Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #10

[Nikynoo]

But, on the other hand,
his phone didn't lead Police to Samantha, did it?

Not yet.

 

[Warshawski]

In the attached clip of the "arrest" press conference, Vicpol's Commissioner Shane Patton noted that the alleged killer had been arrested after being interviewed for several hours, and search warrants executed. He also noted that the alleged killer had not disclosed the location of Samantha's body. That infers to me that the alleged perpetrator may have admitted he killed Samantha.


MOO

Many interesting thoughts jjleroche, thank you.

But the BBM above, has not previously occurred to me, but I do think highly possible. Also maybe why Police are so vocal about it being a ‘targeted attack’.
I think there’s a lot more to this.
And I don’t think it was the result of him driving recklessly as the result of a big night prior.

That’s just my very uneducated gut feeling, which will quite possibly be proved to be nothing but the result of last night’s curry

 

[Warshawski]

Re: Phone not being useful after so long in the dam: Yeah it will. There's no reason for the onboard non-volatile memory to become corrupted. Modern solid state storage is stupidly robust.

Thanks Sabex, is it a problem thought to access that information without phone password ?
Also wondered what ‘data’ could be obtained from the Phone that they wouldn’t already have from the Cloud ? ( not talking DNA related)

 

[Warshawski]

I just need to jump in and apologise guys, as I’m way behind. I took a little sanity break & am playing catch up, at the same time am really appreciating your thoughts, and at times can’t resist chiming in
The thing I love about the forum is the exchange of ideas and opinions as if we’re all just sitting around the table - and yet we may be countries removed.

 

[Warshawski]

No, I meant the targeted focus on that specific dam and now. There’s many dams of a similar size located across the area of the last apparent ping.

Why request access to this specific dam 3 weeks ago and put aside 3 days to search?

Where’s the new intel coming from?

“The owner of the property, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail police contacted him about three weeks ago asking to access the property.”

Wonder what prompted this lead?

https://www.skynews.com.au/australi...r/news-story/6e982d7a7e33af78f8056c77b07d5d38

I have no idea, but I thought they would possibly have been checking the whole area, so will have alerted all owners that at some stage they’ll be looking.

 

[Warshawski]

Apparently, the property owner said the police rang him,, about 3 weeks before the search that found the phone , saying that their dogs had alerted at something on the fence line some time previous, during a search back in April? and could they check it out now.

What the something is, he didn't say, and one can probably presume the police didn't tell him, but gee, wouldn't you like to know, ey R, something a dog alerted to. Clothing? some personal item of gear? ..

I’d just question the bit about ‘dogs alerted in APRIL’ - and only now being checked ??

 

[Dotta]

"How the baffling mystery of Samantha Murphy's disappearance ​

is starting to unravel ​

as a new clue firms up theory​

on where her body was dumped.​

It's understood detectives believe the discovery could be the key breakthrough
they've been needing in the long-running search for Ms Murphy's body.

The dam sits about 15 km from Ballarat East
where Ms Murphy was last seen when she took off on her last run on February 4.

Daily Mail Australia was told this week
Missing Persons Unit detectives had been suspicious of the dam soon after taking charge of the investigation,
questioning its owner just weeks later.

Police would not return until early May when they asked the owner again if he would mind police entering his property.

Three weeks passed before Wednesday's search turned up the phone.

The owner of the dam,
who wished to remain anonymous,
suggested
police had no specific information the phone had been discarded there.

'They started all the way down the other end of the road and worked their way up',
he said.

'As far as I know one of the sniffer dogs found it.
A tech dog.'

The location of the dam sits just around the corner from the Durham Lead Nature Conservation Reserve,
which search crews descended upon on April 12.

Back then,
police had also focused their search within the Enfield State Park,
30km south of Ballarat,
and about 5km from the Durham reserve.

The Durham nature reserve is just south of Buninyong
where Ms Murphy's phone was last detected by mobile phone towers
at 5 pm on the day she vanished.

The location of the phone firms-up the police theory
Ms Murphy's killer likely

dumped it in the dam
before heading into the

Durham reserve
to dispose of her body.

Search crews are expected to again venture out into the thick terrain over the coming weeks
as forensic technicians work to extract data from the muddy phone.

The phone could contain information
ranging from an indication to the actual location Ms Murphy died
to video footage or images of her last moments alive."

Samantha Murphy mystery is starting to unravel

Whether it works or not, a mud-splattered phone found at a dam could finally help solve the mysterious disappearance of Samantha Murphy, almost four months to the day after she vanished.

www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

Fingers crossed!!!!

 

[Cedars]

I’d just question the bit about ‘dogs alerted in APRIL’ - and only now being checked ??

Yes, IMO, police are under no obligation to be completely transparent about why they are requesting to search - they know the person will probably speak to the media, so they frequently fudge the facts to conceal their investigative leads.

If they had to apply for a search warrant, they would have to be factual to the judge, but normally the warrant would be sealed, so media couldn't access it. They can't similarly order an outsider to the case not to reveal what they've been told, so they don't tell what they don't want known.

JMO

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

I had an odd question, and wondered if there is any clarification on this point?

There have been several references IIRC to the phone (and other items?) having been thrown ‘in’ a dam. Several items relating to the disappearance of SM IIUC were recently retrieved what seems to be the upper surface of an earthen dam near a lake bed?

Do we know if the items were thrown ‘on’ the dam? Or in the water? Or ‘in’ the dam? Has the water receded and the items appeared?

The upper portion of I believe the dam appears to be fresh earth or bare soil? And was wondering whether it was recently disturbed or regraded? MOO

 

[Dotta]

"How the baffling mystery of Samantha Murphy's disappearance ​

is starting to unravel ​

as a new clue firms up theory​

on where her body was dumped.​

It's understood detectives believe the discovery could be the key breakthrough
they've been needing in the long-running search for Ms Murphy's body.

The dam sits about 15 km from Ballarat East
where Ms Murphy was last seen when she took off on her last run on February 4.

Daily Mail Australia was told this week
Missing Persons Unit detectives had been suspicious of the dam soon after taking charge of the investigation,
questioning its owner just weeks later.

Police would not return until early May when they asked the owner again if he would mind police entering his property.

Three weeks passed before Wednesday's search turned up the phone.

The owner of the dam,
who wished to remain anonymous,
suggested
police had no specific information the phone had been discarded there.

'They started all the way down the other end of the road and worked their way up',
he said.

'As far as I know one of the sniffer dogs found it.
A tech dog.'

The location of the dam sits just around the corner from the Durham Lead Nature Conservation Reserve,
which search crews descended upon on April 12.

Back then,
police had also focused their search within the Enfield State Park,
30km south of Ballarat,
and about 5km from the Durham reserve.

The Durham nature reserve is just south of Buninyong
where Ms Murphy's phone was last detected by mobile phone towers
at 5 pm on the day she vanished.

The location of the phone firms-up the police theory
Ms Murphy's killer likely

dumped it in the dam
before heading into the

Durham reserve
to dispose of her body.

Search crews are expected to again venture out into the thick terrain over the coming weeks
as forensic technicians work to extract data from the muddy phone.

The phone could contain information
ranging from an indication to the actual location Ms Murphy died
to video footage or images of her last moments alive."

Samantha Murphy mystery is starting to unravel

Whether it works or not, a mud-splattered phone found at a dam could finally help solve the mysterious disappearance of Samantha Murphy, almost four months to the day after she vanished.

www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

Fingers crossed!!!!

To add...

I remember posting that it is possible the accused took the victim's body late in the afternoon/early evening to conceal.
(I wrote about dusk approaching)

And it seems Police's theory is that he drove with the body AFTER 5 pm.
AFTER tossing the phone to the dam!!!

My Goodness!

Was he (allegedly) keeping her in the car for soooo many hours?
8 am - 5 pm

Or was the victim relocated?

But,
in case of relocation,
the chances of being witnessed increase.

OR
The attack allegedly happened when the accused was returning home on foot
(and had his phone - pings in the are of the crime),
and
later returned with a car,
retrieved the body
but left his phone at home
(no pings to lead to Samatha).

Allegedly.

JMO

 

[Dr Samoht]

I had an odd question, and wondered if there is any clarification on this point?

There have been several references IIRC to the phone (and other items?) having been thrown ‘in’ a dam. Several items relating to the disappearance of SM IIUC were recently retrieved what seems to be the upper surface of an earthen dam near a lake bed?

Do we know if the items were thrown ‘on’ the dam? Or in the water? Or ‘in’ the dam? Has the water receded and the items appeared?

The upper portion of I believe the dam appears to be fresh earth or bare soil? And was wondering whether it was recently disturbed or regraded? MOO

The roadside edge was cleared of blackberry bushes that day by an excavator to enable a more thorough search .

 

[Cedars]

I had an odd question, and wondered if there is any clarification on this point?

There have been several references IIRC to the phone (and other items?) having been thrown ‘in’ a dam. Several items relating to the disappearance of SM IIUC were recently retrieved what seems to be the upper surface of an earthen dam near a lake bed?

Do we know if the items were thrown ‘on’ the dam? Or in the water? Or ‘in’ the dam? Has the water receded and the items appeared?

The upper portion of I believe the dam appears to be fresh earth or bare soil? And was wondering whether it was recently disturbed or regraded? MOO

I have puzzled over this word 'dam', since I come from a area where dams are large concrete structures controlling fast flowing streams or rivers. I think in my area this would be called a 'pond'.



It does appear that the phone was thrown into the water, and in the subsequent drought the water has receded and exposed the phone.

Perhaps police anticipated this, and that's why they delayed the search.

JMO

ETA, if the phone wasn't chucked from the road, there seems to me to be an obvious location where the killer could have parked out of sight of houses and hopped the fence: just downhill/south where the blackberry bushes stopped.

 

[LeahBee]

Maybe a torque wrench with dial?

Precision Instruments D2F150HM Torque Wrench Dial with Memory Needle 3/8" Dr 150 in lb

Buy Precision Instruments D2F150HM Torque Wrench Dial with Memory Needle 3/8" Dr 150 in lb with an everyday low price and fast shipping! JB Tools

au.jbtools.com

This looks the closest to me

 

[Justoneoftheguests]

I have puzzled over this word 'dam', since I come from an area where dams are large concrete structures controlling fast flowing streams or rivers. I think in my area this would be called a 'pond'.

Dam is a common Australian word for both the type of dam you referred to (usually to hold city/town drinking water) as well as these smaller “watering holes/ponds” found all over farm land. They fill and recede based on rainfall and are generally for supplying water to livestock. Sometimes in times of drought they are completely empty.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

I wonder how severe that motorbike accident PS had was? I know a few guys over the years who have taken major blows to the head and either never been the same again or taken prolonged periods to be the same again and one was due to a motorbike accident. Not looking for excuses for PS, just trying to work out why he might be the way he is.

 

[Dotta]

I wonder how severe that motorbike accident PS had was? I know a few guys over the years who have taken major blows to the head and either never been the same again or taken prolonged periods to be the same again and one was due to a motorbike accident. Not looking for excuses for PS, just trying to work out why he might be the way he is.

Wow
Your post reminded me of American film "Concussion" based on facts
where Dr. Bennett Omalu
(Will Smith), connected the head/brain injuries suffered by athletes with 'chronic traumatic encephalopathy' to the symptoms of depression and violent behaviour.

JMO

 

[Cedars]

To add...

I remember posting that it is possible the accused took the victim's body late in the afternoon/early evening to conceal.
(I wrote about dusk approaching)

And it seems Police's theory is that he drove with the body AFTER 5 pm.
AFTER tossing the phone to the dam!!!

My Goodness!

Was he (allegedly) keeping her in the car for soooo many hours?
8 am - 5 pm

Or was the victim relocated?

But,
in case of relocation,
the chances of being witnessed increase.

OR
The attack allegedly happened when the accused was returning home on foot
(and had his phone - pings in the are of the crime),
and
later returned with a car,
retrieved the body
but left his phone at home
(no pings to lead to Samatha).

Allegedly.

JMO

IMO, there are many possibilities, including that she was alive when abducted, and was taken somewhere more remote or private, where no one would come along, or hear.

IMO, a killer wouldn't stop to dispose of the phone, while they had remains in the vehicle. Having anything happen, like getting the car stuck, having police come up and question why you are littering, IMO, would be too big a risk.

Not sure why the phone wasn't left with the remains. Perhaps there was an effort to establish an alibi, clean up, etc, that was higher priority.

JMO

 

[Rocket333]

I have puzzled over this word 'dam', since I come from a area where dams are large concrete structures controlling fast flowing streams or rivers. I think in my area this would be called a 'pond'.

View attachment 507531

It does appear that the phone was thrown into the water, and in the subsequent drought the water has receded and exposed the phone.

Perhaps police anticipated this, and that's why they delayed the search.

JMO

ETA, if the phone wasn't chucked from the road, there seems to me to be an obvious location where the killer could have parked out of sight of houses and hopped the fence: just downhill/south where the blackberry bushes stopped.
View attachment 507534

Dams here are man made excavated dirt holes usually found on farms to hold water for cattle to drink and/or for crop irrigation etc. The water levels go up and down depending on rainfall. This dam was full of water in February and is close to the road. You could pull over on the side of the road in your car and throw the phone over the bushes and fence into the dam water. In February the phone would have sunk into the water. There’s been no rain for awhile so the dam water level is lowering. As the water goes down you can see the dirt hole, like a bath tub emptying. The phone was found on the outer side of the dam and was now visible because the dam has lost a lot of water. See photo below of the same dam full and less full. Makes sense?

 

[Cedars]

Dams here are man made excavated dirt holes usually found on farms to hold water for cattle to drink and/or for crop irrigation etc. The water levels go up and down depending on rainfall. This dam was full of water in February and is close to the road. You could pull over on the side of the road in your car and throw the phone over the bushes and fence into the dam water. In February the phone would have sunk into the water. There’s been no rain for awhile so the dam water level is lowering. As the water goes down you can see the dirt hole, like a bath tub emptying. The phone was found on the outer side of the dam and was now visible because the dam has lost a lot of water. See photo below of the same dam full and less full. Makes sense?

Yes. What bothers me about the chucking over the fence from the road, is that it appears you would be in view of the house. Perhaps it was dark, or perhaps he just didn't care.



However, confirmation that it was just tossed from the road comes from it having been found near the shallow edge, rather than the middle, deeper part.

JMO

 

[Rocket333]

IMO, there are many possibilities, including that she was alive when abducted, and was taken somewhere more remote or private, where no one would come along, or hear.

IMO, a killer wouldn't stop to dispose of the phone, while they had remains in the vehicle. Having anything happen, like getting the car stuck, having police come up and question why you are littering, IMO, would be too big a risk.

Not sure why the phone wasn't left with the remains. Perhaps there was an effort to establish an alibi, clean up, etc, that was higher priority.

JMO

IIRC the police stated that Sam most likely died in the Woowookarung Regional Park where she was jogging. I don’t think there’s ever been any mention that she may have left the park alive.

I tend to agree with the idea that the accused would not stop to throw out the phone if the body was in the car. Subjectively, I wouldn’t risk it.

Phone possibly wasn’t left with the body for fear of detection or because it was forgotten or something.

JMO