Yahoo News Home and Away – Ross Nixon and Colby Thorne murder plot history
Home and Away spoilers follow for UK and Australian viewers.
Home and Away is revisiting its biggest unresolved storyline – the murder of Ross Nixon.
Scenes airing in Australia this week have seen Colby Thorne and his sister Bella left shocked by the news that Ross's body has been found, which now threatens to turn their lives upside-down.
Ross made his last appearance on Home and Away in February 2019, so you'd be forgiven for forgetting the finer details of his storyline. Here's a quick reminder of his death storyline, and why Colby could now be in big trouble.
Who was Ross Nixon?
Ross, played by Justin Rosniak, was Bella's father and Colby's stepfather. He appeared on Home and Away for a handful of episodes between November 2018 and February 2019, but had first been mentioned on screen months earlier.
When Colby joined Home and Away at the start of 2018, his backstory began to unravel and viewers soon learned about Ross's evil ways.
At the time, Colby was searching for his missing sister Bella, who'd been abducted by Ross several years prior. The unsolved mystery was the reason that Colby had joined the police force in the first place, believing that his position would improve his chances of tracking Bella down one day.
Ross originally disappeared with Bella and her mum Michelle. Michelle later came up with a plan for her and Bella to escape from his clutches, but Ross murdered her when he discovered what she had in mind.
Ross had also previously murdered Colby's father Andrew. As Colby learned more about Ross's villainous actions, his desire to bring him to justice was understandably strengthened further.
In late 2018, Colby finally had some success when he managed to find out Bella and Ross's location. He teamed up with his best friend Dean Thompson to rescue Bella, kidnapping the troubled teenager to get her away from Ross once and for all.
Why did Colby Thorne kill Ross Nixon?
After snatching Bella, Colby had a tough task on his hands to gain her trust and undo years of brainwashing from Ross. Bella had been raised to be distrustful by Ross, who'd taken particular effort to blacken Colby's name whenever he was mentioned.
In 2018's season finale episode of Home and Away, Ross exacted a revenge plan to make Colby pay for taking Bella away from him. On the day of Colby's wedding to Chelsea Campbell, Ross kidnapped Chelsea, Bella and Willow Harris – three of the closest people to Colby.
When Home and Away returned with a new season in 2019, Colby rushed off to rescue Chelsea, Bella and Willow in the bush. Ross wanted Colby to choose between the three captives, and the tense showdown that followed saw Willow take a bullet when things spiralled badly out of control.
Colby and Dean managed to turn the tables on Ross by pursuing him in a high-stakes car chase. When they cornered Ross in a remote location, they had the chance to let the authorities deal with him by calling the police.
Taking no chances, Colby took a more ruthless approach to get Ross out of his and Bella's lives forever. Much to Dean's shock, Colby pulled out his gun and shot Ross dead.
In the aftermath, Colby and Dean embarked on a cover-up by burning Ross's car and burying his body in a shallow grave in some bushland.
Who knows that Colby killed Ross?
After helping with the cover-up, Dean has shared the burden of Colby's killer secret for well over a year now. This has occasionally caused problems for the pair's usually rock-solid friendship, but Dean has loyally kept Colby's guilt to himself.
Willow Harris is also aware of the truth, but shares the same loyalty towards Colby due to their long friendship and has also kept quiet.
Colby's killer secret led to the breakdown of his marriage to Chelsea, as she was unable to stand by him when he confessed his dark secret to her. She left Summer Bay at the start of 2019.
In April 2019, Colby made the risky decision to reveal his crime to Bella too.
Although Bella has been part of the cover-up, the stress of the situation has occasionally taken its toll on her mental health. She found it particularly difficult when Colby wanted her to go to counselling to address some of her issues, knowing that she couldn't be completely honest without implicating him.
Home and Away spoilers – what happens next now Ross's body has been found?
The discovery of Ross's body will now spark a big new storyline for Home and Away, as Colby and Bella are drawn into the police investigation. Dean and Willow are also sure to feel the pressure of keeping the truth under wraps.
Home and Away bosses have also confirmed that police detective Angelo Rosetta, who was last seen in the Bay in 2011, will be returning to the show as part of the investigation.
Luke Jacobz, who plays Angelo, recently told TV Tonight: "He's got a lot of hunches, some things that he thinks he can follow up.
"But unfortunately a group of people try to put Angelo off the scent. Some of them try to protect each other, so it's not an open and shut case for Angelo. They don't make his job easy at all."
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.15pm and 6pm on Channel 5 (UK) and Mondays to Thursdays at 7pm on Channel 7 (Australia).
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