Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #11

[australianwebsleuth]

They also searched Brown Hill & Black Hill & Nerrina

They have searched areas including Buninyong, Ballarat East, Mount Clear, Brown Hill, Nerrina, Black Hill, Scotchmans Lead, Mount Helen and the Woowookurung Regional Park.

No new leads and a tight lid on protracted investigation — what we know about Samantha Murphy's disappearance

A "top priority" investigation, numerous police interviews and a supportive community effort have been features of a search in the month since Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy disappeared.

www.abc.net.au

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So they searched brown hill and black hill prior to the arrest.

 

[drsleuth]

So they searched brown hill and black hill prior to the arrest.

Yes

 

[Rocket333]

I’m not familiar with Ballarat and appreciate there’s a lack of scaling and there’s more search areas, but is this the general gist of where things lie?

 

[australianwebsleuth]

After looking at a map, it appears there is extensive bushland in this region. Lal Lal to the east of Buninyong has a dam/lake and a picnic area. It's where a woman who was also running was attacked a year earlier. It's reasonably close to Scotsburn. Again heavily wooded with multiple fire trails. There are mines and a steep gorge. It looks like an area that he would have visited growing up. He may know it well. It is my best bet for where he could of disposed of a body.

First Nations advocate hit with 'rock tied to the end of the stick' in weekend run attack

Sissy Austin, a former member of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria has been brutally attacked by a man wielding a makeshift club during a weekend run through a state forest near Ballarat.

www.abc.net.au

 

[drsleuth]

From what I can tell, yes. The other sites including brown and black hill were searched prior to any arrest.

BBM : What significance does that have, as opposed to after his arrest?

 

[australianwebsleuth]

BBM : What significance does that have, as opposed to after his arrest?

They did not have the phone pings and were not necessarily looking for someone who was murdered or even have a suspect.