Two campers missing in Wonnangatta Valley could have met foul play - NEWS.com.au

An elderly man and woman missing in Victoria’s high country for over a month were camping together without the knowledge of their families, police say.

Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, have been missing since March 20 in the Wonnangatta Valley area, 350km northeast of Melbourne.

On March 20, Mr Hill — who has been married for 50 years — made a radio call to a friend via high-frequency radio. He said he was setting up camp.

A day later, a man stumbled upon the pair’s campsite, which had been completely destroyed by fire. They have not been seen since and Victoria’s Missing Person’s Squad detectives say they may have met with foul play.

Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper told reporters on Wednesday police are “at a loss to say exactly what happened to Russell and Carol”.

“We don’t know if their disappearance is suspicious or not,” he said.

“The area is incredibly remote and there is a possibility that they have suffered some misadventure in the bush, but we also need to rule out any possibility of foul play.”

Insp Stamper said that on March 21 there “was no smoke or smouldering embers from the fire, so our assumption is that the fire had occurred sometime before 2pm”.

“And obviously, as we know, there was no sign of Russell and Carol at that time either. So, since that time, we haven’t had any sightings whatsoever of Russell and Carol. We know that

Russell was a very competent 4-wheel-drive and camper. He was very fastidious in his camping habits, in terms of how he set up his camp. However, neither Russell or Carol were enthusiastic or experienced bushwalkers.

“So our belief is that, unless circumstances unknown, they wouldn’t have moved far away from the camp. So as we know, our search and rescue squad assisted by local police and the local community in that area have undertaken extensive searching between then and now.”

He said the area around the pair’s campsite is “unforgiving terrain” and “probably as close to remote as you would get in Victoria”.

Detectives from Sale and the Wellington Shire are assisting the Missing Persons Squad in the search.

Det Insp Stamper said there are “a number or areas of concern” and one of those is the length of time the pair have been missing.

Mr Hill was driving a 2017 Toyota LandCruiser 70 series with a canopy on the back. Police say he left his home in Drouin on March 19 and picked up Ms Clay from her home in Pakenham, which was her last physical sighting.

The Herald Sun spoke with Mr Hill’s wife, Robyn, 71. She said she was shocked to learn her husband was away with another woman.

“I thought he was going alone, I can’t believe it,” she told the newspaper.

“I’ve got a feeling they may have died.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit crimestoppersvic.com.au

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2020-04-22 03:21:19Z
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