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 #8

[Kemug]

Aha, so SM had both her phone and watch with her. It was unclear whether she only had her watch.

I think this is the first time that LE have definitely acknowledged that they have neither her phone nor her watch. That was unclear previously (at least to me).

 

[ProfCluezo]

Forgive me for this looong stretch but I am wondering about the police’s continuing search for Samantha’s watch and phone (that have reportedly still not been recovered…)

I am wondering if the reiteration that these items are still missing may be part of a possible police “flushout…” ?

Please bear with me as I postulate an entirely hypothetical scenario…

In this hypothetical scenario let’s consider the possibility that PS did have an accomplice, associate or even just a “custodian” for certain potentially coveted souvenir items procured by PS…

Let’s also consider the possibility that this third party, hypothetically, could still be in possession of these particular items..

Let’s now consider that this hypothetical “custodians” anxiety and guilt levels must surely be rising in the context of police’s repeated pleas for any information no matter how small… and broadcasting far and wide that the police have still not retrieved SMs electronic items…?!

Obviously no one would want to risk being implicated by having these items in their posession…

So perhaps police are hoping that whoever could potentially be in posession of the missing electronic items might “return” them to the bush…?

What a potentially golden opportunity for this “weakest link” but still guiltily complicit party” to potentially remove themselves from any connection with the whole ugly scenario?

Especially given that (as far as we know) PS has largely been “uncooperative” in terms of speaking with police. A generous interpretation of PS’s silence has been that this may be an attempt to protect an only tangentially linked “associate”, buddy, friend etc..

And/or to ensure PS does not relinquish his coveted “trophies”… ?

For all we know there could be recording devices placed in all kinds of locations and real or staged “searches” to make it clear that police will not give up their investigations until these items are recovered…

This is all entirely hypothetical and speculatory… but could, potentially, connect a few “strange” things websleuthers have commented on today… or I could be losing my mind entirely…?!!

JMO…

 

[Nifty]

Exactly how a search should be. Police and dogs left in quiet to work on solving the case. Without media buzzing around in helicopters and harassing grieving family members on the ground.

Of course a search should be like that, unless the police want the public and media to know

like they did yesterday,

It has the feeling, for a reason only

It's sad to see MM out in his vehicle on the day driving around the tracks there

when the search was publicly announced, and it was busy with media etc...

The media would have had cameras on his house, helicopters above etc..

It would have been less stressful for him, to wait for it to become quiet again

And then go out

 

[drsleuth]

I think this is the first time that LE have definitely acknowledged that they have neither her phone nor her watch. That was unclear previously (at least to me).

Forgive me for this looong stretch but I am wondering about why, NOW, police have acknowledged for the very first time in this investigation that Samantha’s watch and phone have not been recovered…

I feel this is very significant..

I am wondering if stating this is a part of a police “flushout…”

Let’s consider the possibility that PS did have an accomplice, associate of some other kind of party…

Let’s consider the possibility that that third party is in possession of these particular items..

By broadcasting far and wide that the police have still not retrieved these items, they could be hoping to arouse immense anxiety and fear in whoever is in possession of these…

Perhaps police are hoping that whoever could potentially be in posession of these items might “return” them to the bush…?

After all, who would want to be identified as having them in their posession?

For all we know there could be recording devices placed in all kinds of locations and real or staged “searches” to make it clear that police will not give up their investigations until these items are recovered…

This is all entirely speculatory and not based on any facts, aside from the seemingly puzzlingly honest admission from police Re their repeated failure to find electronic items belonging to SM…

JMO…

Police have talked before about looking for Sam's phone & watch before & that they had not been recovered.

Around 6:40 - 7:00 mark where he answers a question : we were looking for Samantha , her mobile phone & watch at the time ( talking about the 1st search at Mt Clear )

 

[ProfCluezo]

DBM - error corrected in earlier post

 

[tiff]

I think the phone and smart watch have been disposed of. As in, smashed to smithereens, burnt and thrown down a mine shaft, never to be seen again, most likely with SM’s body.
I’ve gone back to looking at the dog poo photo to see if SM was wearing any other jewellery. I just can’t tell if she was wearing a necklace, a wedding ring, or earrings. Another photo shows her with hoops in her ears, so she did have pierced ears. I’m thinking these are things that might’ve fallen off or broken off during a struggle, and also items that might have been kept as a trophy somewhere.

 

[Angeline]

Let’s also consider the possibility that this third party, hypothetically, could still be in possession of these particular items..

Let’s now consider that this hypothetical “custodians” anxiety and guilt level must surely be rising in the context of police’s repeated pleas for any information no matter how small… and broadcasting far and wide that the police have still not retrieved SMs electronic items…?!

Obviously no one would want to risk being implicated by having these items in their posession…

So perhaps police are hoping that whoever could potentially be in posession of the missing electronic items might “return” them to the bush…?

What a potentially golden opportunity for this “weakest link but still guiltily complicit party” to potentially clear themselves once and for all from the sordid situation?!!

Especially given that as far as we know PS not cooperated with police inquiries…

For all we know there could be recording devices placed in all kinds of locations and real or staged “searches” to make it clear that police will not give up their investigations until these items are recovered…

This is all entirely hypothetical and speculatory… but could, potentially, connect a few “strange” things websleuthers have commented on today… or I could be losing my mind entirely…

JMO…

You could be onto something there. We don't know who the accused associates with. He could have passed the items on to someone to sell (pretty difficult with today's technology, but still...)

This person could have panicked after PS was arrested, and passed them onto yet another person.

The (hypothetical) person currently in possession of these items might not even know they're connected to a murder.

Edited to add: I know from my own experience with a robbery, that police couldn't track the items because the thief was linked to a whole bunch of thugs and they were transient. Every search warrant came up empty.

The cops only took a special interest in my case because the thief became involved in something much worse shortly after. My items were something they were keeping an eye out for, while investigating something else.

 

[Trooper]

I think the phone and smart watch have been disposed of. As in, smashed to smithereens, burnt and thrown down a mine shaft, never to be seen again, most likely with SM’s body.
I’ve gone back to looking at the dog poo photo to see if SM was wearing any other jewellery. I just can’t tell if she was wearing a necklace, a wedding ring, or earrings. Another photo shows her with hoops in her ears, so she did have pierced ears. I’m thinking these are things that might’ve fallen off or broken off during a struggle, and also items that might have been kept as a trophy somewhere.

I think he kept a trophy. I am sure he thought, no one can connect me to this killing. I want something to memorialize this event, something I can keep in secret, and take out ,and stroke it, possibly wear it, hold it in my hands..... phone, watch... this is my first shot at this , I want a memento, ear rings, rings.. mine. mine , mine..

 

[Trooper]

But something has connected him to this murder. Some monumental mistake he made, something so amateur, so ordinary, so huge, so damning, such a colossal error, that VICPOL managed to nail him for it in 14 days.

 

[tiff]

But something has connected him to this murder. Some monumental mistake he made, something so amateur, so ordinary, so huge, so damning, such a colossal error, that VICPOL managed to nail him for it in 14 days.

When you say it like that, I think of a witness. Someone or something (cctv or dash cam) saw something that pinned the alleged perp to the Mt Clear location.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[BreakingNews]

Forgive me for this looong stretch but I am wondering about the police’s continuing search for Samantha’s watch and phone (that have reportedly still not been recovered…)

I am wondering if the reiteration that these items are still missing may be part of a possible police “flushout…” ?

Please bear with me as I postulate an entirely hypothetical scenario…

In this hypothetical scenario let’s consider the possibility that PS did have an accomplice, associate or even just a “custodian” for certain potentially coveted souvenir items procured by PS…

Let’s also consider the possibility that this third party, hypothetically, could still be in possession of these particular items..

Let’s now consider that this hypothetical “custodians” anxiety and guilt levels must surely be rising in the context of police’s repeated pleas for any information no matter how small… and broadcasting far and wide that the police have still not retrieved SMs electronic items…?!

Obviously no one would want to risk being implicated by having these items in their posession…

So perhaps police are hoping that whoever could potentially be in posession of the missing electronic items might “return” them to the bush…?

What a potentially golden opportunity for this “weakest link but still guiltily complicit party” to potentially clear themselves once and for all from the sordid situation?!!

Especially given that as far as we know PS has not “cooperated” with police inquiries… A (generous) interpretation of PS’s failure to cooperate that has been suggested previously is that PS’s continuing silence may relate to attempting to protect an only tangentially linked “associate”, buddy, friend etc..:

For all we know there could be recording devices placed in all kinds of locations and real or staged “searches” to make it clear that police will not give up their investigations until these items are recovered…

This is all entirely hypothetical and speculatory… but could, potentially, connect a few “strange” things websleuthers have commented on today… or I could be losing my mind entirely…?!!

JMO…

Good hypothetical. However I can't get my head around anyone accused of murder not saying anything to 'protect' anyone else. Except with OMG (Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs). They never dob!

 

[Kemug]

I think he kept a trophy. I am sure he thought, no one can connect me to this killing. I want something to memorialize this event, something I can keep in secret, and take out ,and stroke it, possibly wear it, hold it in my hands..... phone, watch... this is my first shot at this , I want a memento, ear rings, rings.. mine. mine , mine..

I am not one to talk about hunches, gut feelings, etc. But I do think that PS probably kept a trophy - I base this solely upon his looks. See, really scientific!

 

[Angeline]

When you say it like that, I think of a witness. Someone or something (cctv or dash cam) saw something that pinned the alleged perp to the Mt Clear location.

As Troops says, somehow they're certain it was murder, by the accused, at that location... which makes it seem like they have so much more.

 

[Trooper]

I am not one to talk about hunches, gut feelings, etc. But I do think that PS probably kept a trophy - I base this solely upon his looks. See, really scientific!

I base it his age. ( and, now that I think on it, his looks!!) .. I don't think he could bear to throw away a nice cell phone, or her smart watch.. He was over come by his inner magpie, he had to collect it, and save it and hide it, for later. He just could not destroy it.

 

[bearbear]

I am not one to talk about hunches, gut feelings, etc. But I do think that PS probably kept a trophy - I base this solely upon his looks. See, really scientific!

haha! i think he videoed it all, based on his age

 

[ProfCluezo]

Good hypothetical. However I can't get my head around anyone accused of murder not saying anything to 'protect' anyone else. Except with OMG (Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs). They never dob!

But what about “protecting” his trophies…?? As I suggested in my post, an “associate” could be the only remaining link to PS’s hypothetically coveted trophies… !!!

Hypothetically, then, if PS spills the beans on an alleged “custodian” of his souvenirs he loses everything… in addition to kissing goodbye to his trophies he also relinquishes his “gripping” reputation as one of the most “successful” 22 year olds to undertake an (almost) flawless “disappearance” operation, leaving an entire community and nationwise police crew baffled, for weeks…??!! !!

Fame comes in many guises…

There are far more books written about serial killers and true life criminals than about “regular” people, or even famous footballers… ?! JMO…

 

[Poirot's niece]

When you say it like that, I think of a witness. Someone or something (cctv or dash cam) saw something that pinned the alleged perp to the Mt Clear location.

Perhaps a very unwilling accomplice, someone so scared of also being attacked by the accused that they assisted out of fear but fessed up later? And thats how LE have solid evidence?

 

[tiff]

Perhaps a very unwilling accomplice, someone so scared of also being attacked by the accused that they assisted out of fear but fessed up later? And thats how LE have solid evidence?

Or he got off his face again the following weekend and let something slip or someone saw a photo on his phone? Loose lips sink ships.

 

[Angeline]

Just thought it was worth mentioning, that people in criminal gangs can still hold regular jobs (which is a scary thought.)

Did the accused work for his father? If so, I doubt there were criminal checks. He may not have been able to get a job with anyone else.