The search for a missing trailer that may have been involved in the alleged killings of two elderly campers in Victoria’s High Country has been revived.
Russell Hill and Carol Clay, two Melbourne campers who vanished without a trace in March 2020, were discovered buried in distant woods last November.
Police have yet to find a crucial piece of evidence that will be crucial in the future trial of former Jetstar pilot Gregory Stuart Lynn, 55, who is charged with the killings of the two men.
Mr Hill, 74, and Mrs Clay, 73, are said to have been transported away from their Wonnangatta campsite two years ago in a rusted silver-blue trailer previously purportedly owned by Lynn.
CCTV footage from the night the elderly couple went missing showed a trailer being hauled by an off-road vehicle.
According to the Herald Sun, police believe the trailer was listed on Gumtree between March and July 2020, but haven’t ruled out the chance that it was sold elsewhere.
‘Investigators have been working with Gumtree to look into sales of trailers matching the description during that time period, however they have not been able to locate it at this time,’ according to a Victoria Police statement.
Following Lynn’s arrest in November, a search of his residence did not turn up the trailer, which authorities say is the final piece of the jigsaw.
A rusted silver-blue 7×5 trailer with off-road wheels is mentioned as the missing item.
On March 19, Mr Hill drove his white Toyota LandCruiser from his Drouin residence to Pakenham to pick up Ms Clay.
Mr Hill, an experienced outdoorsman, called through high-frequency radio the next day to report he was at Wonnangatta Valley, and that was the last time they were heard from.
The couple died just hours after arriving at their campground on March 20, according to police, and Mr Hill’s fire-damaged Toyota Landcruiser was discovered the next day at the spot.
Lynn was apprehended in November of last year at a rural camping in Arbuckle Junction, 280 kilometers northeast of Melbourne.
Later, he was charged with the assassinations of Mr Hill and Ms Clay.
Human remains were discovered a few days later in Dargo, a small town in east Gippsland.
Mr Hill and Ms Clay’s remains were proven to be theirs early this year after extensive testing.
Lynn’s case was postponed in court last month after prosecutors wanted more time to gather evidence and exhibits, including transcripts.
He is still in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on August 23.
If Lynn is found guilty of murdering the two, he faces the death penalty.