Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #9

[ProfCluezo]

Agreed, ProfCluezo. In my opinion, it all seems like a mad scramble to ditch evidence at this point.

So I wonder what prompted the urgency? What were police doing at or around that time? Were there police cars searching the area? Helicopters above? Did gf or a parent or friend call and did PS have to suddenly be somewhere…? And hence need to get rid of evidence on the spot, and hence carelessly… Understanding whatever caused the “mad scramble” could be a key lead to other possible evidence…. JMO…

 

[SLouTh]

So I wonder what prompted the urgency? What were police doing at or around that time? We’re there police cars searching the area? Helicopters above? Did gf or a parent or friend call and did PS have to suddenly be somewhere…? Understanding whatever caused the “mad scramble” could be a key lead to other possible evidence…. JMO…

IIRC the helicopter did search the Buninyong area first (as that is where the last ping was located …. ) And also IIRC was that around 3pm-ish or just a bit later ???? It was before they searched the forest area by air …

Maybe that caused some panic???

As he would probably not have expected the Police to search that area first???

JMO

 

[Sarti]

Did gf or a parent or friend call and did PS have to suddenly be somewhere…? And hence need to get rid of evidence on the spot, and hence carelessly…

My money is on this idea ProfCluezo, for now...who knows, though. Drugs and alcohol can certainly cause extremely paranoid episodes. I speak from experience.

 

[Sarti]

IIRC the helicopter did search the Buninyong area first (as that is where the last ping was located …. ) And also IIRC was that around 3pm-ish or just a bit later ???? It was before they searched the forest area by air …

Maybe that caused some panic???

JMO

Excellent take. Thinking back to my drug and alcohol days, if I saw a police chopper overhead at pretty much *any* time, I would freak the hell out. Ditch anything untoward immediately.

 

[ScottToorak]

can fingerprints be obtained from items that have been submerged for extended periods? I do believe the phone would have been underwater a few months back as the dam level seems to have fallen?

 

[Whatson]

In my opinion, the accused, in a mad panic, has ditched the items somewhere familiar to himself (accused being a motocross enthusiast of sorts)... Perhaps he was friends with the owners and rode their occasionally. Might have been able to perch up out there on his own at times and go about his business.

The fact that you don't find that many new looking phones in wallets thrown in people's private dams + the private property having motocross tracks makes me believe this is Sam's phone... or perhaps his?

 

[Dotta]

So I wonder what prompted the urgency? What were police doing at or around that time? Were there police cars searching the area? Helicopters above? Did gf or a parent or friend call and did PS have to suddenly be somewhere…? And hence need to get rid of evidence on the spot, and hence carelessly… Understanding whatever caused the “mad scramble” could be a key lead to other possible evidence…. JMO…

I wonder about fingerprints/DNA on the phone's (rough) cover.

Fingers crossed.

 

[SLouTh]

can fingerprints be obtained from items that have been submerged for extended periods? I do believe the phone would have been underwater a few months back as the dam level seems to have fallen?

Honestly I don’t know a definitive answer … we need a forensic expert …

But possibly the best chance of prints would be on the bank cards ??? If the alleged offender took them out and looked at them before placing them back in the phone case ??? (Sort of protecting them from the water)

IMO

 

[ProfCluezo]

Let’s hope there is some covert surveillance of PS tonight… Some of those body language readers Troops has advised us vicpol use could potentially provide some useful insights…
JMO

 

[Kemug]

A little while back someone suggested that PS may have done some work in that big shed. I should think there would almost certainly be electric work needed -- power points for power tools, etc etc. I would assume that the floor is concrete, otherwise I think it might be worth digging it up. Just a thought.

 

[ProfCluezo]

I’m still hoping it is a doggie that helps locate Samantha…

 

[Sarti]

I’m still hoping it is a doggie that helps locate Samantha…

Doggies rule the universe (and elsewhere) in my heart, so I hope for this too...

 

[Dotta]

Let’s hope there is some covert surveillance of PS tonight… Some of those body language readers Troops has advised us vicpol use could potentially provide some useful insights…
JMO

"No body
No parole"
is looming over somebody's head.
Reality screeches.
Good!

 

[Scooby-Doo]

They look like someone's "backyard" tracks carved out for the kids. I used to search google maps a decade ago when looking for new riding places

View attachment 506504View attachment 506505

These look a distance from the road ? I was trying to see on Google Earth. Police have had to clear bush to get through. If that's the case. The accused murderer would have had to make an effort to get onto the property, park his vehicle on the side to climb over into bushes to get to the dam. Why and why that dam ??? And take all that risk of being spotted and the hassle ? When he could have disposed of the phone and any other items elsewhere nice and easy.
Unless someone else has disposed of the phone for him and any other personal items for the accused murderer

 

[Dr Samoht]

Doggies rule the universe (and elsewhere) in my heart, so I hope for this too...

Ruff justice perhaps …

 

[TootsieFootsie]

If it is Samantha's phone, I wonder if among the other things they found were her watch.

 

[ProfCluezo]

Anyone know what kind of info might be potentially retrievable from the phone in that condition? Those flip cases are remarkably protective in my experience…

 

[Dotta]

Anyone know what kind of info might be potentially retrievable from the phone in that condition? Those flip cases are remarkably protective in my experience…

DNA.

If the perp didn't use gloves - there is perp's DNA nestling in/on the cover.

I'm 100% sure

JMO

 

[ProfCluezo]

Regardless of what is found the location of the phone is another “data point” so to speak… and if this can be cross-matched with other details like time, from dash cam, witnesses, location of choppers, phone calls to PS etc then this potentially provides police with more evidence to potentially link the alleged murderer to SM…. Even if a body isn’t found… though I suspect police will now move much closer towards that possibility…
JMO…

 

[Sarti]

Anyone know what kind of info might be potentially retrievable from the phone in that condition? Those flip cases are remarkably protective in my experience…

Here's a Reddit post I found about an iPhone 13 submerged in seawater 6 metres deep for 24 hours...everything worked after the phone was retrieved:

https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/11f3ngk/iphone_13_survived_24hrs_in_sea_water_6m_deep

Obviously that's a much shorter amount of time than we are looking at here, so it's hard to tell.