New car clue revealed in unsolved case of missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay
Detectives have narrowed down the details of a dark blue Nissan Patrol that could be connected to the high-profile case of missing Victorian campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill.
The vehicle police are looking for is understood to be a five-door wagon GU model Nissan Patrol Series 1, built between 1997 and 2001.
Police have high hopes the four-wheel-drive could be the key to discovering what happened to the pair, who vanished while camping in the Wonnagatta Valley last March.
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Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad have released an image of a vehicle and a trailer they believe may be able to assist in their enquiries to locate missing Wonnangatta campers, Russell Hill and Carol Clay. 60 Minutes
The new information came from Australia's Nissan Patrol community following an appeal for information last week.
Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper last week said a person may have been camping nearby due to Mr Hill not camping in the best spot on-site.
He believes that person could have been the driver of the four-wheel-drive who may have engaged in a "confrontational and aggressive" interaction with the pair.
He said identifying the importance of the car was "a significant breakthrough in the investigation".
Missing couple Russell Hill and Carol Clay were last heard from on March 20, 2020. 60 Minutes
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"If we identify this vehicle, it will go a long way to help us understand what happened," he said.
"We have witness statements that put this blue vehicle and its trailer in the valley at the time Russell and Carol were there, and indeed near the spot that they had set up their camp."
Police have also scoured Mount Hotham in their search for the missing campers. Nine
Detectives had received information that a vehicle attempted to leave the valley late at night on the evening of March 20 - the day Mr Hill was last heard from, but the Myrtleford gate was closed due to the bushfires.
The driver then had to make a complicated U-turn back in the direction they had come from.
"That same vehicle is also spotted on two cameras at the top of Mount Hotham, consistent with where a vehicle would exit the valley given the closure of the Myrtleford gate," he said.
Detectives have called for anyone who may recognise the vehicle, particularly if the car towed a trailer, or any other information to come forward.
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