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

[LuluCherry]

Unlikely IMO - especially in the forest. From images posted, the roads in the area in which she apparently planned to run are very narrow - I doubt there'd be any drinking facilities en route.

It strikes me as rather odd that she didn't take any water with her. Even though the temperature was cool when she apparently headed off, as a runner with at least some experience, she would probably have checked expected temperatures.

Even if she didn't, it's the middle of summer, and she was planning a longish run as stated at the dinner party the previous evening. Water would surely be a no-brainer.

Maybe she did take water. I suspect that it's been assumed that she didn't take water with her, based on the image of her with the doggy-poo bag. (Maybe she'd put any water bottle down while organising the doggy-poo.) JMO

I run (sometimes walk/run) 7-8kms most mornings and have only taken a water bottle once and decided it was too annoying to carry and never did it again. I’ve only felt the need once to stop at a public tap to get a small drink. Other than that, no water. So I can see her not taking any water. I see a lot of other runners and walkers around my area as well, none have water with them, it’s a hassle.

 

[green leaves]

Just with regards to wedding ring comments.
Certainly agree with comments that there’s many reasons why we don’t wear rings anymore, the same as you there’s many reasons we may not go on a family holiday (eg COVID) and many reasons why someone may not be sighted running.
My post is in reference to that, collectively all of these things being the only things we currently have to go on, this is what is leading me to what I think may be a likelier possibility.
There may be more come to light soon, and hopefully it is the best kind of information today.
For what it’s worth I don’t believe the story of the campers from DM. Woowoookarung is not a place for camping especially in a caravan. There’s no facilities and the tracks are windy and very rocky. Driving a car let alone a caravan would be hard work. There’s so information that says to camp there from Parks Victoria.
IMO

 

[Voluspa]

Just with regards to wedding ring comments.
Certainly agree with comments that there’s many reasons why we don’t wear rings anymore, the same as you there’s many reasons we may not go on a family holiday (eg COVID) and many reasons why someone may not be sighted running.
My post is in reference to that, collectively all of these things being the only things we currently have to go on, this is what is leading me to what I think may be a likelier possibility.
There may be more come to light soon, and hopefully it is the best kind of information today.
For what it’s worth I don’t believe the story of the campers from DM. Woowoookarung is not a place for camping especially in a caravan. There’s no facilities and the tracks are windy and very rocky. Driving a car let alone a caravan would be hard work. There’s so information that says to camp there from Parks Victoria.
IMO

I thought they were fossicking for gold in the area Sam was running but camping elsewhere.

 

[Curiousobserver]

I run (sometimes walk/run) 7-8kms most mornings and have only taken a water bottle once and decided it was too annoying to carry and never did it again. I’ve only felt the need once to stop at a public tap to get a small drink. Other than that, no water. So I can see her not taking any water. I see a lot of other runners and walkers around my area as well, none have water with them, it’s a hassle.

Me as well. Unless I will be out for more than an hour I rarely carry water. I leave it my car or wait until I get home.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson said it had been heartwarming to learn that people had made the trip from Melbourne, but also concerning because newcomers did not know the area.

"What we don't want, and what emergency services don't want, is to then need to mount another search for other people," Hudson told Sky News yesterday.

"Ideally people would be (travelling) in twos at least so they can work as a team, but people do need to be careful," he said.

"Ballarat is a town that was built on gold, lots of gold mines are out there - and people have to be mindful of that when they are searching."

Missing Aus mum Samantha Murphy: Searchers warned to take care

The 51-year-old mother of three left home on February 4 to go jogging and has not been seen since.

www.1news.co.nz

 

[Karin1974]

I always take water with me when jogging.
Oh, and a thin bar of chocolate - in case my strength deserts me

I run 5k daily, have never taken water with me on a run & to my partners’ constant irritation, I refuse to wear a hat (Personally, I find they make my head hotter & I cannot run with one on), I’m 49 F & live in Brisbane.

 

[SouthAussie]

I thought they were fossicking for gold in the area Sam was running but camping elsewhere.

The DM says they were camping at the Woowookarung Park lookout, which is basically a pull-off on Boundary Road/Bakers Road, when they saw Sam on the Saturday morning.

After they saw the creepy man .......

The couple then drove 15 minutes away to the lookout in the Woowookarung Regional Park where they camped overnight on Thursday and Friday last week.
Both Ms Agheli and her boyfriend said they heard strange sounds overnight on Friday, prompting Michael to even sleep with a cheese knife under his pillow.

'On Saturday morning Michael said ''I don't feel comfortable here, we should go, I kept hearing things last night, let's pack up and go'',' she said.
Before the couple left the state forest they saw Ms Murphy run past, with the mother-of-three wishing them a good morning.
I was one of the last people to see missing mum when she ran past my campsite on her morning jog

Lookout


Eureka Street to lookout

Google Maps

 

[sapphire blue]

Wedding rings - we physically grew out of them. And you can't widen the rings that much. So, I don't know what the absence of wedding rings say except for...people gained weight, perhaps?

Plain bands can be stretched by up to 5 sizes, or more if an extra metal is added, they can also be decreased easily. Rings with side gemstones are more tricky to resize.

 

[SouthAussie]

For what it’s worth I don’t believe the story of the campers from DM. Woowoookarung is not a place for camping especially in a caravan. There’s no facilities and the tracks are windy and very rocky. Driving a car let alone a caravan would be hard work. There’s so information that says to camp there from Parks Victoria.
IMO

The google maps vehicle got to the lookout (camping spot) okay. The google vehicle went all down Boundary Road, and along Bakers Road.
There is google streetview of the lookout where the couple camped. The dirt road looks traversable by most vehicles. imo


Google streetview

 

[nightrider17]

I might be seeing things. IMO

Australia: Victoria Police search for runner and mother-of-three who vanished six days ago

Missing persons detectives are now spearheading the search for Samantha Murphy who vanished without a trace six days ago and has not been seen since she left her home to go for a run.

news.sky.com

In the photo of SM in her exercise outfit. I wonder if it's her phone under her arm? IMO

Only because her watch has a lightish pink band and the item under the arm is also the same colour? IMO

It would make sense to put your phone out of the way under your arm as you deal with the poop bag.JMO

It obviously could also just be a loose singlet shirt over her undergarments? MOO

 

[MrJ]

Another hot day (35 c/95 f top temp today). Hope Samantha is found soon.

 

[Trooper]

Day 8.. or .... 192 long hot hours of an AU summer. that's an awful long time for a 51 yr old lady to be out in it. This is not a woman who would go off the path, she knows about the old mines, etc, there would be no purpose to it, she is out jogging, and no one courts injury out there, she would stick to the path.

Hard to believe she would arrange to be at a brunch, then decide to disappear from the very event people would report her missing from.

 

[MrJ]

This is not a woman who would go off the path, she knows about the old mines, etc, there would be no purpose to it, she is out jogging, and no one courts injury out there, she would stick to the path.

Hard to believe she would arrange to be at a brunch, then decide to disappear from the very event people would report her missing from.

This is why the abduction theory makes more and more sense to me. IMO the possibility could be someone took her, but if it was pinged in the area that also doesn’t necessarily make sense if she was abducted. Maybe the phone is a red herring and she’s far from the search area? Hard to say without concrete evidence.

 

[SouthAussie]

I would like to know what "strange noises" the camping couple heard on the Friday night.

Were they identifiable strange noises? Like people partying somewhere in the bush, and the sound carries far at night. Or some creature snuffling around in the undergrowth looking for tasty morsels.
Or someone accidently breaking twigs as they tried to quietly step around the campsite.


I notice that (in the DM article) the camper says that her boyfriend lost his Apple watch at some point in their visit to Canadian Forest.

Michael also lost his Apple Watch and Ms Agheli said she had been told by police it last pinged in a similar area to where Ms Murphy's phone had also pinged in the nearby suburb of Buninyong.

I was one of the last people to see missing mum when she ran past my campsite on her morning jog

 

[nightrider17]

Could someone have encountered SM on her regular walk - bundled her into the boot of their car, but didn't leave the area until closer to 7pm?? JMO

Due to that person carrying on with whatever reason they were initially in that area for - work/leisure? MOO

 

[MrJ]

Could someone have encountered SM on her regular walk - bundled her into the boot of their car, but didn't leave the area until closer to 7pm?? JMO

But why? If someone is kidnapping someone else, wouldn't they want to get out of there asap so they wouldn't be seen? Assuming they stayed a while, maybe they dumped the phone at a second location to throw off the search. JMO

 

[Voluspa]

That later ping is truly bizarre.

Have Sam's friends or family stated her phone rang when she didn't show up for brunch or whether it went straight to voicemail?

If they kept calling her throughout the day, is it noted what time this changed?

 

[Trooper]

Maybe it's a bit early to bring up one of our guru's....or maybe it's dead on time...

“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” - Sherlock Homes”​

― Arthur Conan Doyle

 

[bearbear]

sorry, not pleasant, but with the current hot temperatures in the area surely local searchers would by now notice if there was a decomposing dead body nearby?

 

[Voluspa]

sorry, not pleasant, but with the current hot temperatures in the area surely local searchers would by now notice if there was a decomposing dead body nearby?

Absolutely I would imagine. Cadaver dogs would surely locate her remains by now if she's in this area?