Unsolved Wonnangatta couple vanish in a bunch of too many odd disappearances - Enter 'The Button Man'

[Kurve]

Of interest.
The Disappearance of David Prideaux

 

[IKE TURNER]

this is a real mystery,two pensioners shouldn't stray too far away I think the end result is going to be very interesting

 

[zedx]

IMO they have been murdered, I don't have any idea why. And I think the camp was burnt to hide the evidence. Some one could have taken the bodies miles away and disposed of them. The burn pattern area is very strange, just the tent area and a small canopy attached to the ute. Seems like ( in my uneducated opinion) was just a slow burn and the tent and canopy just fell in on itself and extinguished. One chair is knocked over and other tent items seem to be strewn around. Maybe some one killed them to steal the drone? Did they accidentally fly over a marijuana crop?

 

[imho]

IMO they have been murdered, I don't have any idea why. And I think the camp was burnt to hide the evidence. Some one could have taken the bodies miles away and disposed of them. The burn pattern area is very strange, just the tent area and a small canopy attached to the ute. Seems like ( in my uneducated opinion) was just a slow burn and the tent and canopy just fell in on itself and extinguished. One chair is knocked over and other tent items seem to be strewn around. Maybe some one killed them to steal the drone? Did they accidentally fly over a marijuana crop?

i'v thought the same.

some local folks who gather at the local reserve were having a moan about an overhead drone.
wondering what they were used for and their capability, i chatted with the young drone operator.
a nice kid, he told me all about his drone and went on to say it was a very recent aquisition, an insurance replacement for his previous drone which had been stolen by some local thugs after they'd first given him a serious beating. hmm
imho

 

[PenfoldsFan]

Im leaning towards something going wrong with the drone and they've gone looking for it and become lost and perished.
The burn patterns on the ute aren't surprising, looking at the poles and spreaders laying on the ground near the ute i'd say it was an Oztent RV style tent which is your higher end type of quick setup tent, they have features/optional extra's like fly sheets and awnings with those adjustable height poles and spreaders, cheaper tents just have 2 piece poles and use guy lines for tension.

Oztent RV5 Touring Canvas Tent

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Oztent RV5 Awning Connector

Oztent RV5 Awning Connector - Oztent - The Oztent RV5 Awning Connector is designed to enable you to zip the awnings of two Oztents together giving you two separate rooms with a large undercover area in between. Suits: Oztent RV5 Tent (sold separately).

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Oztent Eyre Peaked Side Panels

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This type of tent burning wouldn't burn long enough or hot enough to melt the battery as it did so im leaning towards the battery and whatever it was charging as the source, probably a secondary battery for the drone and if it was a drone battery charging, would support the notion that if he was on his second battery he might have pushed its run time limit and had it come down in the scrub setting in motion their search for it.

My thoughts are, he pushed his second battery to its limit whilst the first was on charge in the tent, the drone came down and they went looking for it and got lost etc. and the battery left on charge eventually caught fire igniting the tent and bedding. I've seen a still of the burnt battery but cant see it in the picture in the OP so i'd say it must have been to the left of the shot out of view, if thats the case the tent burnt from that end and towards the ute and the tent awning or fly fell towards the ute as it became slack due to the tent burning with the thicker seamed edges burning for longer giving the burn patterns of 2 thin strips on the ute.
Another possibility is the presence of wall sheets used on the tent awning etc. and tied off to the ute which would give similar burn patters
The ute definitely didn't have a rooftop awning or the brackets and aluminium cross bar would be evident, however, it appears as though the awning or fly was tied off to the ute's canopy as evident by the black string hanging down.

 

[SmAshmoto]

‘Human remains have now been found 200km away from the station at Moondarra in Victoria's high country, 9News reported.’

Fresh twist in disappearance of campers as human remains discovered

Russel Hill, 74, was last heard from in the Victorian Alps on March 20 after going on a camping trip with his friend Carol Clay, 73. Human remains have now reportedly been found 200km away.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The remains found at Moondara were of a Jarrad Lovison, who had been missing just over a month from around Moe. Unfortunately being treated as suspicious. I'm sure as we all know, Moe is a town with a dark history and home to some very twisted and odd individuals.

For reference, Moondara is approximately 200km by road from Wonnangatta.

 

[Sydney Kicker]

IMO they have been murdered, I don't have any idea why. And I think the camp was burnt to hide the evidence. Some one could have taken the bodies miles away and disposed of them. The burn pattern area is very strange, just the tent area and a small canopy attached to the ute. Seems like ( in my uneducated opinion) was just a slow burn and the tent and canopy just fell in on itself and extinguished. One chair is knocked over and other tent items seem to be strewn around. Maybe some one killed them to steal the drone? Did they accidentally fly over a marijuana crop?

agree that foul play looks quite likely.

I know those who grow drug crops probably aren't Mensa candidates, however killing 2 people that stumble across your set up isn't the best strategy to ensure it remains secret.

 

[craigos]

Im leaning towards something going wrong with the drone and they've gone looking for it and become lost and perished.
The burn patterns on the ute aren't surprising, looking at the poles and spreaders laying on the ground near the ute i'd say it was an Oztent RV style tent which is your higher end type of quick setup tent, they have features/optional extra's like fly sheets and awnings with those adjustable height poles and spreaders, cheaper tents just have 2 piece poles and use guy lines for tension.

Oztent RV5 Touring Canvas Tent

Oztent RV5 Touring Canvas Tent - Oztent - The Oztent RV5 30 Second Canvas Tent is super easy to set up and pack away. This is the newest and largest addition to the RV range and fast becoming the most popular model, as everyone likes to have a bit of extra room for their gear. Sleeps up to 6!

www.tentworld.com.au

Oztent RV5 Awning Connector

Oztent RV5 Awning Connector - Oztent - The Oztent RV5 Awning Connector is designed to enable you to zip the awnings of two Oztents together giving you two separate rooms with a large undercover area in between. Suits: Oztent RV5 Tent (sold separately).

www.tentworld.com.au

Oztent Eyre Peaked Side Panels

Oztent Eyre Peaked Side Panels - Oztent - Why not grab the additional Peaked Side Panels for your Oztent Eyre 1? They provide extra shelter from the elements.

www.tentworld.com.au

This type of tent burning wouldn't burn long enough or hot enough to melt the battery as it did so im leaning towards the battery and whatever it was charging as the source, probably a secondary battery for the drone and if it was a drone battery charging, would support the notion that if he was on his second battery he might have pushed its run time limit and had it come down in the scrub setting in motion their search for it.

My thoughts are, he pushed his second battery to its limit whilst the first was on charge in the tent, the drone came down and they went looking for it and got lost etc. and the battery left on charge eventually caught fire igniting the tent and bedding. I've seen a still of the burnt battery but cant see it in the picture in the OP so i'd say it must have been to the left of the shot out of view, if thats the case the tent burnt from that end and towards the ute and the tent awning or fly fell towards the ute as it became slack due to the tent burning with the thicker seamed edges burning for longer giving the burn patterns of 2 thin strips on the ute.
Another possibility is the presence of wall sheets used on the tent awning etc. and tied off to the ute which would give similar burn patters
The ute definitely didn't have a rooftop awning or the brackets and aluminium cross bar would be evident, however, it appears as though the awning or fly was tied off to the ute's canopy as evident by the black string hanging down.

Problem with this theory is if they were lost and uninjured they would have seen the smoke from the fire and walked towards if assuming it was a campsite and help.

 

[PenfoldsFan]

Problem with this theory is if they were lost and uninjured they would have seen the smoke from the fire and walked towards if assuming it was a campsite and help.

Fair call, I guess a lot depends on when they wandered off, when they realised they we're lost, when the fire started and finished and their position in relation to the campsite.
I've read that the particular drone in question had quite a long line of sight range but relatively short battery life, so it could have taken them quite a way in search of it, if this happened Friday evening and the fire took place Friday night, they may have been out of sight of the glow and unable to see smoke.

 

[Kurve]

One of them likely Russell for this theory to make more sense, had an accident trying to retrieve his stacked or downed drone and Carol got lost on her way out looking for help?

If it was later in the day they may have only had two or three hours before night fell.

 

[Kurve]

The remains found at Moondara were of a Jarrad Lovison, who had been missing just over a month from around Moe. Unfortunately being treated as suspicious. I'm sure as we all know, Moe is a town with a dark history and home to some very twisted and odd individuals.

For reference, Moondara is approximately 200km by road from Wonnangatta.

I imagine a lot of people wouldn't go camping in that region without a gun, is there any suggestion this couple had one?

 

[Kurve]

I've read that the particular drone in question had quite a long line of sight range but relatively short battery life, so it could have taken them quite a way in search of it, if this happened Friday evening and the fire took place Friday night, they may have been out of sight of the glow and unable to see smoke.

If they were split up for any reason, such as Russell having a medical emergency or stuck in a ravine depending on what they were wearing it's possible one or both may not have made it through the first night. If Carol ran to find help she might not even have had a box of matches with her.

 

[PenfoldsFan]

One of them likely Russell for this theory to make more sense, had an accident trying to retrieve his stacked or downed drone and Carol got lost on her way out looking for help?

If it was later in the day they may have only had two or three hours before night fell.

That's sort of what im thinking too Shelley, he goes looking for his 2.5k investment, the question is, does she go with him and gets lost trying to get out or does she stay in the camp and goes looking for him or help when he doesn't return by night fall.
They drove in so there's obviously road access and although he was familiar with the bush its said she wasn't that way inclined so you'd have to assume if she went looking for help elsewhere common sense would suggest she'd have kept to the road/track, that she is missing too makes me think she may have gone looking for him first and got herself lost or injured in the process.

 

[Kurve]

That's sort of what im thinking too Shelley, he goes looking for his 2.5k investment, the question is, does she go with him and gets lost trying to get out or does she stay in the camp and goes looking for him or help when he doesn't return by night fall.
They drove in so there's obviously road access and although he was familiar with the bush its said she wasn't that way inclined so you'd have to assume if she went looking for help elsewhere common sense would suggest she'd have kept to the road/track, that she is missing too makes me think she may have gone looking for him first and got herself lost or injured in the process.

One going missing we're seeing a bit, we know things can go wrong in the bush when you're on your own and particularly in that kind of terrain but two in these circumstances ... I'm thinking it's probably an accident but possible another party is involved.

 

[Pamcake1]

[

I imagine a lot of people wouldn't go camping in that region without a gun, is there any suggestion this couple had one?

No suggestion of a gun in any press reports.

 

[PenfoldsFan]

I'm thinking it's probably an accident but possible another party is involved.

Definitely a possibility, although I struggle to believe it has anything to do with a drug crop or other illegal activity if the idea is to prevent getting caught, nothing draws more attention in the bush in Summer than a fire and an abandoned campsite that's been torched will surely invite Police activity.
Stranger things have happened though.

 

[zedx]

One going missing we're seeing a bit, we know things can go wrong in the bush when you're on your own and particularly in that kind of terrain but two in these circumstances ... I'm thinking it's probably an accident but possible another party is involved.

There has been a rather large search, so if innocently lost I would have thought at least one of them would have been found by now.

 

[Wombot]

If they got lost then the fire is a little too coincidental, plus the fact that they haven’t been found yet. Sure, they could be rather close to the campsite yet not found, but combine the fire with the fact they haven’t been found yet and I’d suggest that foul play is most likely from what information we have so far.

 

[Wombot]

Definitely a possibility, although I struggle to believe it has anything to do with a drug crop or other illegal activity if the idea is to prevent getting caught, nothing draws more attention in the bush in Summer than a fire and an abandoned campsite that's been torched will surely invite Police activity.
Stranger things have happened though.

I suppose a fire which will eventually attract attention is better for an offender than the forensic evidence remaining at the campsite.

 

[PenfoldsFan]

Fair call.

 

[deathevocation]

That Button Man article has had me fascinated since Saturday. Gun journalist who is usually on the mark. The photographer story sounds like it has come from a horror film - just can’t believe it.

 

[tandino]

Remains were not either of them. The story about the photograph of the guy sleeping in the tent send shivers down my spine.

Whats all this then?

Edit: Yeah fu** that for a joke.

 

[Wombot]

Supposed sighting https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...sing-campers-locals-spotted-older-couple.html

 

[Kurve]

That's sort of what im thinking too Shelley, he goes looking for his 2.5k investment, the question is, does she go with him and gets lost trying to get out or does she stay in the camp and goes looking for him or help when he doesn't return by night fall.
They drove in so there's obviously road access and although he was familiar with the bush its said she wasn't that way inclined so you'd have to assume if she went looking for help elsewhere common sense would suggest she'd have kept to the road/track, that she is missing too makes me think she may have gone looking for him first and got herself lost or injured in the process.

Do we know what were they using as a power source to charge the battery?

 

[Kurve]