike MigasMusic – Andrew JoslynAudio editing – Anthony TelferSign up for Casefile Premium:Apple PremiumSpotify PremiumPatreonFor all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-311-russell-hill-carol-clay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers, for confidential support, and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. On Saturday March 21, 2020, Andrew Marquardt, his wife and their two children, woke to crisp autumn air at their campsite on the Howatt High Plains in the Australian state of Victoria. Located within the Alpine National Park in the state's northeast, the area was popular with campers seeking a rugged and remote spot to be within nature. After breakfast, the Marquardt family decided to venture down into the nearby Wanangatta Valley, hoping to find a campsite closer to the river. As they navigated the winding tracks, Andrew,

an experienced bushman, kept watch for suitable clearings. At around lunchtime, he turned into what looked like a promising spot. Once inside, however, it was a different story. A white Toyota Landcruiser ute, apparently new, was parked in the clearing. All along its passenger side canopy were black scorch marks. On the ground beside the vehicle was what Andrew first took to be the remains of a campfire, but the blackened area sprawled far larger than any responsible camper would allow. Drawing closer, Andrew realised he was looking at a campsite that had been entirely cremated. Chairs, awning, mattresses and a tent had all been reduced to twisted metal and dash. The only thing left standing was a toilet tent set apart from the main site.

It had largely escaped the inferno, save for some melted zips. The scene was cold, there was no smoke or embers, and the ash had long cooled. The Land Cruiser stood locked and empty. Deciding to keep moving, the Marquards pressed on upstream, eventually finding a suitable spot to settle near a suspension bridge. But the memory of the burnt out camp nagged at Andrew throughout the night. The next morning, he walked back to the incinerated site alone. Nothing had changed, yet something felt wrong. A lead trailed from the Land Cruiser's canopy to the ground. The vehicle's passenger side mirror was missing as though ripped off, and empty bourbon and cola cans lay scattered behind the rear wheel. Peering through a window, Andrew spotted a pink bag on the front seat. There was an Esky tucked under the ute. When Andrew lifted its lid, he saw food inside that looked fresh.

Increasingly uneasy, Andrew returned to his family to talk the matter over. They wondered whether there had been an emergency and a second vehicle had taken the Land Cruiser's campers out for medical attention or supplies. With no phone reception and unable to do any more, Andrew photographed the scene. Once he was back in mobile range, he would report the discovery to the police. Two days before Andrew Marquardt had discovered the burnt-out campsite, a 74-year-old named Russell Hill was preparing to go camping in the Wannengatta Valley. This would be Russell's third visit to the area in a month. Just one week earlier, he had camped for a single night in the Alpine National Park. It was a six hour round trip from his home in the west Gippsland town of Druan, but Russell relished his time in the great outdoors.

A former forestry worker who'd later worked as a truck driver, Russell had embraced camping even more after entering retirement. He was an experienced outdoorsman and still relatively fit for his age, though he moved more deliberately than he had as a younger man. His wife Robin didn't mind that Russell often went camping without her. He had struggled after he stopped working, confiding in a few close friends that his new phase of life was more difficult than anticipated. They had suggested he take up hobbies such as peering for gold or joining a social men's club, but these suggestions hadn't worked out. Travelling out into the wilderness, however, seemed to be something that helped him. Early on the morning of Thursday March 19, 2020, Robin helped her husband pack his bags,

including a bottle of Bundaberg rum and some cans of Cougar bourbon and coke. She waved him off at 7am as he cheerfully drove away in his 2017 white Toyota Land Cruiser four-wheel drive. The Land Cruiser had been expertly fitted out for Russell's adventures and was ideal for driving to the Wanangatta Valley. Considered one of the iconic drives in the Victorian high country, the journey included striking panoramic views and challenging four-wheel drive tracks. The journey included striking panoramic views and challenging four-wheel drive tracks. Russell wound the Land Cruiser through La Cola, a small town on the banks of the McAllister

River, before facing the more challenging tracks, which were only accessible to wall-terrain vehicles. This was Russell's territory. During his work as a forestry worker, he'd helped build many of these tracks, including the notoriously tricky Zeca Spur. Despite the remoteness of the location, Russell's journey didn't go unnoticed. Multiple people in the area saw Russell's vehicle, including a weed sprayer named Robert Williams who was working along a track.

Robert admired the Land Cruiser as it approached, noting that it was fitted out with the custom-made canopy, but was less impressed when Russell roared past him without a customary greeting or friendly wave. Robert had reason to be wary of strangers in the valley. The day before, he'd encountered what he described as a creepy fella, dressed in a singlet, shorts and gaiters. The man had pulled up in a four-wheel drive hauling a trailer, his clothes stained with sweat, and asked about camping spots. Robert and his fellow sprayers had a joke to Darkly about the man's resemblance to infamous Australian serial killer Ivan Malat, whose crimes were covered in episode 109 of Case File. Later, Robert spotted the same vehicle at a nearby campground known as Bucks Camp, which was a small group of sites on Dry River.

It was reversed deep into the bushes with only its bullbar visible, as though its owner wished to remain unseen. As Russell Hill neared the end of his drive to the Wanangatta Valley, he was followed for a time by two friends who had travelled down from Sydney to spend a few days foraging for mushrooms. Frustrated by Russell's slower driving, the two men tried to overtake him without success. They were relieved when the land cruiser finally turned into Buck's Camp. The Buck's Camp site held personal significance to Russell Hill. 25 years earlier, Russell's cousin Gary Hill had been in the area hunting with his nephew. During this ill-fated trip, Gary's nephew had mistaken his uncle for a deer and shot at him with his.35 calibre rifle.

The shot was fatal and Gary died instantly. The shooting was ruled accidental with Gary's nephew blaming buck fever, a term to describe a hunter's rash impulse to shoot. But the death left its mark on the Hill family, and a white cross had been installed at nearby Hilley's camp to commemorate Gary. It featured a memorial plaque engraved with the warning, not every stag under a rub tree is a deer. The tragedy had shaped Russell Hill's views on firearms. He'd surrendered his inherited shotgun during a gun amnesty and never owned another. Yet Russell's respect for gun safety

didn't extend to other regulations. He brazenly ignored prohibitions on cutting snow gum for firewood, dismissing Rangers warnings with a curt, I don't give a fuck. He'd also brought along a Mavic drone, the use of which violated the park rule about flying without permits. Russell camped by his own code. Russell parked his Land Cruiser just left of the Bucks Camp entrance. There was one other campsite already set up in the prime spot next to the river entrance, so he'd have to make do with a less desirable spot inland. Russell insisted on top of the range camp gear and had packed a Black Wolf Turbo Tent, a portable fridge freezer, sturdy chairs, and a proper table.

Instead of sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag, he had a comfortable mattress with a blue doona. He even used a toilet tent instead of a drop dunny, setting it up in front of the Land Cruiser's bonnet and securing it to the bull bar to protect against sudden gusts of wind. Russell's entire approach was that of a seasoned and experienced camper. Not one to rely on smartphone apps, he carried paper maps in his vehicle, including hunting zone charts that marked permitted seasons and weapons across the Alpine region. In order to stay in contact with others while away, Russell indulged in his true passion, amateur radio. This was more than just a simple hobby for Russell. He'd sat for five different examinations to obtain the license that allowed him to operate across the high-frequency channels used for ham radio communications. Russell had a sophisticated setup that he took everywhere,

a home radio complemented by the portable unit in his car's console powered by its own dedicated battery. PVC pipes that housed antenna wires ran along the underside of the Land Cruiser's canopy, curving to the roof, their joints secured with gaffer tape. Known as the antenna guy among his mates, Russell had perfected the art of stringing wires through the highest tree branches, using weighted lines to achieve the ideal 10-20 metre elevation for clear transmission. Every evening at 6 o'clock, Russell joined a tight-knit group of fellow amateur radio enthusiasts on frequency 3.675 for their half-hour net, a ritual that was not only social,

but a form of safety check for those who were beyond a mobile phone range. His wife Robin would often listen in on these chats as a way to keep in touch and up to date with her husband's travels. The following day of Friday March 20, Russell Hill was seen by other campers. His drone was also spotted by weed sprayer Robert Williams, who was still working in the area. At around 5pm, Robert noticed the drone circling directly over his head. He wasn't a fan of the flying robots. Although they could take good photographs for their users and provide information about the surrounding terrain, Robert found their loud buzzing sound rude and disruptive to the tranquillity of the bush. Russell's purchase of the Mavic drone had

also surprised some of his friends, as he wasn't typically someone who was interested in high-tech gadgets. But it was a hobby Russell had seemed enthusiastic about, and he'd even named the new gadget, calling it Fred. The drone was a sophisticated and expensive piece of equipment which Russell controlled through a smartphone interface. The open Wanangatta Valley provided perfect conditions for him to explore via the unmanned aerial vehicle. As the drone circled Robert Williams several times filming him with its camera, he waved up at it.

he waved up at it. The drone dipped in acknowledgement, then flew off. It continued to hover nearby for about 35 to 40 minutes before disappearing downstream. Not long after this, at 6pm, Russell joined his regular evening amateur radio net. Using his call sign VK3VZP, he reported he'd been having transmission issues, but sounded positive overall. His last conversation was with mate Rob Ashland, discussing possible routes toward the nearby town of Dargo. Russell signed off at 6.40pm. Russell signed off at 6.40pm. Rob would later say that he'd sounded as happy as a pig in shit. Russell missed the next evening's scheduled call. His amateur radio group wasn't concerned as equipment troubles weren't unusual and he'd mentioned transmission problems the previous day. weren't unusual and he'd mentioned transmission problems the previous day. But two more days passed without any contact from Russell. During their nightly nets, the radio enthusiasts called out to their friend, asking him if he'd fallen asleep. As the days wore on, their jokes turned to concern as they were met with only static in reply. By Friday March 27,

a week had passed since Russell had last checked in with his radio buddies. Rob Ashland could no longer ignore his unease. He contacted Russell's wife, Robin. She confirmed that she hadn't heard from her husband since listening in on his final radio conversation, the same evening Rob had last spoken with him. When Russell failed to return home that day, Robin reported him missing, advising police that she was worried as he was alone and it was unusual for him to be out of contact for so long. Two senior police constables from the town of Mafra headed to the Wanangatta Valley, Russell's last known location. After checking the general store at Lakola, they combed local campsites but found no trace of the missing man. They alerted the people they came across to watch

for signs of a lone elderly camper. While beginning their investigation into Russell Hill's disappearance, the police came across a tip that had been reported several days earlier. A man named Andrew Marquardt had notified authorities that he'd come across a burnt out campsite on Saturday March 21, the morning after Russell was last heard from. On Saturday March 28, the day after Russell was reported missing, officers set off for Buck's camp to follow up on the lead. What they found confirmed their worst fears – a white Land Cruiser matching Russell's. The campsite itself was a wasteland of twisted metal and ash, covering a precise three metre square. In the middle were the charred remnants

of Russell's tent, mattress, table, and camp chairs. The toilet tent Russell had set up in front of his Land Cruiser was mostly undamaged, though its zips had melted. An Esky beneath the vehicle was also intact. The fire's intensity puzzled investigators. Though it had consumed everything within reach, the Esky and the Land Cruiser's tyres were unmarked, suggesting an accelerant-fuelled blaze that had been deliberately contained. Neither smartphones nor Russell's drone were found among the debris, though an older mobile phone sat in the Ute's centre console. the debris, though an older mobile phone sat in the Ute's centre console.

Through the vehicle's windows, police officers spotted not one, but two open wallets. Both had been stripped of cash and credit cards, and their contents scattered across both footwells. While one wallet confirmed Russell Hill's identity, the other containing a health insurance card and a driver's licence drew intrigue. It belonged to someone named Carol Clay, a woman no one had reported missing. Russell's family hadn't mentioned he was camping with anyone. The discovery forced investigators to confront an uncomfortable reality. They weren't looking for one missing person, but two. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. With the Fizz loyalty program, you get rewarded just for having a mobile plan.

You know, for texting and stuff. And if you're not getting rewards like extra data and dollars off with your mobile plan, you're not with Fizz. Switch today. Conditions apply. Details at f phys.ca. Imagine waking up to breathtaking landscapes, vibrant culture, and a welcoming community. New Zealand is calling. If you are a passionate early childhood primary or secondary school teacher, New Zealand says, come teach us. With up to $10,000 New Zealand dollars in relocation support, now's the time.

Make your move. Find out more about moving to New Zealand to teach at workforce.education.govt.nz. Open to existing qualified primary, secondary and ECE teachers. Note that this grant is only disbursed after teachers arrive to New Zealand and meets the other accompanying criteria. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. 73-year-old Carol Clay resided in the outer Melbourne suburb of Pakenham.

A former president of the Country Women's Association, or CWA, Carol spearheaded a diverse range of programs and actively sought to recruit younger members, telling the Pakenham Gazette on the CWA's 85th anniversary that it was a modern organisation of women looking out for women. Her tenure as president saw her rubbing shoulders with dignitaries at government house, traversing Australia and the South Pacific for conferences and holding positions on the boards of several high-profile organisations. In 2018, Carole's tireless efforts were recognised when she was inducted as a member of honour of the CWA.

Carol's influence extended far beyond the association. She volunteered with hospital auxiliaries and the Red Cross and sat on various committees. She was also so well known for her baking that she was in high demand for lessons and demonstrations. Generous with her time, if a friend was sick, Carol would be there every day, dropping off hearty meals until they got better. Described by one friend as a glamour queen, Carol was never seen without her signature red lipstick, stylish steel grey hair, and pearl earrings. Though her children had grown and had families of their own, she remained actively involved in their lives, doting on her grandchildren

from her newly downsized house near the shops and train station. her newly downsized house near the shops and train station. The discovery of Carole's wallet in an abandoned ute nearly 400 kilometres away at Buck's camp was both puzzling and deeply concerning. Police now faced the difficult task of advising Carole's daughter Emma that her mother had disappeared seemingly while in the company of 74-year-old Russell Hill. The news came as a shock to Emma. She had known her mother was away camping, but Carol wasn't expected home until the following day of Sunday March 29. The fact that Carol had been with Russell, however, was not a surprise.

The pair had known each other since they were teenagers, and Russell had been Carol's first boyfriend. They'd ultimately broken up and married other people, but stayed in touch. Russell and his wife Robin had even attended Carol's first wedding. However, Russell had lied to Robin, introducing Carol to her as his cousin. Robin had believed this ruse for years. It wasn't until the early 2000s, during joint camping trips with Carol and her then-husband Linton, that Robin noticed how Russell and Carol would frequently break away from the group for private walks. Though this made her uneasy, Robin pushed her doubts aside, wanting to believe in her

husband's fidelity. The deception unravelled when a neighbour confronted Russell after witnessing Carol's visits whenever Robin was away. The neighbour gave Russell an ultimatum – confess to Robin or she would expose the affair herself. Backed into a corner, Russell admitted everything to Robin and their daughters, swearing to end the relationship and repair his marriage. Robin had believed him, but the affair had secretly continued.

Russell's solo camping trips provided perfect cover for his and Carole's continued liaisons. He maintained the facade with a separate burner phone registered in Carole's name, ensuring no suspicious bills would reach home. The couple spoke of separating from their respective partners to be together, but only Carole ultimately went through with it. She divorced her husband to be with Russell and told her daughter Emma about the affair. Emma felt awkward knowing about the relationship, but her mother assured her that it was very caring and loving. Carol had also confided in one of her sisters and a friend. She appeared content with the arrangement, which allowed her to maintain an intimate relationship as well as her independence in the aftermath of her divorce.

Most of the time Russell and Carol spent together was on their clandestine camping trips. Although camping hadn't always been an interest of Carol's, she embraced the pastime if it meant spending time with Russell. Their routine of private getaways was broken only once in January 2019, when Russell suggested meeting his friend to Jim Francis. Jim was travelling around Australia in his caravan when Russell called, warning that he'd be bringing a woman who wasn't his wife. Though surprised, Jim didn't pry. The trio camped together for two weeks.

To Jim, Russell and Carol seemed like any other couple, freely sharing their history around the campfire. Carol had been on another camping trip with Russell for Valentine's Day, one month before their Wanangatta expedition. As she prepared to leave with Russell again in mid-March, Carol asked some neighbours to water her plants until she returned on Sunday March 29. On the morning the couple left for their trip, Russell was seen loading Carol's bags into the boot of his Land Cruiser.

Carol got into the vehicle carrying a pink floral overnight bag and a clear plastic bag holding three large lever arch folders full of CWA materials. Carol had made two phone calls during the journey and had been sighted both in the Land Cruiser and at Buck's Camp. While Russell collected firewood, maintained the solar setup and secured the site, Carol managed the camp kitchen. As Russell operated his drone or amateur radio, Carol would read. She always made sure to keep quiet during Russell's 6pm radio chats so no one listening in would know she was there. To the other campers who encountered them, Russell and Carol seemed like any other ordinary older couple. After finding the burnt out campsite and confirming that Carol had been with Russell, investigators informed the Hill family that not only had Russell gone missing in unsettling and suspicious

circumstances, he'd been having an affair. Despite their personal shock, both families agreed to media appeals. On Sunday March 29, police announced the search for the elderly pair, citing concerns about their welfare and lack of contact. The media statement had the intended effect. Witnesses came forward, including weed sprayer Robert Williams, who reported seeing Russell's drone in the area before he went missing. The drone had been conspicuously absent from the campsite. Andrew Marquardt forwarded on the photographs he'd taken of the burnt site, and another witness also made contact. Nicholas Linden had been camping in the Wanangatta Valley with his 11-year-old son on Wednesday, March 25, two days before Russell was reported missing.

The father and son had been walking downstream after fishing when they came across the charred campsite. It was a disturbing sight, and the following day when Nicholas had mobile reception again, he reported the discovery to police in the northeast city of Wangaratta. Unfortunately, his report had gotten lost among paperwork and wasn't passed on to the relevant station. Media interest in the story took off when Robin Hill publicly confirmed that she had originally believed her missing husband was camping alone. What began as a missing persons case became a tabloid sensation. The tale of a CWA stalwart's secret romance with a married man turned their

high country disappearance into front page news. Meanwhile, the investigation kicked up a gear. Police deployed drones and helicopters while dog squads and mountain cattlemen scoured the dense scrub below. Initial theories centred on misadventure. Even skilled bushmen could lose their bearings in thick vegetation. Investigators focused on Russell's missing drone, wondering if perhaps he'd wandered off searching for the expensive device, with Carol following. Maybe one or both of them got hurt, and the other was unable to find their way back to raise the alarm. After 10 days, wild weather forced operations to halt, while emerging COVID-19

restrictions hampered efforts to marshal large volunteer search parties. The pandemic's first wave hit Victoria just as Russell and Carol went missing. Investigators focused on the couple's final known movements. According to Russell's friend, Rob Ashland, he had seemed relaxed during his last radio contact at 6.40pm. Whatever happened to Russell and Carol had occurred between Dan and Andrew Marquardt's discovery the next morning. When weather cleared on Tuesday April 14, searchers returned to explore rougher terrain. But three weeks had passed and hope of finding the couple alive was fading. The missing person squad took charge, conducting

standard proof of life checks through banks, hospitals, and phone records. No evidence emerged of accessed bank accounts, active phones, or a second vehicle. Detectives gathered DNA samples and investigated financial records, including insurance policies. Though reports occasionally surfaced of elderly couples matching Russell and Carol's descriptions, none proved credible. By Wednesday, April 22, Russell Hill and Carol Clay had been missing for a little over a month. Police notified the public that their hopes of finding the couple alive had dimmed. Potential witnesses were urged to come forward

and assured that they wouldn't face COVID-19 fines for camping during restrictions. Both families released statements expressing their anguish. Both families released statements expressing their anguish. Russell's family described him as our brother, husband, dad and pa, while Carol's family emphasised the disappearance was very out of character as the pair were well prepared and Russell knew the area well. Police appealed for witnesses who had been in the region between March 19 and 24. Various accounts emerged. Road workers reported an erratically driven white twin cab ute, diesel had been siphoned from machinery, and most intriguingly, there were reports of a midnight encounter the night

Russell and Carol vanished. Tom Matthews, who had been camping a few kilometres southeast of Buck's camp, recalled being woken around midnight on Friday March 20 by an older model four-wheel drive towing a rattley old trailer. The vehicle stopped at the river crossings road closed sign, having seemingly not realised they wouldn't have access to the road. The driver then performed a difficult U-turn and departed. Tom, experienced in bush sounds and vehicles, found the late hour activity highly unusual. at the late hour activity highly unusual. As the case spread online, news sites and social media buzzed with theories. Some were far-fetched, such as the suggestion that people who disapproved of the affair

had sent a hitman after the couple. Police dismissed this notion altogether. Other theories seemed more plausible, like the idea that the couple had staged their disappearance to run away together. But both Russell and Carol were financially secure with close family ties, making an elaborate elopement plan unlikely. A friend of Carol's also told the television program A Current Affair that Carol wouldn't have intentionally disappeared, as she had been eagerly planning a cruise with her sister. Police also dismissed this theory, given the lack of activity on their bank accounts. Another theory posited was that of a murder-suicide.

Three hunters who recognised Russell from news coverage came forward to say they'd met him at nearby King Billy Number 2 campsite a week before his disappearance. They described Russell as a knockabout sort of guy who'd asked permission to fly his drone near their camp. The hunters noted Russell's expertise with his drone and dedication to his radio setup. When he mentioned building the Zika spur track, they sensed pride in his former work. Though friendly, Russell revealed a darker side when discussing retirement. Now I'm retired and it really fucked me up, he told them. His comments about retirement and home life concerned them enough to suggest suicide to investigators. While police considered their observations, they found no other evidence suggesting Russell was suicidal, let alone capable of involving Carol in such a plan.

But forensic evidence did indicate that something violent had happened to the couple. Russell and Carol's DNA had been found throughout Russell's Land Cruiser. There was blood on the driver's armrest and DNA recovered from a map under the passenger seat. There were also six blood stains on the inside of Russell's vehicle canopy that matched Carrol's DNA. There had long been whisperings that something sinister was happening in Victoria's high country. Although strikingly beautiful, the region has somewhat of a dark history.

Near where Russell and Carroll had gone missing stood Wanangatta Station, where station manager James Barclay was found shot dead in 1917. The simultaneous disappearance of his cook, John Bamford, led to Bamford becoming the prime suspect, until he was discovered months later with a bullet in his head. These murders were never solved. More recently, several high-profile disappearances have occurred in the region. In 2008, 57-year-old father Warren Meyer went missing without a trace during a day hike despite an extensive search effort. Three years later, former prison governor David Prudhoe disappeared while deer hunting,

sparking speculation about possible revenge killings. In 2018, the body of Trace Lee Whittaker was found alongside strange items, but her cause of death remained undetermined. And in 2019, experienced hiker Niles Becker vanished during a planned trek, joining a growing list of those who entered the High Country and never returned. The High Country's unforgiving elements play a role in concealing evidence and thwarting investigations. Extreme weather, treacherous terrain, and dense vegetation can easily obscure trails and hide remains. There are also concerns that the region's isolation harbours illicit activities like illegal cannabis farms, which could potentially be linked to some disappearances.

While tragic accidents are certainly possible given the risks. The repeated failure to find any trace of those who have gone missing fueled suspicions that more sinister forces may be at work. Among high country locals there are persistent tales of what they call hill people. Former miners who have retreated into the wilderness to live untouched by society. As detectives investigated the disappearance of Russell Hill and Carol Clay, there was one character who kept recurring in their information reports, the so-called Button Man. Described as an elderly but athletic man, the button man had wiry, weathered skin covered in tattoos and bone-stretched earlobes that gave him an otherworldly appearance. He had established a

camp on a remote mountainside which allowed him to observe visitors entering the park and keep count of each one by building stone pyramids to mark their passage. The reports painted the picture of an unsettling figure who appeared to take pleasure in intimidating campers and hikers. The button man's moniker came from his traditional bushcraft of fashioning buttons from deer bones and antlers. Witnesses reported he had an unnerving gaze and could, quote, easily dispose of bodies. His reputation grew through reports of disconcerting encounters. The button man's interactions with campers followed a pattern. He would silently materialise at their campfires, steer conversations to troubling topics, and sometimes offer to show off his axe collection. His presence was felt even when

unseen, as local Bushmen found their hidden firewood supplies and food rations raided overnight. raided overnight. More and more stories spread. A sleeping Marine had woken to find a tent erected noiselessly beside him during the night. Another camper woke to find mysterious photographs on their mobile phone's camera roll. Others found inexplicable ski tracks leading from their campsite away into the alpine distance. Detectives working the Hill and Clay case were able to track down the almost mythic character to his camp and found him to be quite different from the stories that had sprung up about him. He had been cooperative, phone records placed him far from where Russell and Carol disappeared and he never became a serious suspect. Yet the media's fascination had already taken hold, with tabloids branding the button man as spooky and bloody scary. Locals defended him. They knew him as an eccentric but civil bushman who asked only for privacy.

The button man has been tried, found guilty and hung out to dry by Metro media, wrote a journalist for the Mansfield Courier. The publicity proved devastating. Tourists flocked to the area in search of the Butterman's sanctuary, forcing him into temporary relocation. Though investigators cleared him, he had become an urban legend, distracting from the real mystery of Russell and Carol's fate. Carol's fate. When Victoria entered winter, the Wanangatta Valley grew more forbidding, putting a halt to physical searches for the couple. Though the searches paused, investigators pursued every other lead, including alleged sightings at supermarkets that were checked against CCTV footage. Detectives also looked into reports of a reclusive illegal hunter with security cameras and an unsolved death in his past. Phone data quickly

eliminated him as a suspect, but detectives suspected that hunting might have still played a role in the case. The High Country attracted both legal and illegal hunters pursuing Sambaar deer, whose antlers attracted high prices. While stalking was permitted year-round, strict regulations prohibited hunting near campsites and spotlight hunting. High Country musterer Lachlan Culican had helped in the search for Russell and Carol and noticed an unusually high number of deer carcasses with antlers removed. This seemed to indicate that there was illegal poaching going on.

The Sporting Shooters Association expressed concern about organised poaching operations, stating these criminals are labelled as hunters when they are nothing more than criminals carrying out illegal activity. Detectives wondered if perhaps Russell had captured evidence of illegal hunting on his drone, leading to a confrontation. Franz had described Russell as someone who didn't take crap from anyone, making it plausible that he could find himself in an altercation. An alternative possibility was that either Russell or Carroll had been mistaken for prey through unclear thermal imaging equipment and accidentally shot.

The panicked hunters might then have eliminated witnesses and destroyed evidence. But without any proof of such crimes, detectives had nothing to support their theories. A year passed without answers. A brief spark of hope flared in March 2021 when a drone matching Russell's was found in the area, but investigators confirmed it was not his. Kadavadog searched the rugged terrain again, yet still found nothing. Russell's wife Robin told the Australian newspaper she believed her husband was dead, but hoped the pair would be found to quote, face the music. The Country Women's Association, apparently finding the entire situation distasteful,

quietly removed Carole's name from their honour roll. Police publicly stated that they believed the couple was dead and had been the victims of foul play. They also made an appeal for information about their most puzzling lead. During their investigation, they had been able to identify almost every vehicle that had been in the area when Russell and Carroll went missing, all but one. A Nissan Patrol, possibly white, hadn't been tracked down. In April 2021, investigators suddenly shifted their focus to Mount Hotham, 80 kilometres northwest of the burned campsite, where they retrieved two shovels

designed for moving loose material. Police were tight-lipped about the shovel's significance. Following this, the case dropped from the headlines once again and seemed destined to fade into mystery. Until six months later, in October 2021, when police announced they were making significant headway. Soon after, advertisements ran for an episode of current affairs program 60 Minutes that would be covering the case. Tantalising soundbites suggested that police were finally closing in on a resolution. On Sunday November 7, 60 Minutes aired what appeared to be a simple recap featuring Russell's

daughters Debbie and Colleen and Carol's sister Jill. But Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper had an ace to play. Central to this case are these roadside cameras, he revealed, indicating footage from the valley's access roads. We've accounted for every vehicle that left that weekend except one. That vehicle, a dark blue mid-90s Nissan Patrol with distinctive modifications had now become their primary focus. The grainy image showed only a side view, its occupants and number plate unclear. This revelation appeared related to investigators' earlier appeals for an

unidentified Nissan Patrol, though that vehicle had been described as possibly being white. Russell's daughter Debbie made a raw appeal to the public, stating, If someone watching knows what happened, surely your conscience is telling you that you need to speak up. Even if it's only a tiny thing, even if you only have a slight suspicion, you need to come forward so both our families can put this to rest. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. Better Help Online Therapy bought this 30 second ad to remind you right now wherever you are

to unclench your jaw. Relax your shoulders. Take a deep breath in and out. Feels better, right? That's 15 seconds of self-care. Imagine what you could do with more. Visit betterhelp.com slash random podcast for 10% off your first month of therapy. No pressure, just help. But for now, just relax. What if everything you thought you knew about your own child was a lie?

Ellen Pompeo and Mark DuPlace star in Good American Family. In this all new limited series, a couple adopt what they believe is an eight-year-old girl, but when concerns sooner rise, it forces them to question her actual identity. Told from multiple perspectives, Good American Family is inspired by the true events behind the disturbing story of Natalia Grace, and unpacks the case that spiraled from private

suspicion to public spectacle. Now streaming only on Disney+. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. A month after Russell Hill and Carol Clay went missing, in March 2020, the missing person squad took over the case, with detectives Brett Florence and Abby Justin taking the lead. They began trying to trace the couple's possible movements via technology. Two months in, Detective Florence obtained Russell's phone records. The data revealed crucial information about Russell's movements on the day he went missing.

Between 9.26am and 9.50am on the day the burnt-out campsite was discovered, Russell's phone briefly connected to towers along the nearby Great Alpine Road, a more than 300 kilometre road through Eastern Victoria. Because it connects to multiple ski resorts, the road features automatic numberplate recognition cameras installed to monitor resort access permits. Analysis of the numberplate data showed 12 vehicles had passed through during the period when Russell's phone connected. By late June, detectives had isolated one vehicle of particular interest, a four-wheel drive wagon towing a trailer. The timing aligned with witness Tom Matthews' report of being woken in the middle of the night by a four-wheel-drive and trailer

attempting an awkward U-turn after encountering a closed road in the middle of the night. Two cameras had captured the vehicle. While one showed only a blurred side view, the other had captured the number plate clearly. It was registered to a white Nissan Patrol, though the footage showed what appeared to be a darker coloured vehicle, possibly blue. The owner's name was Gregory Lynn, and he resided in the suburb of Caroline Springs, 20 kilometres west of Melbourne. On Tuesday July 14 2020, detectives Florence and Justin paid a visit to Lynn's home. In the driveway sat a Nissan Patrol bearing the number plate from the footage. But rather than the white of its registration, or blue as captured on camera, the vehicle

was beige. Detective Justin activated her recording device as Florence knocked on the front door. A middle-aged man answered, and Detective Florence assured him he wasn't in any trouble. They were simply making some inquiries relating to the missing old couple up in the Wanangatta area. They were following up with everyone whose cars had placed them in the region at the time. Gregory Lynn was polite and well-spoken as he invited them inside. When asked why his vehicle wasn't white as per its registration,

Lynn explained that he'd painted it blue in 2016 after returning from Central Australia. painted a blue in 2016 after returning from central Australia. Four years later in 2020, he'd painted a beige as a COVID project with his children, using leftover Dulux Metal Shield in sandbank colour he'd had handy. When asked about the trailer he had been towing, a 7 by 4 foot box trailer, Lyn told them he had sold it months earlier via the classifieds website been towing, a seven by four foot box trailer, Lynne told them he had sold it months earlier via the classifieds website Gumtree, along with a van he'd owned and an antique sleigh bed. It was all part of a lockdown inspired spring clean. The buyer was, quote, an Asian man, but Lynne couldn't recall his name or location. When asked about his trip to the Wanangatta Valley in March 2020, Lynn's account placed him at different campsites on

different dates to Russell and Carol. He denied ever seeing the elderly couple. The detectives deliberately withheld their knowledge about the correlation between his vehicle's movements and Russell's phone data. When detectives Florence and Justin left Lynn's home that day, they turned their attention to finding out everything they could about Gregory Lynn. Gregory Stuart Lynn was a 55-year-old commercial airline pilot. Decades earlier, he'd worked for the now-defunct Australian airline, Ansett. While he came across as charismatic, some of Lynn's co-workers had found him unsettling. One described him as a dead-set weirdo with a wicked temper. Lynn had married a woman named Lisa who was a flight attendant and colleague.

They built a sprawling family home in Mount To outsiders, it seemed idyllic. Behind closed doors, a darker story emerged. Lisa's family and friends described Gregory Lynn as increasingly controlling and abusive. Lisa's mother would lay to detail frequent incidents of physical and mental abuse. She said that on one occasion, Lynn had exploded into a fit of uncontrollable rage after another man spoke to Lisa and her mother while they were out for dinner at a pub. He verbally attacked the man in the bar, then redirected his rage at Lisa after they left. A former neighbour later told 60 Minutes about a punishment meted out by Gregory Lynn when Lisa had drunk too much. Lynn's own unsworn

statement corroborated this account. He described wanting to teach Lisa a lesson for her drunkenness. I bound her hands and feet with masking tape and carried her outside into the backyard. I put her near the back steps and hosed her down with water from a garden hose and she got extremely cold. I agree this action was quite unusual, but my intentions were for her to never drink to excess like that again. Lisa was left to freeze overnight. The allegations grew more sinister. After Pig dug up Lynn's prized plants, Lynn allegedly killed the beloved pet with an axe, leaving its head on the doorstep for Lisa to find. Neighbours reported finding their dog strung up on their fence, its throat slit,

after Lynne had complained about its barking. In another incident, he allegedly killed a stray pig with a shovel when it wandered onto his property. The marriage crumbled after Lisa discovered photos confirming Lynn's affair with another flight attendant in his pilot bag. Lisa subsequently sought help through the family court for child maintenance. An interim intervention order was imposed in March 1999, preventing Lynn from assaulting, harassing or threatening Lisa. He would later plead guilty to breaching this order twice, once by breaking in and stealing the family car, purposely leaving Lisa stranded.

Though Lisa documented the abuse in a diary, she feared pressing charges. On Tuesday October 26 1999, she was found dead in their Mount Macedon garden. The coroner found she had died from a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol, with a blood alcohol reading of 0.21. No suicide note was found, and Gregory Lynn had a solid alibi. However, Lisa's family never believed she would take her own life, citing her religious beliefs and devotion to her children. After Lisa's death, her parents fought desperately for custody of their grandchildren. However, Gregory Lynn maintained custody of his children and emerged financially secure from property settlements. Following his father's death and the collapse of Anset Airlines in 2001, Lynn moved his sons overseas to Qatar, where he met Melanie, his second wife.

Returning to Australia in 2007, Lynn joined Jetstar Airways, rising to check and training captain, a prestigious position that involved conducting flight proficiency tests and certifying other pilots' competency. Colleagues described him as methodical and precise, essential traits for the role. That same year, Gregory and Melanie Lynn welcomed their own child. Between flying jobs, Lynn had worked as an asparagus picker and as a river guide in Tasmania. His passion for the outdoors saw him regularly camping and fishing alone, often sleeping under the stars rather than in a tent. For Lynn, membership in elite outdoor clubs formed a crucial part of his identity.

He enjoyed shooting and was particularly proud about being a member of the Little River Raiders for Single Action Shooting Club and the Melbourne International Shooting Club. His acceptance into exclusive clubs and prestigious memberships were badges of pride that he guarded jealously. His latest outdoor pursuit was beekeeping, which began as a COVID project. He and Melanie tended their backyard hive in white protective suits until one day the bees penetrated his mask. The resulting allergic reaction threw his heart out of rhythm, requiring four adrenaline shots and hospitalisation. Grounded from flying until his heart stabilised, he took on duties in

simulation training. The more detectives discovered about Gregory Lynn, the more they questioned the wisdom of him having been responsible for safely transporting hundreds of airline passengers at a time. It was lucky the bees had grounded him, or they might have had to step in. Between July and December 2020, investigators continued connecting Gregory Lynn to the Hill and Clay case piece by piece. They tracked his financial records, finding that fuel receipts placed him in the area at the crucial time. They also gathered additional footage from CCTV cameras and interviewed witnesses. Though the evidence was circumstantial, it was enough to convince a court to grant warrants for phone taps and surveillance devices. Pandemic restrictions meant the Lin family was at home a lot more and prevented investigators

from waiting until their house was empty. Instead, a specialist team crept into the household in the dead of night while the family slept. They planted listening devices throughout the rooms and car, then vanished, leaving Gregory, Melanie, and their son, none the wiser. The surveillance quickly revealed Lynn's habit of talking to himself, especially while driving. He muttered cryptically about little old people, about courts and who got to decide what was right and wrong, and the supposed persecution of white people. He also wondered aloud about why ballistics experts hadn't requested samples of his ammunition. After the bugs revealed that Lin and his wife Melanie regularly watched current affairs show 60 Minutes, investigators came up with a plan. They orchestrated a special episode with the

show's producers with the aim of provoking Lin. On the evening of Sunday November 7 2021, detectives listened intently as the sound of the distinctive 60 minutes clock ticked through the lens lounge room speakers. When a grainy photograph and artist's sketch of the suspect vehicle appeared on screen showing a distinctive awning, Melanie's laughter rang out in a loud cackle. It looks like your car. It really does," she said. The police had deliberately withheld their clear number plate photo. It's not funny, sweet pea," Lynn responded. His voice had an edge to it. Shortly after, an outdoor surveillance camera captured Gregory Lynn removing the awning from his car.

Despite the mounting evidence, investigators still lacked their smoking gun. They had no bodies, no motive, and no direct evidence linking Lynn to Russell Hill or Carol Clay. On Monday November 22, 2021, Lynn left for another solo camping trip. He had told friends he was heading to the Grampians, but instead he drove towards Wonnongatta, the area where Russell and Carol had gone missing. A detective monitoring the bug in Lyn's car grew increasingly alarmed at what he heard. Lyn spoke tearfully in the past tense about his wife being left with three children.

His musings about mortality became more specific. A snake bite, he suggested, would be a good way to go. The combination of his armed state, remote destination, and increasingly dark thoughts forced the investigators' hands. A decision was made to intercept Lin before he reached his destination. Police deployed the Special Operations Group, or SOG. Victoria Police's elite tactical unit, the SOG was typically reserved for armed defenders or terrorism incidents. Deploying them for a missing persons arrest was unprecedented. But Lin's situation warranted the risk.

unprecedented. But Lin's situation warranted the risk. When the SOG stormed Lin's camp with their guns drawn, they found him preparing dinner. He calmly denied carrying weapons, though they found his forgotten Damascus knife in a sheath during the pat down. Lin was arrested and driven a two and a half hour journey to the regional city of Sale for questioning. Lynn was calm and relaxed during the drive, saying he didn't want a lawyer. He said he was looking forward to sorting the situation out, then returning to his camp. But after a two hour interview that night, during which he denied knowing anything about Russell Hill or Carol Clay, Lynn appeared to change his mind. He consulted a legal counsel by phone, and the following morning he adopted their advice to respond no comment to any questions.

The detectives pressed on, presenting maps and photos, questioning his vehicle's movements. Lin occasionally broke his silence, at one point accusing them of playing games, before returning to his refrain of no comment. When questioning turned to his trailer, Lin's composure cracked. When questioning turned to his trailer, Lin's composure cracked. I can see where this is going, he said. Well, you think I've done it, and I haven't. Detectives continued to press Lin, encouraging him that talking was in his best interest. They reassured him that they didn't think he was a bad person, stating,

it's not like you've gone out of the bush to kill anyone, but when somebody comes into your space it's an invasion. You think I'd kill someone over a campsite? Lin asked. No, but there's been some disagreement, one of the detectives suggested. There's been something that has gone wrong, and if the person has fallen over, hit his head, that's not to say that you've murdered a person. For the entire day, Lin maintained his silence. Then on the third day, after another consultation with legal aids, he stunned detectives by announcing, I'm going to ignore my solicitor's advice and tell you what happened, right from scratch. Gregory Lynn requested paper and sketched a calendar of events.

Henry Lynn requested paper and sketched a calendar of events. His story began on Monday March 16 2020 when he arrived in the high country late at night heading for the Howard Hut campsite. Finding it full, he asked a nearby family for alternatives. They directed him to Vallejo, west of the Zika spur track, a remote area accessible only by four-wheel drive. After brief encounters with a friendly ranger with a beard and weed sprayers, Lynn settled at Buck's camp. He had two days of solitude before a white land cruiser skidded into the entrance. before a white Land Cruiser skidded into the entrance. Lynn noticed the female passenger's alarmed expression and watched as another white four-wheel drive slowed behind them, its passenger glaring at the Land Cruiser before speeding away.

The Land Cruiser's elderly driver, Russell Hill, emerged chatty and very jovial. He explained how these donkeys had been pursuing him into the valley attempting to overtake and hooning onto the grass, forcing him to race to the campsite. Though Russell set up camp closer than etiquette suggested, Lynn claimed he wasn't bothered. It's a free country, he thought to himself. he wasn't bothered. It's a free country, he thought to himself. Lynn drew the detectives a diagram showing the thick forest, river, and both camps. His site was in prime position near the water. Russell and his companion, Carol Clay, had settled just inside the entrance near the drop toilet with a lone tree between them.

just inside the entrance near the drop toilet with a lone tree between them. The next morning, as Lynne prepared for deer hunting, Russell approached to say he liked the deer and was actually in the area to remember a friend who had been killed deer hunting. Lynne recalled Carol adding from behind, accidentally killed, while Russell stared at him with hostility. Though disturbed, Lyn left to hunt. Returning empty-handed, he was unloading his gun when a drone buzzed overhead. I only had gazed on it for a couple of seconds and then whoosh, it moved, like, gone, he said.

Passing their camp, he saw Russell with a controller, the drone briefly rising to eye level before landing. Concerned about being filmed, Lynne confronted Russell, whose demeanour had shifted dramatically. Russell accused Lynne of firing his gun through their camp and threatened to show police the drone footage. That's just ridiculous, Lynn replied. He believed Russell was trying to force him from the prime riverside camping spot, hoping he would pack up and leave. Lynn's response was, by his own admission, childish. He opened the doors of his Nissan Patrol and blasted music, from my era, not his, choosing the most irritating songs possible. His firearms, a rifle and a Barathram Arms straight pull shotgun

lay packed in gun bags on the back seat with ammunition on the front. After blaring music for hours, darkness had fallen when Lynn heard a rustling sound. He looked up to see Russell walking away from Lynn's car with his shotgun, loading the magazine into it. When Lynn demanded its return, Russell replied, fuck off, and fired shots into the air. Lynn took cover in the darkness behind Russell's Land Cruiser. He described crouching in the shadows as Russell approached him. He heard Carol yell, Russell, stop it. When the shotgun barrel appeared over the bonnet, Lynn lunged, grabbing it with his right hand. The two men rustled across the vehicle's bullbar. Russell's finger was on the trigger when the gun discharged, the shot travelling through the left

side mirror and straight into Carol Clay's head as she cowered beside the vehicle. Russell released the shotgun as he ran to attend to his lover. Lynn returned to his camp, firing once to ensure the weapon was safe before stowing it out of harm's way. As he turned around, Lynn saw Russell bearing down on him a knife in his right hand, screaming, she's dead. Lin described the ensuing struggle in detail, his defensive stance, blocking Russell's left-handed swing, grabbing the knife hand.

As Russell pushed forward, they fell together. The knife pierced Russell's chest and the men rolled before Lin got clear. Russell crawled a short distance before collapsing face down. By some extraordinary stroke of fate, Russell had fallen onto his own knife at precisely the perfect angle, the blade positioned laterally through his chest just right of the sternum. Checking Russell's vital signs confirmed he was dead. Carol was also clearly dead, half her skull was missing. Standing between their bodies, Panic overwhelmed Lin.

Although he claimed the deaths were accidental, his thoughts immediately turned to the consequences that would follow. Losing his firearms licence would mean losing his aviation security card and his pilot's career. From there, he'd lose his mortgage, his family's financial security, and his beloved exclusive club memberships. As Lynne told investigators, An event like that, I would just be instantly banned for life. And this at a time when I was actually just finding a really happy place in the world with family,

career and my personal life outside of work. And so this, for me, was a disaster." Terrified of having his life ruined, he decided to cover up the couple's deaths instead. Lynn concealed Russell and Carol's bodies under his trailer's wooden top before methodically sanitising the scene. Worried that the couple's tent might contain contaminated items, he doused it with petrol and set it alight. He scattered their wallet's cards and contents to suggest robbery, removed the damaged mirror, and burned his bloodied clothes. A closed road disrupted his planned escape route, forcing an awkward U-turn later noted by a witness. Lin recounted a tense, long night drive to Union Spur Track, an overgrown and seemingly abandoned road where he left the bodies covered loosely

with sticks. Lynn then drove to Lake Buffalo's southern end to dispose of the couple's mobile phones, stopped in Mansfield for fuel, then spent the night at Big River where he burned Russell's drone. The next day, after washing his trailer in Healesville, he headed home. His wife Melanie, distracted by emerging COVID lockdown news, didn't ask about his trip, so he didn't mention leaving two bodies on Union's spur track. As COVID restrictions dominated headlines alongside reports of the missing campers,

Lin waited daily for news of the body's discovery. It never came. During a brief easing of lockdown restrictions on Wednesday May 13, 2020, he returned to Union Spur Track to check on the remains. After 54 days, the bodies remained untouched but were badly decomposed. Surprisingly, no animals had interfered. Lin added more sticks and rocks before leaving. Even though Lin hadn't been under surveillance then, he became increasingly paranoid. When the president of one of his clubs and a previously dismissive manager suddenly took an interest in his camping habits, he became suspicious.

Then the police approached him at home, and Lynn decided he needed to act. He waited through winter, knowing Russell and Carol's bodies would remain undetected due to the snow-blocked roads. When restrictions finally eased, he again returned to Union Spur track at sunset on Wednesday November 18, 2020. Nine months had passed since the killings. Russell and Carol's bodies remained where Lynn had dumped them, though they had now been ravaged by wild dogs. Lynn described dousing the remains with two litres of kerosene, then setting them alight. He sat beside the makeshift pyre through the night, feeding the flames.

At times, he became sick from the experience. At dawn, he crushed the brittle bones to powder, pulverising the fragments until the largest particles left were no more than two centimetres. He scattered them before retreating to a state forest campsite south of Walhalla to recover. The detectives found much of Lynne's story implausible. Russell Hill had been an elderly man who hadn't owned a firearm in 20 years. How could he have loaded a shotgun while walking barefoot in the darkness? That Russell had accidentally shot Carol directly in the head while wrestling with Lyn seemed equally unlikely, as did the odds of Russell landing perfectly on his own knife during a second attack. While Lyn had been in custody, police had searched his home in Caroline Springs.

Beyond camping gear, hunting licenses and a toll tag, they found an impressive weapons collection – knives, daggers, swords, axes, a silencer, tomahawks and a small pick. tomahawks and a small pick. The firearms included a semi-automatic pistol, two six-shot revolvers, a semi-automatic rifle, a semi-automatic shotgun, another 12 gauge shotgun and two lever action rifles along with magazines of ammunition. All were legally owned and stored. At 6 o'clock the next morning, detectives travelled 185 kilometres through heavy fog to Union Spur Track. It matched Lynn's description perfectly. Though no identifiable human remains were visible. Evidence of fire prompted police to cordon off the area for examination. Forensics teams ultimately discovered approximately 2100 human bone fragments. Also discovered were fragments of metal and glass, a ring belonging to Carol, and a complete

watch. Dental records confirmed the remains were Russell and Carole's. When investigators would later return to Buck's camp to test Gregory Lin's story, they conducted a methodical grid search and recovered more bone fragments, glass, plastic, and a distorted shotgun slug matching the weapon Lyn claimed had killed Carol. Lyn said Carol was killed while cowering beside Russell's Land Cruiser. The shot had initially struck the Land Cruiser's passenger side mirror before ricocheting into Carol's head. Notably, the mirror had been torn from the vehicle and burnt with the campsite, so police couldn't confirm this part of Lynn's story.

Six blood stains on the inside of the Land Cruiser's canopy had matched Carrol's DNA. Blood stain pattern analysis indicated a forceful event involving liquid blood forward of the canopy's interior partition. Police tested Lynn's account with a series of experiments using a shotgun to see whether Carol could have really been killed as Lynn said. They found that she could have been, but they remained skeptical of Lynn's story. There was no way to test whether Russell Hill had died the way Lynn described, though forensics indicated he too had died at Buck's camp, and his blood had been found in the Land Cruiser as well. At 6pm on Wednesday November 25, 2021, over a year and a half after

Russell Hill and Carol Clay were killed, Gregory Lynn was charged with their murders. In January 2023, the Melbourne Magistrates Court determined that there was enough evidence for Gregory Lynn to face trial. However, the prosecution was barred from presenting much of their evidence, including covert recordings they had made of Lynn and portions of his multi-day interview at Sale Police Station. Nor were the jury permitted to hear about Gregory Lynn's alleged violence towards his first wife or her mysterious death. Lynn's trial began in Victoria's Supreme Court in May 2024.

The prosecution outlined their case, alleging Lynn shot Carol Clay in the head and killed Russell Hill by unknown means on Friday March 20, 2020 at Buck's camp. The prosecution believed the murders had taken place in the reverse manner to Lynn's claims, with Russell likely killed first and Carole then eliminated as a witness. Witnesses described discovering the burnt campsite, while police detailed evidence from phone towers, surveillance footage, and interviews. Experts testified about bone fragments, bullet trajectories, DNA, and insect larvae. Russell Hill's wife, Robin, gave poignant testimony. Due to limited mobility, she sat in the media box rather than the podium. Robin recalled listening for Russell's nightly radio calls and growing alarmed when his voice went silent on Saturday, March 21.

Her composure remained intact as she recalled realizing her husband was missing and the subsequent tabloid coverage exposing his affair. Robin was stoic as she testified, jotting down details in a notebook. After four weeks of prosecution testimony from 49 witnesses, the defence called just one witness, Gregory Stuart Lynn. It is rare for an accused murderer to take the stand given the risks of cross-examination. However, the move signalled confidence in Lynn's ability to present his version of events and create reasonable doubt. Speaking softly and precisely, Lynn described the deaths as accidental. Lynn described the deaths as accidental. He repeated his claims of the fight over the gun, Carol being shot, and Russell falling on his own knife almost word for word as he had in his

police station confession. He apologised to the victims' families, acknowledging his actions to conceal the deaths were despicable, but maintaining his innocence regarding murder. I'm very sorry for your suffering, he said. The prosecution highlighted the few inconsistencies in Lin's account, including conflicting descriptions of the weapon involved and the implausibility of his story about a struggle across Russell's vehicle. A photo showed a guy rope attached to the car that would have obstructed the alleged fight. Lynn calmly stated he didn't remember the rope. He might have slipped under it, he said, but he never noticed it. When pressed on why he hadn't called for help or come forward

sooner, Lynn said he was paralysed by fear and hoped the situation would blow over. He admitted his actions destroyed his career and family, but remained adamant he was not guilty of murder, saying, I'm guilty of other things, but not murder. During closing arguments, the prosecution pointed out that Lin had more than a year to construct a story for the day he was finally caught, and that he had practised it so often that he repeated the story almost word for word over two days of police interviews. "'The accused story is indeed a series of very unfortunate events,' the prosecution said.

"'It is also a complete fiction. You can and should readily reject it beyond reasonable doubt. The defence countered with a scathing critique of the prosecution's case, labelling it as shambles. They highlighted 17 perceived flaws in the prosecution's evidence, including failures to address key questions and inconsistencies in witness testimony. Before the jury left to deliberate, the judge reiterated key legal principles – the presumption of innocence, the prosecution's burden of proof, and the need to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Manslaughter was not an option, as the prosecution had only set out to prove that Lynn had consciously, voluntarily and deliberately caused the deaths of Russell and Carol. The jury were only left to consider if he had intended to kill or inflict serious injury. If not, they must return a not guilty verdict. The judge cautioned them against flawed reasoning,

such as assuming two accidental deaths were so improbable it must therefore be murder. He reminded jurors that the burden rested with the prosecution, not Lin, to prove their case. not Lynn to prove their case. The jury deliberated for six days before notifying the judge that they had reached a verdict. The public gallery was full and the courtroom fell silent as the jury foreperson stood and waited for the judge to ask her two questions. Asked for a verdict on Russell Hill's murder, she responded, not guilty. A soft collective gasp rippled through the gallery before the crowd fell silent to hear what she had to say to the next question. Asked about the murder of Carol Clay, the foreperson told the court, guilty. The gasps and murmurs were louder this time.

Gregory Lynn raised his eyebrows at his fate but remained otherwise expressionless. His son, who was seated nearby, crossed his arms and shook his head in disbelief. The families of Russell and Carol, who had endured years of uncertainty and grief, absorbed the news with a mix of relief and devastation. Outside the courtroom, the families released a statement expressing gratitude to the police and prosecution while mourning the limited evidence and its impact on the outcome. Russell Hill's widow, Robin, spoke to the media after the verdict.

She expressed relief that Lynn had been found guilty of at least one murder, as she had feared he would be cleared of both charges. However, her relief was tempered by anger and a desire for justice for her late husband. I hope he suffers for the rest of his life, really, Robin told reporters. I hope he has a lovely time in jail." She bore no ill will towards Carol or her family. Robin was not permitted to speak at Lynn's pre-sentencing hearing, nor were any of Russell's other loved ones. Because Lynn had been acquitted of Russell's murder, the Hill family were legally barred from providing victim impact statements. Carol's daughter, Emma, described her mother as a phenomenal woman whose death left a void in

their family. Her voice steady, she recounted the emotional toll of the ordeal, calling it a horror movie. Carol's other loved ones spoke of her vibrant personality, contributions to society, and the devastating loss her murder caused. In October, the Hill and Clay families assembled once again to hear Gregory Lynn be sentenced. The judge recounted Lynn's actions, from the confrontation in the high country, to the calculated disposal of the bodies, which compounded the suffering of the victims' families. He acknowledged the legal limbo endured by Russell Hill's family due to the split verdict, breaking down in tears as he recognised their pain.

in tears as he recognised their pain. Gregory Lynn was sentenced to 32 years in prison for Carol Clay's murder with a non-parole period of 24 years. This meant that Lynn will be 79 years old at the youngest when eligible for release. In late November 2024, Gregory Lynn lodged an appeal against his conviction for Carol Clay's murder. As of the release of this episode, Victoria's Court of Appeal have yet to decide whether to hear Lynn's appeal, which means he could face a new trial in 2025. Addressing Lynn's intent to appeal, his barrister flagged several grounds, focusing especially on the jury's inconsistent verdict. He questioned how Lynn could be found guilty of murdering Carole but not Russell when the prosecution's case hinged on Carole being killed to cover up Russell's

murder. This contradiction, the defence argued, could undermine the entire verdict. The verdict did cause some initial confusion among members of the public who had been following the case. The jury's acquittal of Lynn for Russell Hill's murder indicated they hadn't been convinced by the prosecution's case. But their conviction of him for Carol Clay's killing pointed to them not believing Lynn's claims either. He had always insisted Carol had died first following an accidental shooting by Russell, yet the jury found Lynn responsible for her murder.

As Australian juries are not permitted to speak publicly about their deliberations, people could only speculate as to how they had reached their verdict. Crime journalist John Silvester interpreted the verdict to his readers in an article for The Age, writing, It would appear the jury concluded that Russell was killed in unprovable circumstances, but Lynne then murdered Carol because she was a witness to the death. With the option of manslaughter off the table, the jury had to conclude whether Russell was murdered – a deliberate act, not just unlawfully killed – a reckless act. With no forensic evidence, it was impossible for the jury to establish the exact circumstances of Russell's death, but they apparently concluded

it was so damning that Lynn chose to kill Carol and destroy the crime scene in the cover-up. that Lynne chose to kill Carol and destroy the crime scene in the cover-up. Sylvester noted that it's unusual for a random gunshot to hit someone ducking from the line of fire and even more so for a ricocheted shot to hit someone in the head. This made Lynne's claims about Carol's death highly unlikely, although there was evidence that she had been shot. The jury had probably disbelieved Lynn's story about Russell falling on his knife and dying instantly from a single stab wound as well, but could not convict him due to the lack of evidence as to how Russell had died.

Lynn's complete destruction of the couple's remains and their campsite made determining the truth almost impossible. Only one person alive knew the truth, Sylvester wrote. That is Gregory Lynn, who will now be in his cell reflecting on the jury's decision. With the FIZ loyalty program, you get rewarded just for having a mobile plan. You know, for texting and stuff. And if you're not getting rewards like extra data and dollars off with your mobile plan, you're not with FIZ. Switch today. Conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. BetterHelp Online Therapy bought this 30-second ad to remind you right now wherever you are to unclench your shoulders. Take a deep breath in and out. Feels better, right? That's 15 seconds of self-care.

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