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

[HoneyBunOne]

Gosh… another crazy thought… imagine if she was being held captive with injuries, she’s managed to escape but succumbed to her injuries in a location totally unknown… very far fetched and all IMO.

Or imagine that she had been held captive somewhere, and then her captor gets arrested, charged and is placed in custody, never for her to see him again. That would just be horrific. MIO (My imagination only)

 

[BreakingNews]

Does anyone here know how long a body would smell? Anyone who has smelt a dead body will remember that smell - different from dead roos. So police would not have to had an intensive search for SM at the beginning. They would have been able to smell a body. But how long does that smell last? Seasoned detectives can smell a body up to 1 km away. I'm thinking due to no smell, SM is either not in the area, or weighed down under water.

 

[BGirl88]

Some more rambling thoughts from me (I’m clearly an overthinker)…

Here is a (somewhat) hypothetical timeline, and all IMO:

4 Feb - SM disappears and is murdered that day by the accused.

Her body is left there and hidden.

Over the next two weeks, LE secretly hook up surveillance in the bushes in the areas they believe SM went running.

The accused, concerned that her body might be soon found, returns to the murder scene and bundles up the body. This is captured on the surveillance previously set up by LE. This is when he becomes a prime suspect, and sets in motion a chain of events, including LE beginning a detailed search in the Mt Clear area.

LE don’t make an arrest straight away because they need to follow his movements to see if it will lead them to SMs body.

It eventually comes to the point that LE know they need to make the arrest and so do so that Wednesday morning in March.

All IMO

 

[Deleted member 293720]

Does anyone here know how long a body would smell? Anyone who has smelt a dead body will remember that smell - different from dead roos. So police would not have to had an intensive search for SM at the beginning. They would have been able to smell a body. But how long does that smell last? Seasoned detectives can smell a body up to 1 km away. I'm thinking due to no smell, SM is either not in the area, or weighed down under water.

Depends on the conditions, but around seven weeks

Remember as well in the bush you have animals

 

[T-dawg420]

Does anyone here know how long a body would smell? Anyone who has smelt a dead body will remember that smell - different from dead roos. So police would not have to had an intensive search for SM at the beginning. They would have been able to smell a body. But how long does that smell last? Seasoned detectives can smell a body up to 1 km away. I'm thinking due to no smell, SM is either not in the area, or weighed down under water.

A few years ago now I was staying in short term accomodation, it was basically a motel kinda thing, super small rooms close to each other. Unfortunately a person staying directly across the hall from me passed away, he had committed suicide so without getting too graphic it was pretty messy, with blood, bodily fluids and other matter being left behind. His body was undiscovered for 2 days and it started to smell, after his body was taken away the owner of the motel apparently couldn’t get any forensic cleaners out as it was the period over Christmas.

The room lay uncleaned for 8 days, and with the 2 days the person lay there, it was 10 days in total. And all I can say is by the 10th day the smell was still horrific and very intense…. Like crazy intense. Each day the smell just grew intense in an almost aggressive kind of way.

Now my room was closest to the persons room, door to door maybe a meter and an half away, and the owner left the windows and door open to “air” the room out. So this just spread the smell around. But surprisingly it was maybe a radius of 20 meters or so from the room in which the smell started to dissipate. Im sure while the windows and door were open, it did create a bit of a cocoon to hold the smell (although my room was literally in the direct line of fire, so to speak). So I’m not sure how much a decomposition smell would travel in the open, with wind etc.

But as I said, after 10 days the smell was horrific, I’ll never forget it.

 

[jjleroche]

Some more rambling thoughts from me (I’m clearly an overthinker)…

Here is a (somewhat) hypothetical timeline, and all IMO:

4 Feb - SM disappears and is murdered that day by the accused.

Her body is left there and hidden.

Over the next two weeks, LE secretly hook up surveillance in the bushes in the areas they believe SM went running.

The accused, concerned that her body might be soon found, returns to the murder scene and bundles up the body. This is captured on the surveillance previously set up by LE. This is when he becomes a prime suspect, and sets in motion a chain of events, including LE beginning a detailed search in the Mt Clear area.

LE don’t make an arrest straight away because they need to follow his movements to see if it will lead them to SMs body.

It eventually comes to the point that LE know they need to make the arrest and so do so that Wednesday morning in March.

All IMO

Mmmm. Makes prefect sense to me. Could explain quite a bit. JMO

 

[nao]

Depends on the conditions, but around seven weeks

Remember as well in the bush you have animals

Moo...Roo's die other critters die. In Canada we got big critters, deer, bear, coyotes . . They die, but I hike a lot with my dogs , for decades , have never smelt death. I do look for bones of wildlife, but very very rarely find them.
Australia has a lot of insects, not sure how many are carnivores.
But human bones are quite often found in deserts and dry areas.
It has been awhile. But if the body was in water, maybe it would last longer.?
Police do get called to homes/apartments/tents for smell and sometimes flys. But that is an enclosed area. Much different than put in open. And most bodies are usually found by visual searches not by scent....moo

 

[Deleted member 293720]

Moo...Roo's die other critters die. In Canada we got big critters, deer, bear, coyotes . . They die, but I hike a lot with my dogs , for decades , have never smelt death. I do look for bones of wildlife, but very very rarely find them.
Australia has a lot of insects, not sure how many are carnivores.
But human bones are quite often found in deserts and dry areas.
It has been awhile. But if the body was in water, maybe it would last longer.?
Police do get called to homes/apartments/tents for smell and sometimes flys. But that is an enclosed area. Much different than put in open. And most bodies are usually found by visual searches not by scent....moo

Fresh water yes, but once a body comes out, it's a mess, it will fall apart

 

[marv hucker]

I would be slightly surprised for someone (with a vehicle) to hide a body in Ballarat or its inner suburbs.

Drive 15, 20 minutes out of Ballarat and it’s pretty remote and pretty empty. Lots of state parks, lakes, dams, plantations, reservoirs etc.

 

[hillshaveeyes]

I would be slightly surprised for someone (with a vehicle) to hide a body in Ballarat or its inner suburbs.

Drive 15, 20 minutes out of Ballarat and it’s pretty remote and pretty empty. Lots of state parks, lakes, dams, plantations, reservoirs etc.

I agree.

I don't believe the body is near ballarat. I believe he hid the body short term near Mt Clear, then returned later to take it to a much more discrete location.

One idea that comes to mind, and is only a thought, one I'm sure VICPOL has covered, is that he possibly had access to a small excavator. Electrician's use these sometimes to trench when the shovel will not cut the mustard. Given VICPOL have only seized his Ute, i highly doubt this is the case but he sure has buried/burnt/spread/disposed of the body well.

I don't believe the police are any closer to finding poor Samantha's body. Not without PSs input anyway.

 

[Rocket333]

I agree.

I don't believe the body is near ballarat. I believe he hid the body short term near Mt Clear, then returned later to take it to a much more discrete location.

One idea that comes to mind, and is only a thought, one I'm sure VICPOL has covered, is that he possibly had access to a small excavator. Electrician's use these sometimes to trench when the shovel will not cut the mustard. Given VICPOL have only seized his Ute, i highly doubt this is the case but he sure has buried/burnt/spread/disposed of the body well.

I don't believe the police are any closer to finding poor Samantha's body. Not without PSs input anyway.

I wish I could find the report from possibly the first fortnight (early on) when someone involved in the search was asked why the search had stopped, and they responded (along the lines) that it was a temporary pause to see if anyone returned. I’ve never forgotten it because it was alarming and gave the impression that they expected or hoped that someone would or should return to the site.

 

[Deleted member 293720]

I wish I could find the report from possibly the first fortnight (early on) when someone involved in the search was asked why the search had stopped, and they responded (along the lines) that it was a temporary pause to see if anyone returned. I’ve never forgotten it because it was alarming and gave the impression that they expected or hoped that someone would or should return to the site.

We know that MM turns up unexpectably

Whether anyone else does as well, we don't know

Someone could be sneaking out at night with a big torch, to see what they have hidden of SM is still there

or deciding to move items away from the police searching, closing in as they are getting nervous

The police will be watching like a hawk, to see who turns up

I wouldn't be surprised if the police have placed some hidden cameras in areas of interest

The police will put surveillance on that person and they will be watched

Normally these searches are deliberate with a strong media involvement and announcement to get the attention

If anyone else they suspect of interest, to make them nervous and make mistakes

If someone else was involved, they would be very nervous as they can't reach the accused
to talk


I still think there is more.
The police have been very quiet
In asking for assistance and help etc.
I have a feeling they are closely watching others
Calm before the storm
But we will have to wait and see....
It will all eventually come out

 

[BreakingNews]

Moo...Roo's die other critters die. In Canada we got big critters, deer, bear, coyotes . . They die, but I hike a lot with my dogs , for decades , have never smelt death. I do look for bones of wildlife, but very very rarely find them.
Australia has a lot of insects, not sure how many are carnivores.
But human bones are quite often found in deserts and dry areas.
It has been awhile. But if the body was in water, maybe it would last longer.?
Police do get called to homes/apartments/tents for smell and sometimes flys. But that is an enclosed area. Much different than put in open. And most bodies are usually found by visual searches not by scent....moo

Not sure I follow your point. However I do know that in areas like the NT and northern Australia, police searching can smell a body long before they find it. Nothing to do with animals. The smell of a decaying human body is very different from a dead animal. A smell very distinct and never forgotten.

 

[T-dawg420]

Moo...Roo's die other critters die. In Canada we got big critters, deer, bear, coyotes . . They die, but I hike a lot with my dogs , for decades , have never smelt death. I do look for bones of wildlife, but very very rarely find them.
Australia has a lot of insects, not sure how many are carnivores.
But human bones are quite often found in deserts and dry areas.
It has been awhile. But if the body was in water, maybe it would last longer.?
Police do get called to homes/apartments/tents for smell and sometimes flys. But that is an enclosed area. Much different than put in open. And most bodies are usually found by visual searches not by scent....moo

I agree that most bodies out in the open are found visually rather than by smell. I can think of countless instances of bones being found by sight.

The only case I can think of off the top of my head that a Body or bodies were found by smell is the Soham Murders back in 2002. Where some poor civilian investigated an unusual and unpleasant smell and stumbled upon their bodies.

I do think you must need to be quite close to smell it.

IMO

 

[Rocket333]

It’s been 8 weeks. Depriving Samantha of the chance to return home, and denying her family of her body should be a crime and charge in its own right. It’s just so mind blowingly despicable, cruel and inhumane, especially given her location is known to at least one person.

 

[emirates1957]

Are crime scenes ever devoid of clues?
Don’t we all leave stuff and take stuff wherever we go?

I remember reading “Locard’s principle the perpetrator of a crime will bring something into the crime scene and leave with something from it, that both can be used as forensic evidence”.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

It’s been 8 weeks. Depriving Samantha of the chance to return home, and denying her family of her body should be a crime and charge in its own right. It’s just so mind blowingly despicable, cruel and inhumane, especially given her location is known to at least one person.

I think it's quite telling to clam shut for so long, and after such intense questioning. It takes a certain type of character to not crack under that pressure. If he hasn't cracked yet, I don't think he ever will, unless it works in his favour. I'm guessing that might be the only time he will consider it. I'd hazard a guess and say that he thinks he's above the police, and that without her body they don't have the evidence to get a conviction. Even with a conviction, an appeal is a lot easier when you don't admit guilt. MOO

 

[bearbear]

this is horrible but im wondering if he cut the body into pieces and dispersed parts over a wide range, so she will never be found?

 

[hillshaveeyes]

0Some more rambling thoughts from me (I’m clearly an overthinker)…

Here is a (somewhat) hypothetical timeline, and all IMO:

4 Feb - SM disappears and is murdered that day by the accused.

Her body is left there and hidden.

Over the next two weeks, LE secretly hook up surveillance in the bushes in the areas they believe SM went running.

The accused, concerned that her body might be soon found, returns to the murder scene and bundles up the body. This is captured on the surveillance previously set up by LE. This is when he becomes a prime suspect, and sets in motion a chain of events, including LE beginning a detailed search in the Mt Clear area.

LE don’t make an arrest straight away because they need to follow his movements to see if it will lead them to SMs body.

It eventually comes to the point that LE know they need to make the arrest and so do so that Wednesday morning in believe it's a combination of phone pings, cctv from ballarat the night before, his phone records, possibly dash cam footage - or lack of and his GF testimony (doing weird stuff the Sunday - washing his clothes, washing his car, possible marks on his

Possibly BGirl, but he didn't return for the body otherwise LE would have picked him up in the act?
Surely LE surveillance use live feed cameras?
He may have returned to make sure he didn't leave anything the first time, and may have returned to Mt Clear hence the search later on. Maybe all LE evidence is circumstantial?

 

[Rocket333]

Possibly BGirl, but he didn't return for the body otherwise LE would have picked him up in the act?
Surely LE surveillance use live feed cameras?
He may have returned to make sure he didn't leave anything the first time, and may have returned to Mt Clear hence the search later on. Maybe all LE evidence is circumstantial?

Remember when the media were mentioning the possibility of the perp participating in the searches? Wonder if PS did join the search parties.

“Police will also be considering that one of those searchers is the killer. In that, they have inculcated themselves into that situation to be seen as part of the community, but also keeping an eye on what's going on”.

Explosive new theory emerges in Samantha Murphy search

A groundbreaking theory surfaces in the search for Samantha Murphy, 24 days after her mysterious disappearance.

www.dailymail.co.uk