00:00:00
is there something interfering with your
00:00:02
happiness or preventing you from
00:00:04
achieving your goals
00:00:05
better help wants you to start living a
00:00:08
happier life
00:00:09
today better help is not a crisis line
00:00:12
and it's not self-help
00:00:14
it's professional counselling done
00:00:16
securely online
00:00:17
and it's available for clients worldwide
00:00:20
members of the case file team use
00:00:22
betterhelp to bounce
00:00:23
thoughts off a licensed professional and
00:00:25
to get ideas from a different
00:00:27
perspective
00:00:28
the online journal means that team
00:00:30
members can write to their counsellor
00:00:32
when they have time
00:00:33
and receive timely and thoughtful
00:00:35
feedback without having to wait for a
00:00:37
scheduled appointment
00:00:40
betterhelp is committed to facilitating
00:00:42
great therapeutic matches
00:00:44
so they make it easy and free to change
00:00:46
counsellors if needed
00:00:49
because it's online they can offer a
00:00:51
broad range of expertise
00:00:52
that may not be available to you locally
00:00:56
visit betterhelp betterhelp.com case
00:00:59
file
00:01:00
that's better h-e-l-p and to join the
00:01:03
over 1 million people who have taken
00:01:05
charge of their mental health
00:01:07
with the help of an experienced
00:01:09
professional
00:01:10
in fact so many people have been using
00:01:12
betterhelp
00:01:13
that they are recruiting additional
00:01:15
counsellors in all 50 states
00:01:17
as a special offer for case file
00:01:19
listeners get 10
00:01:21
off your first month at
00:01:25
slash case betterhelp.com
00:01:36
[Music]
00:01:40
our episodes deal with serious and often
00:01:42
distressing incidents
00:01:44
if you feel at any time you need support
00:01:46
please contact your local crisis center
00:01:48
for suggested phone numbers for
00:01:50
confidential support please see the show
00:01:52
notes for this episode on your app or on
00:01:54
our website
00:01:56
[Music]
00:02:01
in april 1977 bev roberts was anxiously
00:02:04
awaiting the easter long weekend her
00:02:08
younger brother
00:02:08
russell martin had abruptly left town
00:02:11
earlier that year
00:02:12
leaving behind his wife and four young
00:02:14
children
00:02:16
it wasn't out of character for russell
00:02:18
to take off from time to time
00:02:20
but he always kept in touch this time
00:02:24
no one had heard from him
00:02:27
russell was born and raised in the small
00:02:30
regional town of stall
00:02:31
in victoria's west stall meant a lot to
00:02:35
the 31 year
00:02:36
old the heritage gold rushiera township
00:02:39
prospered during the 1850s morning boom
00:02:42
attracting a population of more than 30
00:02:45
000 people when the yields were no
00:02:48
longer commercially viable by the
00:02:50
mid-1920s
00:02:51
the population began to dwindle
00:02:54
those who remained were small town
00:02:56
families farmers
00:02:58
and retirees those who preferred a quiet
00:03:01
way of life
00:03:02
among a close-knit community
00:03:06
by the 1970s the population of stall was
00:03:09
around
00:03:10
6 000 residents many of whom struggled
00:03:13
to find
00:03:13
steady employment most of the
00:03:16
manufacturing industries had
00:03:18
closed and the railway depot had been
00:03:20
relocated
00:03:21
leaving few job opportunities
00:03:24
the town relied heavily on tourism and
00:03:26
hospitality
00:03:28
an industry serviced by the town's
00:03:30
proximity to the sprawling forest
00:03:32
covered mountain ranges of the grampians
00:03:34
national park
00:03:37
it was the landscape and lifestyle stall
00:03:40
offered that kept russell martin from
00:03:41
leaving town for good
00:03:44
his social life revolved around the
00:03:46
local pubs and footy club
00:03:48
where he was known by his mates as
00:03:50
stabber and would delight crowds with
00:03:52
his piano accordion
00:03:55
no matter where he went or why russell's
00:03:58
journey always led him back home
00:04:02
bev was hoping russell would return for
00:04:04
the biggest event
00:04:05
on the town's calendar the stall gift
00:04:09
occurring over the easter long weekend
00:04:12
the stall
00:04:13
gift is the oldest and richest short
00:04:15
distance foot race in australia
00:04:18
it draws in large crowds of participants
00:04:21
supporters and punters from across the
00:04:23
country
00:04:24
and further afield russell martin always
00:04:28
looked forward to the gift bev knew that
00:04:31
if her brother
00:04:32
didn't turn up to place a bet on the
00:04:34
races
00:04:35
something was terribly wrong
00:04:46
[Music]
00:05:07
the 1977 stall gift came
00:05:10
and went with no sign of russell martin
00:05:13
on may 3 bev and her mother ellen
00:05:16
visited the local police station to file
00:05:18
a missing persons report
00:05:21
it had been three and a half months
00:05:23
since russell left town unexpectedly
00:05:26
without offering a good buyer
00:05:29
bev and ellen knew better than most that
00:05:31
russell was not a perfect person
00:05:34
he had his voices mainly drinking and
00:05:37
gambling
00:05:38
and was hot-headed and prone to violence
00:05:41
but he loved his children whenever he
00:05:45
was out of town
00:05:46
russell would at the very least keep in
00:05:48
touch with his kids
00:05:51
yet they hadn't heard from him
00:05:55
knowing her son's temperament ellen
00:05:57
feared that russell would cause harm if
00:05:59
he returned to town
00:06:02
he would be incensed to find out that
00:06:04
his wife
00:06:05
helen had moved another man into their
00:06:07
marital home
00:06:10
russell and helen's relationship dated
00:06:12
back to when they were teenagers
00:06:15
russell's siblings disapproved of the
00:06:17
pairing from the outset
00:06:19
helen wilcock had a reputation as a wild
00:06:22
child
00:06:23
and russell was possessive and prone to
00:06:25
jealousy
00:06:27
they advised against the couple marrying
00:06:30
but russell and helen went ahead with
00:06:32
the ceremony
00:06:35
in 1964 they became mr
00:06:38
and mrs martin both were 19 years old
00:06:44
they had four children and eventually
00:06:46
settled into a three-bedroom
00:06:48
weatherboard house on lygar street
00:06:51
not far from the main street of store
00:06:54
their daughters lee and kelly shared one
00:06:57
room
00:06:58
their sons stephen and paul shared the
00:07:00
second
00:07:01
russell and helen had the third
00:07:04
[Music]
00:07:05
it wasn't an idyllic marriage russell
00:07:08
and helen were products of disadvantaged
00:07:10
backgrounds
00:07:11
and it influenced their treatment of one
00:07:13
another
00:07:15
russell was the sixth of seven children
00:07:18
born on july 10
00:07:20
1945 his parents
00:07:23
michael and ellen were problem drinkers
00:07:26
they would often stay out all night
00:07:28
until they'd spent all their money
00:07:30
or were escorted home by police
00:07:33
some of their drinking binges lasted
00:07:36
weeks
00:07:37
they fought loudly and frequently over
00:07:40
their many problems
00:07:41
including ellen's flagrant infidelity
00:07:45
throughout his childhood russell was at
00:07:47
the center of a rumor regarding the
00:07:50
identity of his biological father
00:07:53
he was also bullied for being the child
00:07:56
of the town drunks
00:07:57
as well as for his poor hygiene and
00:07:59
academic struggles
00:08:03
the martin children were severely
00:08:05
neglected by their parents
00:08:08
child protection officers visited the
00:08:10
household but their children would hide
00:08:12
in the nearby forest to avoid them
00:08:16
sometimes they'd sleep out there for
00:08:17
days at a time
00:08:19
and arrive at school dirty and unkempt
00:08:23
russell was teased for having burrs
00:08:25
stuck in his naughty hair
00:08:28
he would try to remove them himself but
00:08:30
the results were disastrous
00:08:32
and only caused more ridicule
00:08:36
russell learned to retaliate with his
00:08:38
fists and became
00:08:40
known as a fierce fighter who wasn't
00:08:42
afraid of anyone
00:08:44
helen had experienced her husband's
00:08:47
violence first
00:08:48
hand police officers attended domestic
00:08:51
disputes at the couple's house
00:08:53
sometimes as often as once a month but
00:08:56
charges were rarely laid
00:09:00
helen felt sorry for russell she
00:09:02
believed he only acted the way he did
00:09:05
because of his upbringing
00:09:06
which had caused him to hate women
00:09:10
when reporting her son missing ellen
00:09:13
martin
00:09:13
expressed concern for helen in
00:09:15
particular
00:09:17
she feared that russell would harm his
00:09:19
wife if he found out she had moved on
00:09:21
with another man
00:09:24
ellen said that the only way helen would
00:09:26
have a new boyfriend
00:09:28
was if she knew for sure that russell
00:09:30
was never coming back
00:09:41
russell's sister bev felt helen had been
00:09:44
behaving suspiciously since
00:09:45
january for new year's
00:09:48
russell and helen took their children on
00:09:50
a lakeside camping trip
00:09:52
160 kilometers west of store
00:09:56
it was the couple's first holiday
00:09:58
together in their 13-year relationship
00:10:02
bev tagged along for the first few days
00:10:04
of the trip
00:10:06
on several occasions helen left the
00:10:09
campsite without good explanation
00:10:13
the mountains returned to stall around
00:10:15
to january 13
00:10:17
and russell continued his wood cutting
00:10:19
business
00:10:21
he spent the next few days chopping up
00:10:23
some wood so he could sell it
00:10:26
then on tuesday january 25
00:10:29
helen visited bev she asked if
00:10:33
bev could deliver the wood to one of
00:10:35
russell's customers
00:10:38
it was a strange request bev wondered
00:10:41
why her brother had gone to the effort
00:10:43
to prepare the wood
00:10:44
only to not follow through with its sail
00:10:50
according to helen russell had spent
00:10:52
tuesday january 18
00:10:54
in bed at 11 10 pm
00:10:58
he asked her for the time and date
00:11:01
when helen answered he got up and said
00:11:04
he had to go out for a minute
00:11:07
he returned at 1 20 am to pick up some
00:11:10
clothing
00:11:11
his toothbrush and toothpaste
00:11:14
he placed 100 cash on the bench
00:11:17
along with the new watch that helen had
00:11:19
given him for christmas
00:11:22
he told her to sell it and anything else
00:11:24
she needed
00:11:26
russell then apparently said
00:11:29
i can never come back to stall again i'm
00:11:32
sorry
00:11:33
i'm glad we had the holiday
00:11:36
he told helen to prepare herself for a
00:11:39
couple of shocks
00:11:40
and then walked out the front door
00:11:45
helen ran to the window and saw the back
00:11:47
end of what looked like a white wagon or
00:11:50
panel van
00:11:52
russell got into the passenger seat
00:11:54
entered the car
00:11:55
took off
00:11:58
helen begged bev not to tell anybody
00:12:01
she said it was likely that russell had
00:12:04
just been drunk
00:12:05
and would be back soon she wanted to
00:12:08
avoid the humiliation of people knowing
00:12:10
he had left her again
00:12:14
russell had previously had an affair
00:12:16
that resulted in a child
00:12:18
during that time he periodically went
00:12:21
back and forth between both women
00:12:24
until his lover moved away
00:12:30
bev knew russell could take off for
00:12:32
several days
00:12:33
or weeks at a time so helen's story
00:12:36
sounded plausible enough she did think
00:12:40
it was strange that he left while
00:12:42
nursing a broken ankle
00:12:44
in fact she was certain he was still
00:12:46
relying on crutches to get around
00:12:50
she couldn't imagine why or how he would
00:12:52
go traveling in such a condition
00:12:55
nevertheless she figured he would be
00:12:58
back soon
00:12:59
as he couldn't stand to be away from his
00:13:01
children for long
00:13:04
a few days later bev and helen spoke
00:13:07
again
00:13:09
on this occasion helen said she had been
00:13:12
mistaken about the date that russell
00:13:14
left
00:13:15
it had been the previous thursday not
00:13:18
the tuesday
00:13:20
she then broke down in tears telling bev
00:13:23
that some money had gone missing from
00:13:25
the glenorchy football club
00:13:27
and she believed russell had taken it
00:13:31
he had played for the club before it
00:13:33
folded due to poor performance and
00:13:35
low player numbers when the club's
00:13:38
accounts were finalized
00:13:40
only a small amount of money remained in
00:13:43
the treasury
00:13:44
it was obvious that someone appropriated
00:13:47
what little
00:13:48
funds had been in there
00:13:52
helen martin immediately fell under
00:13:54
suspicion
00:13:55
she was the club's secretary and
00:13:57
treasurer and was responsible for taking
00:14:00
the money to be banked each week
00:14:03
meetings were held to determine what
00:14:05
happened to the missing money
00:14:07
but each time helen provided an excuse
00:14:10
as to why she couldn't attend
00:14:14
helen claimed it was russell who took
00:14:16
the club's money
00:14:18
she said he used it to gamble and
00:14:21
promised to return it from his winnings
00:14:23
or the following week's earnings
00:14:26
helen always gave her husband the money
00:14:29
to avoid conflict
00:14:30
and because he would take it anyway
00:14:34
in the end he borrowed more than he
00:14:36
repaid
00:14:37
by season's end there was almost no
00:14:40
money in the club's bank account
00:14:44
following this revelation bev offered to
00:14:47
pay her brother's debt to avoid
00:14:49
community backlash
00:14:52
she gave helen 1 000 to pay a grosser
00:14:55
a baker and an electrical retailer that
00:14:58
provided a tv
00:14:59
for a club raffle the bill came to 924
00:15:05
helen kept the remainder for incidentals
00:15:08
promising to pay it back at a later date
00:15:13
a little while later bev bumped into
00:15:16
helen at the local milk bar
00:15:19
helen asked if she had heard any talk
00:15:21
around town about russell
00:15:24
bev said she hadn't to which helen
00:15:26
allegedly remarked
00:15:29
isn't it good that nobody's talking
00:15:36
a few days after russell allegedly left
00:15:39
town helen pestered his brother
00:15:41
michael to clear up her yard using his
00:15:44
front-end
00:15:45
loader michael didn't like helen
00:15:48
but agreed for the sake of his nieces
00:15:50
and nephews
00:15:53
helen watched him work from the back
00:15:55
doorstep and
00:15:56
gave him ten dollars when the job was
00:15:58
done
00:16:00
michael was unaware russell had left
00:16:02
town
00:16:03
and helen didn't mention it to him
00:16:07
afterwards she began returning tools and
00:16:10
other items that russell had borrowed
00:16:12
from michael
00:16:13
and his other brother trevor they were
00:16:16
surprised when she told them that
00:16:18
russell wouldn't be coming back
00:16:21
trevor later joked to his wife that he
00:16:24
didn't think they'd be seeing russell
00:16:25
again
00:16:26
because helen had probably killed him
00:16:31
in the weeks following russell's
00:16:33
departure helen applied for maintenance
00:16:35
and
00:16:36
welfare for their children she also sold
00:16:39
some of his possessions and organized
00:16:42
the buyers for his farming machinery and
00:16:44
vehicle
00:16:46
russell's uncle billy muller gave helen
00:16:49
500
00:16:50
not to sell the machinery as russell
00:16:53
would have needed when he came home
00:16:57
russell also kept a bees as a side hobby
00:17:00
and made a small amount of money as an
00:17:02
apiarist
00:17:04
not wanting russell's bee boxers to go
00:17:06
to just anyone
00:17:08
billy muller convinced his nephew kenny
00:17:10
to buy them
00:17:12
as he took the boxes away kenny noticed
00:17:16
some had blood on them
00:17:18
[Music]
00:17:19
helen said it was from a pig they had
00:17:21
slaughtered a few weeks earlier
00:17:24
kenny stored the boxes in a shed unsure
00:17:27
what else to do with them
00:17:31
helen then traded in russell's car for
00:17:33
three hundred and fifty dollars
00:17:35
and purchased the new one for nineteen
00:17:37
hundred dollars
00:17:40
in late march she met railway worker
00:17:42
mick miller
00:17:44
mick was new in town and within two
00:17:47
weeks of meeting helen
00:17:48
he had moved into the house she had
00:17:50
shared with russell on ligar street
00:17:54
bev was shocked to hear about the
00:17:56
relationship
00:17:58
and confronted helen she asked whether
00:18:01
helen had heard any news from russell
00:18:05
helen claimed she had tried to report
00:18:07
him missing
00:18:08
but was told by the police officer on
00:18:11
duty
00:18:12
he's over 21 he can look after himself
00:18:16
and that he was probably with another
00:18:18
woman
00:18:20
helen assured bev she would contact her
00:18:23
police officer cousin
00:18:24
to see if he could locate russell
00:18:28
from then on the two women had nothing
00:18:31
to do with each other
00:18:34
bev was sure that russell would return
00:18:36
for the stall
00:18:37
gift in april when he didn't show
00:18:41
she knew something wasn't right
00:18:44
she headed to the stall police station
00:18:46
with her mother ellen
00:18:48
to formally report russell as a missing
00:18:54
person
00:18:58
senior constable richard kennedy took
00:19:00
the report
00:19:02
he was familiar with russell martin due
00:19:04
to his run-ins with local authorities in
00:19:07
the past
00:19:09
russell had been charged with drink
00:19:10
driving refusing to provide his details
00:19:13
following an accident and the assault of
00:19:16
two police officers
00:19:18
a gun-wielding russell once threatened
00:19:21
an officer
00:19:22
after receiving a speeding ticket on
00:19:25
another occasion
00:19:26
he fired a shotgun into the air twice
00:19:28
when the service at a drive-through
00:19:30
bottle shop was too slow
00:19:33
then there were the regular visits to
00:19:35
the martin household in relation to
00:19:37
domestic violence
00:19:41
for two hours that afternoon constable
00:19:44
kennedy interviewed helen martin
00:19:46
about her missing husband she repeated a
00:19:49
similar story to the one she had told
00:19:52
bev adding that russell appeared upset
00:19:55
and might have been crying when he left
00:19:59
he wouldn't tell her where he was going
00:20:01
just that he had to leave
00:20:04
he encouraged her to sell everything
00:20:07
including his tools
00:20:08
to try and get herself out of debt
00:20:12
helen couldn't recall russell's outfit
00:20:15
that night
00:20:16
but saw him take a pair of jeans
00:20:18
trousers
00:20:19
a couple of shirts underpants and socks
00:20:22
with him
00:20:23
he put the clothes in a paper bag but
00:20:26
left behind his toiletries and a new
00:20:28
wristwatch
00:20:30
he was in a hurry and left within
00:20:33
minutes
00:20:35
helen watched the white panel van
00:20:37
russell had climbed into
00:20:39
pull away from the house she believed
00:20:42
there might have been one or two more
00:20:44
passengers inside
00:20:48
two weeks later helen saw a similar
00:20:51
white car
00:20:52
parked outside her house an unknown man
00:20:55
was sitting inside
00:20:58
she first noticed him at 7 30 pm
00:21:02
he remained there for the rest of the
00:21:04
night
00:21:05
helen was too frightened to go out and
00:21:08
see who it was
00:21:10
unable to sleep at 2am she resorted to
00:21:14
taking
00:21:14
three sleeping tablets to bypass her
00:21:17
anxiety
00:21:19
helen told constable kennedy that there
00:21:21
were several rumors circulating around a
00:21:24
store
00:21:24
regarding russell's whereabouts
00:21:27
people had placed him all over australia
00:21:30
for various reasons
00:21:33
some believed that russell had been
00:21:35
dealing drugs
00:21:36
and ran off with his former lover
00:21:39
others speculated that he was just over
00:21:41
an hour's drive away
00:21:43
in the regional city of ballarat
00:21:46
this rumor placed russell in ballarat's
00:21:48
psychiatric hospital
00:21:50
possibly because he had been treated
00:21:52
there in the past for agrophobia
00:21:56
investigators noted that helen appeared
00:21:58
at ease
00:21:59
during questioning she admitted that she
00:22:02
had entered a new relationship with mick
00:22:04
miller
00:22:05
but denied they were living together
00:22:09
she said she wasn't sure what russell
00:22:11
would do if he came home and found them
00:22:13
together
00:22:14
but conceded that he might try to injure
00:22:16
her or mick
00:22:19
records confirmed that mick hadn't
00:22:22
arrived in stall
00:22:23
until february 27 just over a month
00:22:26
after russell had disappeared due to
00:22:29
this timing
00:22:30
investigators didn't consider him a
00:22:32
suspect
00:22:35
helen was evasive about the money stolen
00:22:38
from the glenorchy football club
00:22:41
she told police that she'd been left
00:22:43
with many deaths
00:22:44
which she was paying off in installments
00:22:48
her efforts to locate her husband had
00:22:50
only involved a discussion about the
00:22:52
situation with her cousin
00:22:54
who happened to be a police officer
00:22:58
from helen's point of view there was
00:23:00
nothing unusual about her husband
00:23:02
disappearing for an extended period of
00:23:04
time
00:23:06
constable kennedy didn't feel that helen
00:23:09
was being completely honest
00:23:11
he made enquiries with russell's family
00:23:14
friends and
00:23:15
neighbours to piece together his last
00:23:17
known movements
00:23:20
he discovered that on tuesday january 18
00:23:24
russell had visited his local doctor's
00:23:26
office
00:23:28
just over two months prior russell had
00:23:30
broken his ankle after falling off the
00:23:33
back of a horse
00:23:35
his checkup in mid-january confirmed the
00:23:38
injury was healing well
00:23:40
another appointment was made for russell
00:23:43
to attend a physiotherapy session
00:23:45
two weeks later
00:23:50
the following day of wednesday january
00:23:53
19
00:23:54
russell's neighbor charlie stenhouse
00:23:57
visited the martin family
00:24:00
charlie told police that russell was
00:24:02
sick in bed at the time
00:24:04
he was wearing nothing but his underwear
00:24:07
while helen applied ice packs to his
00:24:09
head
00:24:10
charlie described russell as delirious
00:24:14
he was barely able to raise his head
00:24:16
from his pillow
00:24:18
at one stage russell looked at his
00:24:21
neighbour and said
00:24:23
oh charlie before dropping his head back
00:24:26
in exhaustion
00:24:29
helen had told police that russell left
00:24:32
that night
00:24:33
but charlie was certain russell was in
00:24:35
no state to leave home
00:24:39
charlie visited the martin house on the
00:24:41
following thursday
00:24:42
friday and saturday to check in on
00:24:45
russell
00:24:47
each time helen met him at the front
00:24:49
door
00:24:50
she said that russell was too sick to
00:24:52
come out and
00:24:53
that she didn't want to disturb him on
00:24:57
the fourth day
00:24:58
helen broke down in tears and told
00:25:01
charlie
00:25:02
i've been telling you a lie about him
00:25:04
being asleep
00:25:06
you'll hear about it from somebody else
00:25:08
anyway so i might as well tell you
00:25:11
he's cleared off and left me
00:25:15
constable kennedy felt that charlie's
00:25:17
recollections were authentic
00:25:19
and believed he was the last person
00:25:22
other than helen
00:25:23
to have seen russell prior to his
00:25:25
disappearance
00:25:27
night that russell had allegedly left
00:25:30
home charlie's wife
00:25:31
dory heard a gunshot echo down the
00:25:34
street
00:25:36
she discussed the noise with another
00:25:38
neighbor mavis the following morning
00:25:41
mavis told dory that she had also heard
00:25:44
the gunshot
00:25:46
but when police were making their
00:25:48
enquiries into russell martin's
00:25:49
disappearance
00:25:50
mavis backpedaled and denied hearing the
00:25:53
sound
00:25:54
she said she didn't want to get involved
00:25:59
dory maintained she heard it she also
00:26:02
elaborated on the camping trip the
00:26:04
martin family had taken for new year's
00:26:08
dory and charlie joined the martins at
00:26:10
the lake a few days into the holiday
00:26:13
and recalled russell and helen having a
00:26:15
huge fight
00:26:17
russell stormed off down the beach and
00:26:19
helen followed him in tears
00:26:22
they returned about half an hour later
00:26:25
but there was still
00:26:26
tension between them the following day
00:26:30
dory and helen went into the nearest
00:26:32
town to have a beer
00:26:36
helen was still upset but didn't tell
00:26:38
dory what the argument was about
00:26:42
she said she wanted to leave russell but
00:26:44
was afraid of what he would do
00:26:47
she also confided that russell had been
00:26:50
leaving the house late at night
00:26:53
she suspected he might have been having
00:26:55
another affair
00:26:58
dory couldn't remember if russell was on
00:27:01
crutches during the holiday
00:27:04
she was aware that helen left the
00:27:05
campsite alone a few times to buy
00:27:08
food from the nearest town during the
00:27:11
trip
00:27:12
helen had also returned to stall twice
00:27:14
on her own
00:27:15
to collect mail and to pick up a
00:27:18
mattress
00:27:23
there were reports that at around the
00:27:25
time russell went missing
00:27:27
helen had been asking around for
00:27:29
sleeping tablets
00:27:31
she hadn't done this before given the
00:27:34
amount of time that it since passed
00:27:37
nobody could remember the exact date
00:27:39
helen was making these inquiries
00:27:43
when questioned helen told police she
00:27:46
sort out the pills in the week after
00:27:48
russell went missing
00:27:50
because she was unable to sleep
00:27:53
several people also told police about
00:27:56
the money that had gone missing from the
00:27:58
glenorchy football club
00:28:01
most believed helen was responsible for
00:28:03
the theft
00:28:06
constable kennedy viewed helen with
00:28:08
suspicion
00:28:09
describing her as quote
00:28:12
a cunning type of person and a poor
00:28:15
manager of
00:28:16
money every person he spoke to
00:28:20
agreed that if helen had any idea that
00:28:22
russell was coming back
00:28:24
she would never have had another man in
00:28:26
the house because
00:28:27
russell would kill them both
00:28:31
he contacted helen's police officer
00:28:33
cousin
00:28:34
sergeant royce weir she claimed to have
00:28:37
spoken to her cousin
00:28:39
after russell went missing for the
00:28:41
purpose of locating him sergeant weir
00:28:44
denied
00:28:45
any such interaction took place
00:28:49
russell's brother michael had been paid
00:28:52
by helen to clean up her yard
00:28:54
a few days after russell went missing
00:28:57
constable kennedy wondered whether helen
00:28:59
had used this opportunity to remove or
00:29:02
destroy
00:29:02
evidence or to create a diversion or
00:29:05
alibi
00:29:08
police followed up with a friend of
00:29:10
russell's named alan frayne
00:29:14
one of the many rumors surrounding
00:29:15
russell's disappearance accused allen of
00:29:18
helping russell
00:29:19
leave stall by driving him interstate
00:29:23
allen admitted that he had traveled to
00:29:25
sydney around the time russell went
00:29:27
missing
00:29:28
but denied taking his friend with him
00:29:32
there was also a rumor circulating that
00:29:34
at around
00:29:35
that time allen had paid to have a
00:29:37
concrete slab hastily installed on his
00:29:40
property
00:29:42
without seeking council approval he had
00:29:44
allegedly hired
00:29:46
two local men to get the job done
00:29:48
cheaply
00:29:50
the slab was laid down and a frame for a
00:29:53
building was erected on top
00:29:56
allen quickly realized that he'd gotten
00:29:59
what he paid for
00:30:00
when the slab had too many cracks to
00:30:02
maintain any structural integrity
00:30:06
the building was abandoned and townsfolk
00:30:09
gossiped that russell could be buried
00:30:11
beneath the slab
00:30:14
constable kennedy sensed alan frame knew
00:30:17
more than he was willing to tell police
00:30:23
many stall residents were certain
00:30:25
russell had stayed true to character
00:30:27
and simply cleared off some believed
00:30:31
russell's psychiatric history was the
00:30:33
reason for him going missing
00:30:35
or that his mental health issues had led
00:30:37
to self-harm
00:30:38
[Music]
00:30:39
russell's general practitioner described
00:30:42
him as suffering from
00:30:43
quote mental hysteria but his detailed
00:30:47
psychiatric records were subject to
00:30:49
patient confidentiality
00:30:51
and couldn't be accessed
00:30:53
[Music]
00:30:55
others including investigators were more
00:30:58
open to the possibility that russell had
00:31:00
met with fair play
00:31:03
during such deliberations helen martin
00:31:06
emerged as a person of interest
00:31:09
she had plenty of motives from having
00:31:11
sustained years of abuse
00:31:13
gambling infidelity and threats by her
00:31:16
husband
00:31:18
it was an open secret around town that
00:31:21
the only way she could leave her
00:31:22
marriage in a way that guaranteed her
00:31:25
safety
00:31:26
was if russell was dead
00:31:27
[Music]
00:31:29
however it seemed unlikely helen could
00:31:32
orchestrate
00:31:33
carry out and cover up the murder alone
00:31:37
there were lingering suspicions around
00:31:39
people like alan fraim
00:31:41
and to the timely installation of the
00:31:43
concrete
00:31:45
but then there were more damning
00:31:48
allegations
00:31:50
like many country towns at the time
00:31:52
there was significant friction between
00:31:54
law enforcement
00:31:55
and to the local men doing it tough
00:31:59
everyone knew that russell clashed with
00:32:01
the police more than most
00:32:04
however nobody could recall a specific
00:32:06
incident that would have been the
00:32:08
catalyst for murder
00:32:11
although russell had a terrible rapport
00:32:13
with local police
00:32:15
he was good mates with an officer named
00:32:17
peter ivy
00:32:19
ivy had just recently been stationed at
00:32:21
store
00:32:23
in his spare time he coached and
00:32:25
recruited players for the glenorchy
00:32:27
football club
00:32:30
despite their differences ivy and
00:32:32
russell bonded through the club
00:32:34
and established a close friendship they
00:32:37
arrived at training together
00:32:39
went out drinking after games and
00:32:41
socialised as a group with their wives
00:32:46
rumors alleged that ivy was having an
00:32:48
affair
00:32:49
with russell's wife several people
00:32:53
witnessed a fight between
00:32:54
russell and ivy and speculated there was
00:32:57
truth to the rumor
00:33:00
when asked about their reported affair
00:33:03
by investigators
00:33:04
both helen and ivy were steadfast in
00:33:07
their denial
00:33:09
ivy also rejected claims that he and
00:33:12
russell had gotten into a fight
00:33:15
this was despite several witnesses
00:33:17
including helen
00:33:18
stating otherwise
00:33:22
with no evidence that a crime had been
00:33:24
committed the investigation into russell
00:33:26
martin's disappearance
00:33:28
dwindled helen and mick's relationship
00:33:31
continued
00:33:32
with neither seemingly worried that
00:33:35
russell could return home at any minute
00:33:38
helen sold russell's saw bench tractor
00:33:41
and most of his possessions using some
00:33:44
of the proceeds to pay off
00:33:46
debt collectors
00:33:49
helen's brother philip wilcock told
00:33:52
police that he avoided helen as much as
00:33:55
possible
00:33:56
he referred to her as a compulsive liar
00:34:12
here's the thing about home security
00:34:14
companies most trap you with high prices
00:34:17
tricky contracts and a lousy customer
00:34:20
support
00:34:21
so while there are a lot of options out
00:34:23
there there's only one
00:34:24
no-brainer simply safe simply safe has
00:34:28
everything you need to protect your home
00:34:30
with none of the drawbacks of
00:34:32
traditional home security
00:34:34
you can set simply safe up yourself in
00:34:36
under an hour without the need of a
00:34:38
technician
00:34:40
just peel and stick the sensors exactly
00:34:42
where you need them
00:34:43
and your home will be monitored day and
00:34:45
night by professionals ready to send
00:34:47
police
00:34:48
fire or medical to your home if there's
00:34:51
an emergency
00:34:52
best of all there are no contracts no
00:34:55
pushy sales people
00:34:57
no hidden fees or fine print
00:35:00
simply safe will supply you with an
00:35:02
arsenal of sensors tailored specifically
00:35:04
for your home
00:35:05
so you can rest assured that every room
00:35:08
window
00:35:08
and a door you need covered will be
00:35:11
covered
00:35:12
and all of this starts at just 15 a
00:35:14
month
00:35:16
head to simply safe dot com slash case
00:35:18
file
00:35:19
and you can get yourself a free hd
00:35:21
camera
00:35:23
that's simply safe dot com slash case
00:35:26
file
00:35:26
to make sure they know that our show
00:35:28
sent you
00:35:31
have you heard about this company making
00:35:33
stylish sustainable shoes and bags made
00:35:36
for life on the go
00:35:37
they're carefully crafted with
00:35:39
eco-friendly materials
00:35:41
like repurposed plastic water bottles
00:35:43
and marine plastic
00:35:45
rothy's shoes are incredibly comfortable
00:35:48
with zero break-in period
00:35:50
thanks to their seamlessly
00:35:51
knit-to-shaped design
00:35:53
with so many chic styles to choose from
00:35:56
rothy's shoes are the perfect
00:35:58
pair for any adventure case ball rider
00:36:01
elsa
00:36:02
can't rave about her rothies enough as
00:36:04
soon as they arrived in the mail
00:36:06
she fell in love elsha says they're the
00:36:09
most
00:36:09
comfortable shoes she's ever owned and
00:36:12
to look great
00:36:13
from the product range to the fast
00:36:16
shipping to rothy's commitment to zero
00:36:18
waste manufacturing
00:36:20
the shoes get too big thumbs up
00:36:23
the best thing ever rothies are fully
00:36:26
machine washable
00:36:27
every time they need a refresh you can
00:36:29
simply toss them in the washing machine
00:36:32
it's no surprise to see rothy's most
00:36:34
popular shoe
00:36:35
the point in black has over three
00:36:38
thousand near perfect
00:36:39
reviews check out all the amazing shoes
00:36:43
and
00:36:43
bags available right now at rothys.com
00:36:47
case file that's rothys.com
00:36:52
r-o-t-h-y-s dot com
00:36:54
slash case file style and sustainability
00:36:58
meet to create your new favorites
00:37:00
head to rothys.com case file
00:37:04
today a lot is up in the air right now
00:37:09
especially when it comes to our personal
00:37:11
finances
00:37:12
eating out at restaurants has now become
00:37:14
meals delivered to home
00:37:16
and online shopping has become the norm
00:37:19
if spending money while you spend more
00:37:21
time indoors is getting you down
00:37:24
simplify is here to help start healthier
00:37:27
financial habits and achieve your
00:37:29
long-term goals with simplifier
00:37:32
simplify makes it easy to see the big
00:37:35
picture stay on top of your spending
00:37:37
and to save like a pro with more than 30
00:37:40
years of personal finance expertise
00:37:43
built into one easy to use platform
00:37:46
simplify is more comprehensive than
00:37:48
other apps
00:37:48
without any third-party ads it makes it
00:37:52
easy to monitor
00:37:53
all of your spending habits so you're
00:37:55
never in the dark
00:37:56
like surprise changes from subscriptions
00:37:59
you forgot you signed up for
00:38:02
simplify focuses on insights not input
00:38:05
there's no judgment they won't overwhelm
00:38:08
you with every dollar you're off by
00:38:10
see why the new york times wire cutter
00:38:13
is calling simplify by quicken
00:38:15
the best budgeting app out there
00:38:18
start your free 30-day trial of simplify
00:38:21
today
00:38:21
when you download the app or visit
00:38:24
simplifymoney.com
00:38:26
that's s-i-m-p-l-i-f-i
00:38:30
money dot com
00:38:40
a year after her brother vanished
00:38:42
without a trace
00:38:44
bev roberts hired a private investigator
00:38:47
it was a last-to-ditch effort to get
00:38:49
some answers
00:38:51
her finances were limited she couldn't
00:38:54
afford much more than a basic search
00:38:57
the pi interviewed helen martin and did
00:39:00
find
00:39:01
some minor discrepancies and deviations
00:39:03
from her earlier statements
00:39:05
but there wasn't enough to reinvigorate
00:39:08
the investigation
00:39:11
russell's family spent the following
00:39:12
years chasing up alleged
00:39:14
sightings a man named wayne you'll
00:39:18
told russell's mother ellen that he had
00:39:20
seen russell at a cafe
00:39:22
in the victorian town of swan hill
00:39:25
wayne assured her that russell was fine
00:39:28
and told her not to worry
00:39:31
later wayne admitted to concocting the
00:39:34
sighting with a local publican
00:39:36
because ellen was coming in so often
00:39:38
lamenting about her missing son
00:39:41
they had decided to make up the story in
00:39:44
order to take the pressure off her
00:39:47
russell's uncle billy moller traveled to
00:39:50
different towns and
00:39:51
questioned locals whenever he heard a
00:39:54
rumor that russell was spotted somewhere
00:39:56
nearby
00:39:58
billy would investigate the lead himself
00:40:01
it was rumored that billy was russell's
00:40:04
biological father
00:40:06
whether or not it was true the pair had
00:40:09
shared a close
00:40:10
father-son-like bond since russell was a
00:40:12
boy
00:40:14
billy kept searching for russell until
00:40:16
his death a couple years later
00:40:19
his nephew kenny told investigators any
00:40:24
little thread
00:40:25
billy could grab he always looked into
00:40:27
it to see if there was any evidence
00:40:29
anywhere
00:40:32
in 1979 russell's mother passed away
00:40:37
despite his difficult childhood russell
00:40:40
loved his mum
00:40:40
and was fiercely protective of her
00:40:44
those who believed russell was still
00:40:46
alive were convinced he would return for
00:40:49
the funeral
00:40:50
yet the service concluded and there was
00:40:53
no sign of him
00:40:56
even the most open-minded stall
00:40:58
residents took russell's absence as
00:41:00
proof
00:41:01
he was deceased it was enough of a
00:41:04
reason for the police to give the case
00:41:06
one final look
00:41:09
russell's missing person file had been
00:41:11
taken over by sergeant james holcomb
00:41:15
on june 6 1979 sergeant holcomb
00:41:18
re-interviewed helen martin he presented
00:41:22
the discrepancies and inconsistencies in
00:41:25
her statements
00:41:26
and put forth a series of allegations
00:41:28
that implicated her
00:41:29
in russell's death it was a long and
00:41:34
probing interview but sergeant holcomb
00:41:36
was unable to draw a definitive
00:41:38
conclusion regarding helen's possible
00:41:40
involvement
00:41:44
inquiries were made to government
00:41:45
agencies banks
00:41:47
and utility providers but there was no
00:41:50
record of russell martin following his
00:41:52
alleged departure from stall
00:41:54
in 1977 once again
00:41:58
the case went cold his file was marked
00:42:01
inactive
00:42:02
with the general consensus being that
00:42:05
russell was deceased
00:42:06
though the cause remained a point of
00:42:09
contention
00:42:12
helen and mick miller broke up after
00:42:14
several years
00:42:15
due to infidelity on mick's behalf
00:42:19
soon after helen started a relationship
00:42:22
with a local slaughterman
00:42:23
named charles smith smith had a criminal
00:42:27
history that included assault of a
00:42:29
police officer's son
00:42:30
and carnal knowledge of a girl between
00:42:32
10 and 16 years of
00:42:34
age smith was married when he met helen
00:42:39
but left his wife to move in with helen
00:42:42
and her four children at their home
00:42:44
on lygar street the couple married in
00:42:47
september
00:42:48
1983 and helen took on her husband's
00:42:56
surname
00:42:58
2001 marked 24 years since russell went
00:43:02
missing
00:43:03
it was announced that a cranial inquest
00:43:06
would be conducted the following year
00:43:08
to determine what likely happened to
00:43:10
russell
00:43:12
in the lead-up detectives made further
00:43:15
enquiries
00:43:15
and re-interviewed those connected to
00:43:18
the case
00:43:20
a couple of russell's friends and
00:43:21
acquaintances told a story about a local
00:43:24
panel-baiter named bill
00:43:26
joyner who often repaired damaged police
00:43:29
vehicles
00:43:31
around the time of russell's
00:43:32
disappearance a police officer
00:43:35
allegedly visited bill in the middle of
00:43:37
the night
00:43:39
he insisted that a repair be done
00:43:41
urgently and discreetly
00:43:44
there was a large dent in the bonnet of
00:43:46
the officer's police car
00:43:48
that looked like it could have been made
00:43:50
by a kangaroo
00:43:52
but that explanation didn't account for
00:43:54
the secrecy of the job
00:43:57
one man swore that it had been a
00:43:59
human-shaped dent
00:44:02
by the time detectives were informed of
00:44:05
this alleged incident
00:44:06
bill joyner was deceased and could not
00:44:09
be called upon to confirm or deny
00:44:13
stories also arose that russell had
00:44:16
attended a wild
00:44:17
party on the night of his disappearance
00:44:20
police officer peter ivy was also said
00:44:23
to have been at the party
00:44:25
at one stage both men got into a massive
00:44:28
fight
00:44:30
russell left for a brief period then
00:44:33
returned with a knife he threw it in the
00:44:36
sink
00:44:37
and declared that a local man named
00:44:39
danny marx
00:44:40
quote wouldn't be using that again
00:44:45
however it seemed like these were
00:44:47
misremembered events
00:44:49
the party in question was not held the
00:44:51
night russell disappeared
00:44:53
it was held to mark the end of the
00:44:55
football season
00:44:56
which occurred months prior
00:45:00
danny marx who russell had mentioned in
00:45:02
relation to the knife
00:45:03
had no recollection of the incident
00:45:07
russell's neighbor charlie stenhouse had
00:45:10
seen russell the day of his
00:45:11
disappearance
00:45:12
bedridden exhausted and in ill health
00:45:16
charlie had since passed away but his
00:45:19
recollections did not support the theory
00:45:22
that russell was out partying
00:45:26
detectives interviewed billy muller's
00:45:28
nephew kenny
00:45:29
who had bought russell's bee boxes from
00:45:32
helen in 1977
00:45:35
he had noticed that there was blood on
00:45:37
them
00:45:38
helen had told him this source was a
00:45:40
slaughtered pig
00:45:43
on january 30 2001 police went to
00:45:46
kenny's house to get the boxes from his
00:45:49
shed
00:45:49
where they had been left untouched for
00:45:52
over two decades
00:45:55
several of the boxes were engraved with
00:45:57
the number
00:45:58
m437 which was russell's beekeeping
00:46:01
license number
00:46:03
others had his name written on them in
00:46:06
texta
00:46:08
the bloodstained boxes were nowhere to
00:46:10
be found
00:46:13
there were two boxes and some frames
00:46:15
marked with a red
00:46:16
substance but kenny didn't believe these
00:46:19
were the ones that had caught his
00:46:20
attention
00:46:21
in 1977
00:46:25
testing confirmed the red substance
00:46:27
wasn't blood
00:46:31
detective mark mccann had since taken
00:46:34
over russell martin's case as the lead
00:46:36
investigator
00:46:38
on march 8 2001 he reinterviewed helen
00:46:42
martin
00:46:42
now helen smith he addressed the
00:46:46
inconsistencies in her statements
00:46:49
she had told one officer that russell
00:46:51
had left 100
00:46:53
on the bench before he left but had
00:46:55
denied this to another
00:46:58
helen had talked about being deep in
00:47:00
debt yet had purchased a new vehicle
00:47:03
several weeks after russell went missing
00:47:07
she also claimed that two males from out
00:47:09
of town had shown up at her house
00:47:12
after russell left wanting to purchase
00:47:14
drugs
00:47:17
detective mccann deemed this unlikely
00:47:20
as no one throughout the 24-year
00:47:22
investigation had ever
00:47:24
mentioned that russell used drugs other
00:47:26
than prescription medication
00:47:30
on march 14 police re-interviewed
00:47:33
russell's friend
00:47:34
alan frame about the hastily laid
00:47:37
concrete
00:47:38
slab on his property allen continued to
00:47:42
deny
00:47:42
any knowledge of russell's disappearance
00:47:45
but
00:47:46
officers felt he was hiding something
00:47:49
a week later they arrived at allen's
00:47:51
property with scientists from monash
00:47:54
university a geoscope search was carried
00:47:58
out on the slab
00:48:00
it came up with a negative result
00:48:02
meaning there was no justification to
00:48:05
dig it up
00:48:10
the coroner's inquest into russell
00:48:12
martin's disappearance began in may
00:48:15
2002 by this time
00:48:18
his four adult children had varying
00:48:21
levels of interest
00:48:22
in finding out what happened to their
00:48:24
father
00:48:26
the eldest lee had just started grade
00:48:28
six when her dad went missing
00:48:31
she had been away at school camp at the
00:48:33
time
00:48:34
when she returned home helen had told
00:48:37
her that russell was on holiday
00:48:40
lee continually asked her mother where
00:48:42
her father was and when he was coming
00:48:44
back
00:48:45
but helen never spoke about it
00:48:49
later in life lee had come to the
00:48:51
conclusion that russell was still alive
00:48:55
when asked how her mother felt about him
00:48:58
leaving
00:48:58
lee said she was probably relieved
00:49:02
because dad used to hit her
00:49:06
the second eldest kelly was seven at the
00:49:09
time
00:49:09
and didn't remember russell all she knew
00:49:12
of him was that her mother said
00:49:14
he was an [ __ ]
00:49:18
kelly was convinced her father was most
00:49:20
likely
00:49:21
dead and she believed that the rumors
00:49:23
around town that the local police had
00:49:26
something to do with it
00:49:28
steven who was six when his dad went
00:49:30
missing
00:49:31
said that helen never talked about
00:49:33
russell
00:49:35
stephen said she might know something
00:49:39
but i know there's a lot more people who
00:49:41
know a hell of a lot more
00:49:45
the youngest paul couldn't remember
00:49:48
anything about his dad
00:49:50
he too had heard people say that the
00:49:52
police had given his father a hiding
00:49:55
and that they had thrown his body down a
00:49:57
mine shaft
00:49:59
the location of stall on the edge of the
00:50:02
victorian goldfields
00:50:03
meant there were hundreds of disused
00:50:05
mine shafts nearby
00:50:08
locals often used them to illegally dump
00:50:11
rubbish
00:50:11
and other refuse there were rumors that
00:50:15
the local police disposed of old vehicle
00:50:18
number plates in the mines
00:50:20
rather than do the paperwork to
00:50:21
deregister them correctly
00:50:25
by the time of the inquest it had been
00:50:28
25 years since russell martin vanished
00:50:31
memories had faded witnesses provided
00:50:35
contrasting recollections of the same
00:50:37
events
00:50:38
some referenced the gossip as fact while
00:50:42
others just wanted to inject themselves
00:50:44
into the dramatic mystery
00:50:47
key players wanted to minimise the role
00:50:49
they played
00:50:51
kenny muller was grilled about the blood
00:50:53
he saw on russell's b
00:50:55
boxes some believed the story was made
00:50:58
up or exaggerated
00:51:00
to place suspicion on helen
00:51:03
helen's ex-boyfriend mick miller
00:51:06
testified that helen never spoke about
00:51:08
russell
00:51:09
nor did her children helen didn't fear
00:51:13
his possible return either
00:51:15
as though certain he was gone for good
00:51:19
mick was aware that russell was violent
00:51:21
and possessive
00:51:23
but it didn't bother him he thought he
00:51:26
could hold his own if russell reappeared
00:51:30
russell's son stephen said that the
00:51:33
court ought to hear from local police
00:51:35
officer
00:51:36
murray emerson emerson was known to have
00:51:39
had bad blood with russell
00:51:42
according to stephen it was emerson who
00:51:45
had taken his police wagon to get fixed
00:51:47
at panel baiter bill joyner's place
00:51:51
from what stephen had heard there had
00:51:54
been blood all over the front of the
00:51:55
vehicle
00:51:56
as well as the large dent
00:51:59
given that helen had previously denied
00:52:02
that the vehicle she saw russell get
00:52:04
into was a police car
00:52:06
steven was asked what he thought the
00:52:08
connection was between the police wagon
00:52:10
and his father's disappearance he
00:52:13
responded
00:52:15
i don't know it's for use to find out
00:52:24
sergeant james hulkham took over
00:52:26
russell's missing person file in 1978
00:52:30
during the inquest it was revealed that
00:52:32
he had been
00:52:33
safekeeping taped conversations that
00:52:35
would provide
00:52:36
useful information if russell's body was
00:52:38
ever found
00:52:41
the tapes included a recorded interview
00:52:43
with russell's former neighbor
00:52:45
charlie stanhouse the other was a
00:52:48
covertly recorded discussion with helen
00:52:53
russell's brother michael voiced his
00:52:55
belief that helen was participating in
00:52:58
several affairs at the time of russell's
00:53:00
disappearance
00:53:02
the first allegedly involved billy
00:53:05
muller
00:53:06
russell's uncle and rumored biological
00:53:09
father
00:53:11
billy died prior to the inquest
00:53:15
the other alleged affair was russell's
00:53:18
former football coach
00:53:20
local police officer peter ivy
00:53:23
ivy denied ever having a sexual
00:53:26
relationship with helen
00:53:28
stating that amazes me that anyone's
00:53:31
ever said that
00:53:33
i can't think of any situation that i've
00:53:35
ever been in where someone would think
00:53:37
something like that
00:53:40
ivy said his memories of russell were
00:53:43
limited
00:53:43
and that he couldn't recall whether he
00:53:45
spoke to helen about his disappearance
00:53:49
he also claimed not to know whether
00:53:51
there was any domestic violence in their
00:53:53
marriage
00:53:54
but when pushed he said
00:53:57
well from my recollection they did have
00:54:00
a fiery type of marriage
00:54:02
they were a fiery couple
00:54:06
it was russell's sister bev and mother
00:54:09
ellen who had
00:54:10
filed the official missing persons
00:54:11
report to senior constable kennedy in
00:54:14
1977
00:54:16
a second missing person's report was
00:54:19
tendered in court
00:54:20
that appeared to have been filed later
00:54:22
by helen
00:54:23
and signed by peter ivy
00:54:26
ivy said he didn't take the report but
00:54:30
couldn't explain why his name was on it
00:54:33
helen was spoken to after bear van der
00:54:36
ellen made their initial report
00:54:40
no one was able to explain to the court
00:54:42
why this second report was signed with
00:54:45
peter ivey's name
00:54:48
russell's youngest son paul testified
00:54:51
that he had recently been approached by
00:54:53
a man who claimed to know where his
00:54:55
father's body was
00:54:58
the man had taken him to the location
00:55:00
the night before
00:55:01
but paul had been unable to find it when
00:55:03
he returned to the side on his own in
00:55:06
the morning
00:55:07
he refused to name the man as he didn't
00:55:10
want to get him in trouble
00:55:12
paul said he would show the police the
00:55:14
location once he had verified it during
00:55:17
the daylight
00:55:19
based on this tip-off the court heard
00:55:21
that members of the state emergency
00:55:23
service attended an area
00:55:25
at green lake the offstream reservoir
00:55:29
and recreational area was 55 kilometers
00:55:32
north
00:55:32
west of store there they located two
00:55:36
sunken areas in the ground
00:55:39
they dug approximately one foot deep but
00:55:42
found no indication that anything was
00:55:44
buried there
00:55:48
over the years suspicion had also been
00:55:51
cast on helen's new husband
00:55:53
charles smith charles testified that
00:55:57
sitting in court was the first time he
00:55:59
had ever heard
00:56:00
that anyone thought helen had something
00:56:02
to do with it
00:56:04
he said he'd heard all kinds of rumors
00:56:06
over the years
00:56:07
but never had any interest in delving
00:56:10
into them further
00:56:12
he denied having ever met russell and
00:56:14
asserted that he had met
00:56:16
helen for the first time years after her
00:56:18
husband's disappearance
00:56:22
this contradicted a statement made by
00:56:24
charles and russell's mutual friend
00:56:27
alan fraim alan said
00:56:30
the men lived close to one another moved
00:56:32
in the same social circles
00:56:34
and had known each other from the pub
00:56:37
he considered it unlikely that they had
00:56:40
never crossed paths
00:56:44
helen appeared on the stand she was
00:56:47
asked whether she was concerned that
00:56:49
russell might return home
00:56:50
to find she had moved on with another
00:56:53
man
00:56:54
helen responded i was always concerned
00:56:58
about him returning
00:57:00
yes but i had to live my own life too
00:57:04
she denied having any involvement in or
00:57:07
knowledge of
00:57:08
any fair play against russell
00:57:11
she said that she had provided police
00:57:13
with the number plate details of the car
00:57:15
she thought russell had left in
00:57:18
officers had no record of this
00:57:20
information
00:57:21
and suspected she was lying
00:57:25
detective mark mccann who had taken over
00:57:28
as lead detective on the case
00:57:30
told the court i believe
00:57:33
that russell martin has been murdered
00:57:35
and i further believe
00:57:37
that helen smith has more knowledge of
00:57:39
it than she has led the court to believe
00:57:42
thus far
00:57:47
on july 5 2002 coroner timothy mcdonald
00:57:51
handed down his findings
00:57:54
he deemed the evidence given by helen
00:57:57
her husband
00:57:58
charles smith and former stall police
00:58:01
officer peter ivey
00:58:02
to be unconvincing and evasive
00:58:06
quote i am satisfied that the witness
00:58:09
peter ivy was not a frank open
00:58:12
or truthful witness in the evidence that
00:58:15
he gave to the court
00:58:17
i did not accept that a person who was a
00:58:20
police officer
00:58:21
and who played sport with russell martin
00:58:24
and to drove his truck to assist him
00:58:25
when he had a broken ankle
00:58:27
would have such little memory of the
00:58:29
details surrounding martin going missing
00:58:33
he was an unreliable witness
00:58:37
further i am satisfied that charles
00:58:40
smith
00:58:40
knows more of the circumstances
00:58:42
surrounding the disappearance of russell
00:58:44
martin than what he has told
00:58:46
investigators and this court
00:58:49
he was an evasive and a vague witness
00:58:52
who was hard to pin down
00:58:54
to give clear and definitive evidence
00:58:57
smith has indicated to investigators
00:59:00
that he had little or no knowledge of
00:59:02
russell martin at the time of his
00:59:04
disappearance
00:59:05
he says he may have met him at a hotel
00:59:08
at some time
00:59:09
but cannot recall this this is
00:59:12
inconsistent with the evidence of alan
00:59:14
freyn
00:59:16
because of the unreliability of smith's
00:59:18
evidence
00:59:19
i'm unable to accept his assertion that
00:59:22
he was not
00:59:23
known to helen martin prior to the 20th
00:59:26
of january
00:59:27
1977.
00:59:30
helen smith has also been vague unclear
00:59:33
and misleading in what she has told
00:59:36
different people about the circumstances
00:59:38
of her husband's disappearance
00:59:41
what i'm satisfied of is that the
00:59:43
behaviour of helen martin very shortly
00:59:46
after she says her husband
00:59:48
left home is consistent with her knowing
00:59:51
that he would never return
00:59:54
other than saying that her husband told
00:59:56
her he would not be returning
00:59:59
there is no evidence before this inquest
01:00:01
for the court to find
01:00:02
that it would be reasonable for helen
01:00:04
martin to believe
01:00:06
that this would be the case
01:00:09
reasons for reaching this conclusion are
01:00:12
the evidence before the court
01:00:14
is that russell martin loved his
01:00:16
children
01:00:17
he had strong family and other tyres in
01:00:20
store
01:00:21
whenever he had left the matrimonial
01:00:24
home on other occasions
01:00:25
he had always returned
01:00:28
witnesses have given evidence that he
01:00:31
would not leave store without ever
01:00:33
having some contact with the people he
01:00:35
loved
01:00:37
there is no reasonable explanation
01:00:39
before the court
01:00:40
as to why he would want to leave stall
01:00:42
permanently
01:00:46
coroner mcdonald believed the
01:00:48
information provided by russell's now
01:00:51
deceased
01:00:52
neighbor charlie stenhouse
01:00:55
charlie said he had visited the martin
01:00:57
house on wednesday
01:00:58
january 19 and saw russell bedridden
01:01:02
and in a delirious state
01:01:05
conor mcdonald quote
01:01:08
i am satisfied that helen smith has not
01:01:11
disclosed
01:01:12
the true circumstances surrounding the
01:01:15
disappearance of her husband
01:01:16
to the court further i'm satisfied that
01:01:21
she possesses information that is likely
01:01:23
to establish
01:01:24
such circumstances after taking into
01:01:28
account all of the evidence before the
01:01:30
court
01:01:31
i'm satisfied that the disappearance of
01:01:33
russell martin on
01:01:35
or about the 20th of january 1977
01:01:39
was associated with suspicious
01:01:41
circumstances
01:01:42
and that he died on or about that date
01:01:46
from causes that were not natural
01:01:51
despite these findings there was no new
01:01:53
information
01:01:54
that warranted russell's case being
01:01:57
reinvestigated
01:01:58
and no arrests were made
01:02:01
[Music]
01:02:04
russell's sister bev was pleased with
01:02:06
the coroner's findings
01:02:08
but disappointed that no further
01:02:10
inquiries would take place
01:02:13
she provided a dna sample to the
01:02:15
victorian institute of forensic medicine
01:02:17
to be compared with their collection of
01:02:19
unidentified human remains
01:02:22
there wasn't a match she tried
01:02:26
every available avenue to have russell's
01:02:28
case heard or re-investigated
01:02:30
and meticulously noted filed and
01:02:33
reported
01:02:34
every new lead that came her way
01:02:38
a person can only apply to the coroner
01:02:40
to have a case reopened if there is
01:02:42
substantial new information available
01:02:46
bev has tried several times over the
01:02:48
years to have russell's case reopened
01:02:52
recently a local man came forward
01:02:55
claiming to have seen russell put into a
01:02:57
police van
01:02:58
by a known local officer never to be
01:03:00
seen again
01:03:03
however this claim didn't match with the
01:03:06
timing of
01:03:06
information known to be true such as
01:03:10
russell's last doctor's appointment
01:03:14
in march 2020 bev received a letter from
01:03:17
the coroner's court
01:03:19
saying they couldn't take the matter any
01:03:21
further and to that
01:03:23
quote these inquiries have now been
01:03:26
exhausted
01:03:27
and therefore the police investigation
01:03:30
is currently considered
01:03:31
inactive
01:03:34
most people want bev to move on due in
01:03:38
part to russell's history of violence
01:03:40
and crime
01:03:42
some may think russell deserved his
01:03:44
outcome whatever it may have been
01:03:47
bev accepts that her brother was no
01:03:50
angel
01:03:51
but believes that justice should prevail
01:03:54
judging victims of crime based on their
01:03:57
character and only investigating the
01:03:59
murders of those who are deemed to good
01:04:02
is not what the law is about
01:04:05
bev is getting on in years and her
01:04:08
health is beginning to fail her
01:04:11
russell's brothers have passed away and
01:04:13
she feels that she is the only one left
01:04:16
who cares that he's gone
01:04:18
all she wants before she joins her
01:04:20
brothers
01:04:21
is to get some sort of resolution
01:04:26
for over two decades bev has written to
01:04:29
police chiefs
01:04:30
lawyers magistrates coroners and
01:04:33
to the missing persons advocacy network
01:04:36
she has begged them all for the same
01:04:38
thing
01:04:41
please find out what happened to my
01:04:43
brother
01:04:52
russell
01:04:58
[Music]
01:05:12
you