Carol Clay and Russell Hill disappearance: Major questions may finally be answered

Major questions swirling around the disappearance and alleged murder of Carol Clay and Russell Hill in Victoria’s high country may soon be answered.

Police are still yet to reveal why Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn, 56, has been charged with the murder of the two campers, and his version of events has never been aired in public.

On Monday, Mr Lynn will return for his fourth court appearance where it is expected allegations he murdered the pair will be tested in a courtroom for the first time.

Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73, vanished from their campsite in the Wonnangatta Valley – deep in the Victorian Alps – in March 2020.

They had been long-time friends and Mr Hill was known to be a well-prepared and enthusiastic camper, with police and family expressing extreme concerns after their campsite and car were found torched.

A search for the pair quickly fizzled out, and with no bodies, weapons or motives, police began the time-consuming job of piecing together what they believed happened in Victoria’s remote wilderness.

It was early November 2021 when a breakthrough seemingly emerged, as detectives revealed they were looking for the driver of a blue Nissan Patrol captured on cameras leaving the area at an unusual time.

At the time, Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said the “best theory” was that there was a confrontation between the pair and an unidentified third party – possibly over Mr Hill’s drone.

Witnesses had reported Mr Hill flying a DJI Mavic drone above the remote campsite in the hours before they disappeared – it was never found.

Carol Clay, 73, (pictured left) and Russel Hill went missing while on a camping trip in the Victorian Alps on March 20

Forensics teams pictured at Moondarra – 200km away from where the elderly pair went missing.

Police have remained tight-lipped as to whether the investigation at the small regional town is linked to the campers’ disappearance

Just weeks later, officers from the heavily armed special operations group plucked Mr Lynn from the wilderness near Arbuckle Junction in Central Victoria.

The career pilot, known for his regular camping trips, was taken without incident to the small Victorian city of Sale, where, for three days, he was questioned by investigators.

He was charged with two counts of murder on November 25 and, just a few days later, investigators discovered remains later identified as belonging to the pair.

Mr Lynn had previously been interviewed after he was identified as being present in the area at the time of their disappearance.

The campsite of Russel Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, was discovered by police on March 21 burned out (pictured) but there was no sign of the pair

The Alpine National Park (pictured) has seen a number of strange disappearances, but a local bushman known as ‘The Button Man’ could hold the key to the mysteries

The pair went missing in the Wonnangatta Valley, more than 200km north east of Melbourne