Under Investigation with Liz Hayes: Catch Me on the Team of Experts
It’s not every day you get invited to appear on TV with Liz Hayes!
I was thrilled to be invited as a guest on the panel of Under Investigation, an upcoming TV series hosted by Liz Hayes, to be screened on Channel 9 Australia from March 2021.
You can catch the replay of the episode “The High Country Mystery” here.
Guest Psychologist Joins Team of Story Insiders on New Investigative Series
Under Investigation is a series that dives into real unsolved cases and crimes with the aim of casting new light on what may have occurred.
A panel of experts, each with a different professional skill set, discusses the circumstances of the case presented to them. As a Psychologist, my role was to add a psychoanalytical perspective to the discussion.
Each of us on the panel applied our collective skills and experience to look at the facts and evidence, and draw out new avenues to pursue in solving the mystery.
The Case Under Investigation: Disappearance of Carol Clay and Russell Hill
The case I was presented with was the disappearance of Carol Clay, 73, and Russell Hill, 74, from Wonnangatta Valley in Victoria’s Alpine National Park in March 2020.
Yes, it’s very recent.
The pair were having an extramarital affair (Russell was married, Carol had two previous marriages), and disappeared while camping together.
The police initially thought the couple had got lost in the bush. They also considered the possibility that the pair staged their own disappearance.
But now detectives increasingly seem to think there was some sort of foul play.
How a Psychologist Approaches a Missing Persons Case
The main question here is, did Carol and Russell choose to disappear, or did something go awry? Was their disappearance accidental, deliberate or orchestrated?
For me, there were several ways to start thinking about what might have happened to Carol and Russell:
- How socially active were the pair in their lives before they disappeared?
- How physically active and mobile were they?
- They disappeared from a very remote location. How experienced were they at camping and going bush?
- How long had their relationship existed?
- What drives people to have extramarital affairs?
- What were the pair’s other relationships like, both romantic and otherwise?
- How much does their age play a part in their disappearance, in terms of stage of life, fear of end of life, and the social and sexual attitudes of their generation, both now and in the past?
- How strongly do the chemical constituents of love, attraction and bonding drive people to go to great lengths to be with the object of their affection?
Under Investigation is Starts on Monday 1st March 2021 on Channel 9 at 9pm AEDT
This was such an interesting and exciting experience. Those I shared this discussion with had some amazing insights to share. I certainly learned a lot!
It was also quite emotional. I really hope that this mystery is one day solved, because the story of Carol and Russell now feels so personal to me. I hope you find it as impactful as I did.
Under Investigation with Liz Hayes is screening on Channel 9 Australia on Monday 9th March 2021, at 9pm AEDT. The episode I appear in will kick off the series, which will then screen weekly.
Replays of each episode will also be available on 9NOW.
Let me know what you think of the show in the comments below!
