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The cause of death for Russell Hill and Carol Clay was unable to be determined as their remains were found “obliterated” in Victoria’s alpine region, a forensic pathologist has told a double murder trial.
Gregory Stuart Lynn, 57, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Hill and Clay at a remote camping site in the Wonnangatta Valley in March 2020. The supreme court trial entered its third week on Monday.
On Monday, Dr Melanie Archer, a forensic pathologist and forensic entomologist, told the court that more than 2,000 skeletal fragments from the deceased were recovered from Union Spur track. The court previously heard that was where Lynn dumped the bodies and later returned and burned the remains.
Archer examined insect remnants from the site and bone fragments in a mortuary, in December 2021.
Archer, who works at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, said her examination was able to ascertain the remains were Clay and Hill due to DNA analysis from material collected from the Union Spur site and a second location.
She said she was unable to determine the cause of death due to the evidence being “obliterated” and the remains were fragmented.
“Sometimes even when remains are fragmented, we may find pieces that bear the hallmarks of trauma, but in this case that was not possible,” she told the court.
“Whatever has caused their death has been masked by the changes … by this burning and fragmentation.”
Archer said her examination found evidence that there was some level of decomposition before the remains were burned. But she was unable to determine a time frame for this.
The prosecution has alleged Lynn killed Clay, 73 and Hill, 74, with murderous intent, but do not know the circumstances or motive behind the alleged murders.
Lynn’s lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, previously told the court that the deaths were the result of a tragic accident, and that his client had “made a series of terrible choices” to cover them up.
Last week, the court heard Hill told his family he was no longer seeing Clay after being given an ultimatum in 2006 by a neighbour to tell his wife about the affair he was having. Hill’s wife of more than 50 years, Robyn Hill, said she told police he was missing on 25 March, after he failed to tune in to any other radio meetings.
Hill tuned in to high frequency radio almost every night at 6pm to speak with other radio enthusiasts and friends, the court previously heard.
The jury last week were also shown photos a crime scene where Lynn burned the bodies. Dann said Lynn had told police he set the bodies alight with a small amount of kerosene.
The hearing continues.