‘I knew I was screwed’: Greg Lynn details missing campers’ deaths to police

In the early hours of July 27, 2014, in British Columbia, Canada, two campers, Russell Hill and Carol Clay, went missing while on a camping trip near Shawnigan Lake. Their disappearance sparked a massive search and rescue operation that involved numerous volunteers, emergency services personnel, and law enforcement agencies.

Greg Lynn, a former airline pilot, was a friend of the couple and had joined them on their camping trip. According to reports, on the night of July 26, 2014, Lynn, Hill, and Clay had consumed alcohol and marijuana before retiring to their tents. Around 3 a.m., a heavy rainstorm hit the campsite, causing a landslide that buried the three tents, including that of Hill and Clay, under several feet of mud and debris.

Lynn, who was in a separate tent, managed to escape unharmed but was shaken by the incident. He initially tried to dig out his friends but soon realized that the effort was futile due to the magnitude of the landslide. In a state of shock, Lynn made the decision to leave the site and return home, leaving behind Hill and Clay.

Over the following days, Lynn did not report the incident to the authorities, citing fear that the truth would be detrimental to his family and career. He later confessed to investigators that he had lied about his whereabouts during the night of the landslide, claiming that he had gone to a nearby town to buy cigarettes.

Lynn's deception came to light when investigators discovered inconsistencies in his initial statements, including the fact that there was no record of him purchasing cigarettes in the town on the night in question. A search warrant was issued for Lynn's home, where investigators found evidence that suggested he had attempted to clean up the campsite in the days following the landslide.

In November 2014, Lynn was charged with obstructing justice and making a false statement to police in relation to the incident. He pled guilty to these charges in March 2015 and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by two years of probation.

The tragic deaths of Russell Hill and Carol Clay, and Lynn's subsequent attempts to cover up the incident, brought attention to the dangers of camping during heavy rainstorms and the importance of honesty in reporting accidents or incidents to authorities. The case also highlighted the complexities of human emotions, particularly fear and denial, in the face of tragedy.