Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat 100km NW of Melbourne, 4 Feb 2024 #3

[CoffeeHug]

I wonder if MM has gone back to work yet. I'd imagine it would be very difficult for him either way. Hopefully he has a right hand man to make sure the repair works continue and the $$ keep rolling into the business. Bills & wages still have to be paid.

Sometimes the distraction is good. But we all handle these things differently.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Can’t see someone waiting that long for ‘payback’ and but you’d think the driver would be the one targeted, so I don’t sense any correlation to SM disappearance.

Stranger things have happened.
And we don't know if the driver hasn't been targeted in some way.

 

[SouthAussie]

Stranger things have happened.
And we don't know if the driver hasn't been targeted in some way.

I found it interesting that the crash happened in February 2016, and Samantha disappeared in February (2024).

I wondered if it could be an "anniversary" type of thing (of the bus crash). But when I searched, the crash happened on 22nd Feb ... and Sam disappeared on 4th Feb.

Passenger will sue former Ballarat bus driver Jack Aston for Montague Street bridge crash

A woman who was injured when the bus she was a passenger in smashed into the Montague Street...

www.thecourier.com.au

imo

 

[Warshawski]

I found it interesting that the crash happened in February 2016, and Samantha disappeared in February (2024).

I wondered if it could be an "anniversary" type of thing (of the bus crash). But when I searched, the crash happened on 22nd Feb ... and Sam disappeared on 4th Feb.

Passenger will sue former Ballarat bus driver Jack Aston for Montague Street bridge crash

A woman who was injured when the bus she was a passenger in smashed into the Montague Street...

www.thecourier.com.au

imo

Uumm - I was probably running off on a ridiculous tangent, but I did wonder if perhaps there was some fallout from the injuries to someone. Maybe someone associated with that injured person has an ‘axe to grind’ so to speak.

 

[SouthAussie]

Uumm - I was probably running off on a ridiculous tangent, but I did wonder if perhaps there was some fallout from the injuries to someone. Maybe someone associated with that injured person has an ‘axe to grind’ so to speak.

Yes, I was thinking that it would be a bit stupid and obvious to abduct a person who defended JA at the same time of year that the crash happened - if it was somehow related.

According to the Courier article I linked above (about the lawsuit) there was a whole #FreeJack campaign going on where there was nationwide support for JA. But I am unable to find the actual campaign to see who was running it.

(edit: I think perhaps WA, JA's wife, was running the #FreeJack campaign. She is mentioned, as well as unnamed family and friends, in this Ballarat Courier article as people who worked relentlessly to get JA out of jail. WA is described as a popular and well known figure in Ballarat)

imo

 

[ChuckE]

Absolutely TGY. . . I’m not convinced she left for the run at 7am. Unless police have a CCTV pic of her outside the house just after that time, how do they know that ?

Agree...how?

 

[Black-Cat]

What a walk down memory lane, Anthony Rickard, Vasko....

No mention of searching the house, just behind it.

Oh yes AR the step-son .... I forgot about him!!!! That was a strange part of the story!!!

 

[Black-Cat]

I hope the aunt and uncle have been given permission by the family to speak out.
Some of their comments weren’t very circumspect, ie saying Samantha always wanted to be famous.

This MOO, but I often think it's the relatives that don't really know someone that well, who peak out, just looking for their 5 minutes of fame!

MOO

 

[jjleroche]

I am now wondering whether the grainy footage released by police initially thought to be of Samantha but surprisingly found to be of another woman was a ruse to try and flush out chatter and discussion amongst key suspect. My mind keeps changing but I am of the view SM never went for a run and will never be found. We have one solitary image of her holding a bag of dog poo. Seems very odd to me that a property of such note only has one cctv camera ( correct me if I am wrong ). Sam was obviously a go getter with a zest for life if her jogging is any indication. Perhaps someone didn't like her free spirited nature as they felt they were losing her to the big wide world as her children were now becoming independent of her. Rewatch the video press conference her husband and daughter did and note the distinct lack of real emotion from one party.

I see what you're saying, but I do think that that demeanour is very typical of many Aussie men - particularly middle-aged to older men.

I can't help but wonder how my own father would appear in such a situation. The answer - definitely quite similar to Samantha's husband, but much less comforting - and I'm serious. That's not to say he wouldn't be caring.
He would care deeply.
On numerous occasions, prior to his passing, I observed him in public, appearing to be as cold as steel whilst dealing with trauma, but he would sob his heart out at home - absolutely grief-stricken. IMO many Aussie blokes appear to have it indelibly etched into their DNA to avoid displays of emotion (lest they appear "weak.") JMO

 

[jjleroche]

I don't think it's very likely that she accepted a lift from anyone, known or unknown. Why would she, when the whole point of her being out was to exercise?

IMO it's possible that someone used a ruse - eg "I've hit/found this little dog injured. Do you know who owns it?"
I don't think she'd hesitate to go over to a car in such an instance.

PS I don't think that the puppy's death was coincidental. MOO

 

[Hats]

IMO it's possible that someone used a ruse - eg "I've hit/found this little dog injured. Do you know who owns it?"
I don't think she'd hesitate to go over to a car in such an instance.

PS I don't think that the puppy's death was coincidental. MOO

Yes, I think I saw it even reported somewhere (or a previous post)that she has a history of helping with injured or missing animals, which the perpetrator could have also been aware of.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think it's probably more likely that poor little Ruby the dog was run over accidentally.
I don't suppose anyone is going to own up to it.

 

[Warshawski]

This MOO, but I often think it's the relatives that don't really know someone that well, who peak out, just looking for their 5 minutes of fame!

MOO

I think it’s fair enough for them to act as spokespeople. SM’s immediate family will be too distraught to speak, but Aunt & Uncle said themselves that they feel there’s a need to keep her front of everyone’s mind.

Maybe it’s just one bushy to another, but I don’t have an issue with the way Alan speaks. Samantha’s father is reported to be in his 80s and still working as a truck driver, his brother Alan would be of the same era - that’s how they talk in the bush, straight forward, down to earth and no bulls….t.

 

[BoysTown]

Does anyone remember how long after Karen Ristevski went missing a search (warrant?) of the Ristevski house was done?

Her car wasn’t seized by police until more than 1 year after her disappearance.

 

[Warshawski]

I see what you're saying, but I do think that that demeanour is very typical of many Aussie men - particularly middle-aged to older men.

I can't help but wonder how my own father would appear in such a situation. The answer - definitely quite similar to Samantha's husband, but much less comforting - and I'm serious. That's not to say he wouldn't be caring.
He would care deeply.
On numerous occasions, prior to his passing, I observed him in public, appearing to be as cold as steel whilst dealing with trauma, but he would sob his heart out at home - absolutely grief-stricken. IMO many Aussie blokes appear to have it indelibly etched into their DNA to avoid displays of emotion (lest they appear "weak.") JMO

100% from my experience too, particularly of my father when my Mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer ( which she eventually beat) and then when he found her after / while having catastrophic fits as a result of an unknown brain tumour ( yes she got through that too, albeit with 1 arm & 2 legs that didn’t work, but she lived happily & still did her cryptic crosswords until 95, passing about a month later.

Although we are basing our comments on the emotional behaviour of a very different generation - MM only in his 50s.

 

[Deleted member 293720]

This MOO, but I often think it's the relatives that don't really know someone that well, who peak out, just looking for their 5 minutes of fame!

MOO

They are a bit too much, and how do they know what happened ? They weren't there. Furthermore, they have to be a bit sophisticated and tell journalists, we know nothing more, speak to the Detectives handling this

 

[Witness 28]

New Article … but it appears to have some discrepancies ???

Samantha Murphy's husband Mick speaks out after police were seen visiting the family home​

• Husband issues message to Australia
• Comes after police visited family home

The heartbroken husband of missing mum-of-three Samantha Murphy has spoken out two weeks after his wife's disappearance.

Ms Murphy, 51, left her home off Eureka Street in East Ballarat, north-west of Melbourne, to go for a run in Woowookarung Regional Park just after 7am on February 4 and has not been seen since.

On Monday, her husband Mick Murphy issued a message to Australia.

'We want Sam home please,' he told 7News.

Mr Murphy told the outlet his family are 'doing the best we can under the circumstances'.

Samantha Murphy's husband Mick speaks out after she vanished

The heartbroken husband of missing mum-of-three Samantha Murphy has spoken out two weeks after his wife's disappearance.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The DM are reporting this as occurring today, Monday, yet Seven News reported this information last night with the same wording …..

IMO

A might have misrepresented his feelings only because there were pictures of him smiling all the time, which is a bit strange ,you loved one goes missing you don't smile ,but then again I don't know what he's feeling or how he responds to things, everyone remembers Lindy Chamberlain very stoic no expression but a lot of people thought she was innocent, and the majority thought that she was guilty, my feelings at the time I thought she was innocent, because more than one person saw the dingo entered the tent.

 

[Witness 28]

Absolutely TGY. . . I’m not convinced she left for the run at 7am. Unless police have a CCTV pic of her outside the house just after that time, how do they know that ?

I'm with you I believe ,if you want to murder someone,you can plan and set cameras up and let that be your alibi. I want the police to rule him out as a suspect then we can all move on, until then, we have Suspicious Minds.

 

[ChuckE]

We want Sam home please that's it from MM! Why the "please"? I feel this communication is intentional, pleading to someone who we know nothing about relating to her disappearance...only communication from MM ...IMO this simple request is not so simple...

 

[ScottToorak]

We want Sam home please that's it from MM! Why the "please"? I feel this communication is intentional, pleading to someone who we know nothing about relating to her disappearance...only communication from MM ...IMO this simple request is not so simple...

Do you think he is talking to kidnappers?