Suspicion rises after a mysterious midnight departure | Forensic Files

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

Case 158: Russell Martin

Bev was hoping that her brother Russell would return for the biggest event on the town's calendar - The Stawell Gift...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Eileen Ormsby Creative direction – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

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Brief Summary

The episode covers the mysterious disappearance of Russell Martin and the investigation into his wife's possible involvement.

Key points

BetterHelp's Commitment. BetterHelp offers professional counseling securely online, available worldwide.
The Disappearance of Russell Martin. Russell Martin's sudden departure raises concerns among his family.
Helen's Confession. Helen admits to lying about Russell's condition, revealing deeper issues.
Mysterious Disappearance. Russell Martin goes missing under suspicious circumstances, leading to a tangled investigation.
Helen's Confessions. Helen confides in a friend about wanting to leave Russell but fears his reaction.
Allegations Against Helen. Helen becomes a person of interest as suspicions arise about her involvement in Russell's fate.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

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0:05WatchOct 3, 2020

Tension

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