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

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Insp Heany added that Ms Murphy is “mentally and physically” fit and a habitual jogger in rough terrain who could run over 15 kilometres at a time.

Paula Heenan, a friend of over 20 years, told the Herald Sun there is “no way” Ms Murphy is eluding search efforts.

The devoted mother of three was deeply committed to her children, Ms Heenan said, and it would be her nature to return.

“There’s no way that she would consciously not be trying to get back,” she said.

“Every fibre of her being would be trying to get back to her children.”

“There’s no way she would leave them or (not do) everything in her power (to come back).

 
Jogger, Sissy Austin, who was brutally attacked in Lal Lal State Forest, near Ballarat, last year, revealed the vulnerability of female members of the search party to harassment by “unruly men.”

Ms Austin, 29, stated: “It’s hard. There’s been a few unruly men out in the forest.”

She disclosed to The Project that just the previous day, two men were reported to the police for allegedly harassing female searchers, necessitating one woman to seek refuge in her car.

Consequently, the search party has a heightened sense of vigilance, with a strong emphasis on pairing up for safety.
 
I'm wondering if the having recently had Covid affected her more than she thought it would.
I don't know that I have ever had Covid, but during the larger lockdown we had in the beginning, I had what I thought was flu. I didn't go to the Dr, or get a test. I didn't have any of the systems that they said at the time might be Covid.

Unlike other times when I had the flu, this one left me weak and shaky for weeks, especially when it came to walking. I'd feel fine until I actually started on a longish walk and had to turn back several times.

The question does remain, if she became unwell, where is she.

Would she have called for help or find a place out of the sun to rest awhile.
 
I feel horrible that I am still suspicious of the husband. I watched the Baden-Clay case so closely, and read the book twice - there are so many things that are similar, and the husbands response during the media conference yesterday was ringing alarm bells - also the fact that he's "staying at home" instead of out helping to search - which is what GB-C did.
Isn't it terrible that that's how a lot of us think now thanks to the history of these things?
 
TootsieFootsie said:
I'm wondering if the having recently had Covid affected her more than she thought it would.
I don't know that I have ever had Covid, but during the larger lockdown we had in the beginning, I had what I thought was flu. I didn't go to the Dr, or get a test. I didn't have any of the systems that they said at the time might be Covid.

Unlike other times when I had the flu, this one left me weak and shaky for weeks, especially when it came to walking. I'd feel fine until I actually started on a longish walk and had to turn back several times.

The question does remain, if she became unwell, where is she.

Would she have called for help or find a place out of the sun to rest awhile.
Click to expand...
I agree with you about her potentially not being as fit as she thought she might have been given her recent COVID infection, however I am with you 100% on the ‘where is she’ if it was a medical issue - she would not run off into the bush land if she felt unwell and even if she did for some reason, how far would she have gone ? Surely given the amount of people searching they would have located her by now..
 
Harry'sMum said:
I feel horrible that I am still suspicious of the husband. I watched the Baden-Clay case so closely, and read the book twice - there are so many things that are similar, and the husbands response during the media conference yesterday was ringing alarm bells - also the fact that he's "staying at home" instead of out helping to search - which is what GB-C did.
Isn't it terrible that that's how a lot of us think now thanks to the history of these things?
Click to expand...
I try not to be but yes as you say due to the history of similar cases I instantly got suspicious of him. However, still innocence until proven guilty. JMO. Hope Sam is found soon.
 
After following cases for many years, even since childhood, it's always taken me a lot longer to voice my suspicions, because I want to be fair to whoever the public has targeted as "no way he or she didn't do it"

Some times the public was right, but just as often they were wrong.
With Baden Clay, it took a lot more than just seeing him speaking for me to truly believe he did it.
Many people aren't used to being interviewed and will act in all sorts of strange ways, so that interview with him didn't by itself make me think he was guilty of anything. It was other evidence, like the scratches and cleaning the house etc.

I know. Once here, I met Tony Robinson while he was filming in our town.
He said hello and shook my hand, and I froze and all that came out of my mouth was "lovely" LOL

I meant to say lovely to meet you :)

There is no right or wrong way to act when being hounded by the media.
Many innocent people have been judged because they didn't act as people expected an innocent person to act.
 
Victoria Police Inspector Bob Heaney was speaking about the case on Sunrise this morning.

He also revealed police had been "limited" in the ability to track the mother-of-three's phone and Apple Watch, which she was wearing on her run.

Her phone was last pinged near Buninyong Golf Club on Sunday.

"We know what time she left and we've got a fairly large area to search where we think she may have been coming from that data which we've been focusing on the last six days now," Inspector Heaney added.


And it sounds as if they have eliminated Samantha running in the direction of the CCTV vision (of someone else running) ... presumably because they haven't seen Samantha running past on that camera. imo

Victoria Police being challenged by lack of CCTV and remoteness of area where Samantha Murphy vanished while on a run
 
TootsieFootsie said:
After following cases for many years, even since childhood, it's always taken me a lot longer to voice my suspicions, because I want to be fair to whoever the public has targeted as "no way he or she didn't do it"

Some times the public was right, but just as often they were wrong.
With Baden Clay, it took a lot more than just seeing him speaking for me to truly believe he did it.
Many people aren't used to being interviewed and will act in all sorts of strange ways, so that interview with him didn't by itself make me think he was guilty of anything. It was other evidence, like the scratches and cleaning the house etc.

I know. Once here, I met Tony Robinson while he was filming in our town.
He said hello and shook my hand, and I froze and all that came out of my mouth was "lovely" LOL

I meant to say lovely to meet you :)

There is no right or wrong way to act when being hounded by the media.
Many innocent people have been judged because they didn't act as people expected an innocent person to act.
Click to expand...
I get that too - which is why I'm feeling bad that I still suspect him. When Jill Meagher disappeared, after her husband Tom faced the media, it was so close to Allison Baden-Clay's murder (Allison in April, Jill in September of the same year) that everybody immediately judged him as guilty - and he wasn't. Though I will admit that watching Tom on the news, I did think "no...he's innocent. His grief is etched in his face - he's doing all he can to find her". I didn't get *that* feeling with Tom that he was guilty. I wish I felt the same way about this hubby. I'm praying I'm wrong and can come back later and go "I was so so wrong".

Then again I also look back at the Azaria Chamberlain case - which was two years before I was born, but my mother told me all about it - she was on the fence, but said that watching Lindy Chamberlain's interviews on the news made her feel like she was guilty. My father (who passed away just after Lindy was cleared, so I don't have his opinion other than what my mother told me he said) was adamant she was guilty based on her demeanour just after the disappearance, and what the news showed of the event. As a teen I was really interested in the case, read the book Evil Angels (didn't see the movie, actually read the book) and it captivated me how harshly she was judged, despite the clear evidence the dingo took the baby, based solely on her demeanour during interviews and court appearances. And yet...here I am doing the exact same thing. So I'm really hoping that I'm reading him wrong.
 
So SM is not on any CCTV apart from her own?? JMO I wonder if that is at all possible. Meaning could she get to her walking route without being captured on anyone's CCTV. I am not saying it's not possible but how many options are there in that area, maybe there is a lot??? JMO

Could mean she didn't make it to even do her jog/walk at all, one option. IMO

So the ping of the phone at the Golf Course - would the Golf Course have CCTV?? A car/person leaving from that entrance of the forest?? JMO

If there is another person involved - they have to eventually leave the area with or without her.JMO

But they could look to see if there was any vehicles/people entering and leaving the area - might be a long shot?? JMO
 
SouthAussie said:
About 11-12 km from home. Around Buninyong.

This article says that the first search in scrubland behind the Buninyong Golf Club was based on the last phone ping. I imagine that they have been able to triangulate the phone pings to be able to name the Buninyong area specifically.

‘Mum, we miss you so much’: Family issues emotional plea for missing Ballarat woman



Could the Buninyong Golf Club (clubhouse) be the "Ballarat hospitality venue"? Or is Buninyong too far out of Ballarat to be considered Ballarat? I'm not familiar with the area.

imo
Click to expand...
Buningyoung is a suburb of Ballarat, I looks huge but under Creswick is not. I know the area, bushland ,old mine shafts, Ballarat Council , they know where they are. It is beautiful area and the local are friendly and helpful.
The Golf Club is the Hospitality Venue the carpark is massive , big spaced area ,I attended a few Christmas Functions there last one was about few years ago. I was always planning their Breakfast Champange Ladies Golf Morning but never got around to it.
They have brought in the Homicide Squad in, because they have more equipment etc (stated Husband is not under suspicion ) but to assist our local Police which they had done in the Kobie Parfitt Case four years ago.
Husband is at home true while searching is going on but there is a reason he manning the phone in case Samantha contacts while family members are helping the the search.
Sadly many CTV Camera at Bush areas have been damaged or locals in my area, which i s the suburb on the other side of Ballarat , the Ballarat Council want CTV Cameras put up in the Playground, walk parks etc but locals fought against it.
It is possible there could been an accident but sound can carry here local would heard it, the suburb is known as a good area and a strong Neighbourhood watch. After COVID, many of Ballarat suburbs have form Facebook Comminity Page and Neighbourhood watch as there been since been increase in crime
 
Sorry to be on a loop about the phone ping. IMO

But how long would it take to run from her house to where the phone pinged. 1 hour? so she could have been there about 8.16. to 8.30 if she is fit and does this regularly?? JMO
 
I was wondering if Samantha could even get to the area where her phone last pinged if she didn't pass that place (sometimes described as a neighbour's house) where the CCTV shows the other person running at 7:16am.

b.jpg

www.abc.net.au

CFA crews withdrawn from Samantha Murphy search as more detectives join case

Police are mystified about the missing Ballarat woman's movements "from the moment she left home" as they make another appeal for public help and missing persons unit detectives take charge.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
 
That's the end of the police update, here's what we learnt:

  • The search for Samantha Murphy is focused on the Buninyong area today
  • The key thing police need from the community is dashcam footage — they're urging anyone who was in Canadian, Ballarat East and Mount Helen on Sunday to review dashcam footage if they have it
  • Missing persons detectives have taken charge of the investigation into Ms Murphy's disappearance
  • The search for her is still led by local police in Ballarat
  • Homicide squad detectives are not involved at this stage
  • Police say they are still working to use phone data to determine who was in the area at the time

copied from Live moment: Police update on search for missing Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy
 
nightrider17 said:
Sorry to be on a loop about the phone ping. IMO

But how long would it take to run from her house to where the phone pinged. 1 hour? so she could have been there about 8.16. to 8.30 if she is fit and does this regularly?? JMO
Click to expand...

I was looking at that last night. About an hour if she was running, about 2 hours if she was walking. Somewhere in between, if she did a combo of running and walking.

I am a little puzzled why Samantha would (reportedly) not have taken any water with her, if she was intending to run/walk a 20km round-trip route.

imo
 
MrJ said:
That's the end of the police update, here's what we learnt:

  • The search for Samantha Murphy is focused on the Buninyong area today
  • The key thing police need from the community is dashcam footage — they're urging anyone who was in Canadian, Ballarat East and Mount Helen on Sunday to review dashcam footage if they have it
  • Missing persons detectives have taken charge of the investigation into Ms Murphy's disappearance
  • The search for her is still led by local police in Ballarat
  • Homicide squad detectives are not involved at this stage
  • Police say they are still working to use phone data to determine who was in the area at the time

copied from Live moment: Police update on search for missing Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy
Click to expand...
Great summary! Thank you!

The last point is interesting.
 
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