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

[Bats]

There are different reports. But personally, I don't think that is a recent photo of Sam going for a run. I don't think she was about to go for a run, either.
But we will have to wait until everything is revealed in court

Could it be possible that the police didn't have a front on view of her from cctv footage of the morning she left to go for a run. So they have just gone back to a previous day to get a front view that is a good depiction of what she looked like?

The use of the pic was for people who may have seen her to come forward and I doubt the police were concerned whether she was wearing a watch in the picture or not. Would it change someone's mind whether to come forward if the clothes were slightly different to what she was actually wearing in the pic?

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Could it be possible that the police didn't have a front on view of her from cctv footage of the morning she left to go for a run. So they have just gone back to a previous day to get a front view that is a good depiction of what she looked like?

The use of the pic was for people who may have seen her to come forward and I doubt the police were concerned whether she was wearing a watch in the picture or not. Would it change someone's mind whether to come forward if the clothes were slightly different to what she was actually wearing in the pic?

Who knows ?
But as I have said before, there could be a reason why police have used that still photo as the main photo, so not to show the bottom half, they would have got plenty of stills that day though.
But I don't think that was a photo of her going for a run on the day she disappeared
It could help if the police showed a photo of the runners, Sam was supposed to be wearing that morning, in case they are found in the forest, was she wearing a hat ?? Etc... There are a lot of rubbish dumped in there as well

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Without the date and time on the photo from her security camera, that might not be a recent photo, there are no running shoes in the photo, and it doesn't show how long her pants are.

To me, it looks like she has had a shower and getting ready to go out somewhere, not going for a run

What police tell the media is one thing, but what they really know is kept quiet

Shortened by me.

I disagree. I think it is a recent photo, probably from the day she went missing. I also think she looks dressed for a run. I'm sure it's been mentioned somewhere in MSM that she was always well put together (does anyone recall reading that?) and takes pride in her appearance. I believe she looks well enough put together for a run, but she probably wouldn't dress like this to venture out of the property for any other reason. In this photo her hair is roughly pulled back, with loose strands. Off her face and perfect for a run. The singlet she's wearing looks like it's a sports one, perfect for a warm summer's run. It also looks like she's wearing the black leggings that she wore on the day, again designed for sports. It also appears that the end of her runners (black) appear to be poking out from behind the car. She is wearing her apple watch, and quite possibly has her iphone tucked in the pocket of her leggings. We can debate all day as to why this was the photo released, and why there is no visible date stamp. I personally think that police wanted a recent pic of her released, wearing the clothes she had on, so people could be on the lookout. Remember, this was released in the very early days, before police stated she had been murdered in Mt Clear in a deliberate attack. She was a missing person at this stage, not an alleged victim of murder.

One photo was used to show what she was wearing on the day IMO.

"Murphy is described as Caucasian, about 173cm tall with a slim build and shoulder-length blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing black leggings and a maroon/brown-coloured singlet."

CCTV sought as search resumes for missing Victorian woman

www.9news.com.au

The second photo obvs. shows her face more clearly.

Police often used stills from CCTV that don't include timestamps. Mostly likely they've cropped the photo to focus in on the missing person and removed other info such as the timestamp as it's not considered relevant for the public to know. I don't think it's a big deal.

Agreed. I can imagine that had this photo been released and the time showed something like 6am instead of the time she left, the focus of it would be the time, and not Samantha. I also know a lot of cameras have the wrong date and time, because often people just don't get around to resetting them. I really don't think it's a big deal.

 

[Rocket333]

No trace of Sam at the alleged crime scene. No blood, no personal items, no environmental disturbances.
Makes you wonder if she got in his car (even initially willingly) and the car contains the crime and the evidence.

“It’s certainly unusual when we haven’t been able to locate any trace of her or any other evidence within that period of time,” he said. - Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton

Forensic psychologist Tim Watson-Munro said what baffled him about the case is that there has been “no evidence” to examine, explaining there is usually a small clue left behind for investigators to work with.

Missing mum family's grisly theory, 'clue' that's left them baffled

More family members have broken their silence, sharing their frightening theory.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Shortened by me.
View attachment 528931
I disagree. I think it is a recent photo, probably from the day she went missing. I also think she looks dressed for a run. I'm sure it's been mentioned somewhere in MSM that she was always well put together (does anyone recall reading that?) and takes pride in her appearance. I believe she looks well enough put together for a run, but she probably wouldn't dress like this to venture out of the property for any other reason. In this photo her hair is roughly pulled back, with loose strands. Off her face and perfect for a run. The singlet she's wearing looks like it's a sports one, perfect for a warm summer's run. It also looks like she's wearing the black leggings that she wore on the day, again designed for sports. It also appears that the end of her runners (black) appear to be poking out from behind the car. She is wearing her apple watch, and quite possibly has her iphone tucked in the pocket of her leggings. We can debate all day as to why this was the photo released, and why there is no visible date stamp. I personally think that police wanted a recent pic of her released, wearing the clothes she had on, so people could be on the lookout. Remember, this was released in the very early days, before police stated she had been murdered in Mt Clear in a deliberate attack. She was a missing person at this stage, not an alleged victim of murder.


Agreed. I can imagine that had this photo been released and the time showed something like 6am instead of the time she left, the focus of it would be the time, and not Samantha. I also know a lot of cameras have the wrong date and time, because often people just don't get around to resetting them. I really don't think it's a big deal.

How do you know she is wearing running tights ? They look loose and look like black slacks,
You can't see any running shoes, she might have black shoes on, not that you can see that either.
I don't agree, she looks like she is about to go out somewhere and casually picking up the dog poo, she is also coming up from the driveway and not going down.
But we don't know for sure if it's a recent release, why would the police delete the time and date on the still photo ?
So people could be on the lookout ? What about a photo of her running shoes ? Regardless of early days, she was missing, and you would normally provide a full photo so you can see all the clothing

 

[callmehenry]

In England when people go missing (not all cases though), the police usually find replicas of the clothes the person is wearing and release the images to the press so everyone knows what to look for. I find it quite curious that this didn’t happen in Samantha’s case

 

[Scooby-Doo]

No trace of Sam at the alleged crime scene. No blood, no personal items, no environmental disturbances.
Makes you wonder if she got in his car (even initially willingly) and the car contains the crime and the evidence.

“It’s certainly unusual when we haven’t been able to locate any trace of her or any other evidence within that period of time,” he said. - Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton

Forensic psychologist Tim Watson-Munro said what baffled him about the case is that there has been “no evidence” to examine, explaining there is usually a small clue left behind for investigators to work with.

Missing mum family's grisly theory, 'clue' that's left them baffled

More family members have broken their silence, sharing their frightening theory.

www.nzherald.co.nz

I wouldn't be surprised If she's been taken far away from the scene

 

[HoneyBunOne]

How do you know she is wearing running tights ? They look loose and look like black slacks,
You can't see any running shoes, she might have black shoes on, not that you can see that either.
I don't agree, she looks like she is about to go out somewhere and casually picking up the dog poo, she is also coming up from the driveway and not going down.
But we don't know for sure if it's a recent release, why would the police delete the time and date on the still photo ?
So people could be on the lookout ? What about a photo of her running shoes ? Regardless of early days, she was missing, and you would normally provide a full photo so you can see all the clothing

I don't know what pants she is wearing, I said they appear to me to be leggings.
I think you can see the toe of one shoe, and again, I think they look like black runners. (I've circled what I believe to be her shoe in the pic below)
Somewhere along the line, she got rid of some dog poo, and that can explain why she is walking in the opposite direction to the gate. If a still was released of her heading towards the gate, we'd have a photo of her back. Not ideal.
I also addressed potential reasons why the time and date stamp is not visible.
All just my opinions of course.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

In England when people go missing (not all cases though), the police usually find replicas of the clothes the person is wearing and release the images to the press so everyone knows what to look for. I find it quite curious that this didn’t happen in Samantha’s case

Definitely agree. I know they did that for Anita Coby and for others who have gone missing
Maybe the police had known much earlier, what has happened to Samantha's demise

 

[SouthAussie]

In England when people go missing (not all cases though), the police usually find replicas of the clothes the person is wearing and release the images to the press so everyone knows what to look for. I find it quite curious that this didn’t happen in Samantha’s case

They do that here too, if they don't have a photo of what they were wearing. In this case they had the CCTV photo.

In the Karen Ristevski case, VicPol put up a replica of the same kind of clothing that Karen was wearing. Because they had no CCTV.

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/karen-ristevski-has-been-missing-for-almost-a-month-as-police-step-up-search/news-story/576fcd9759456e1326308d6308d3b3e2

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I don't know what pants she is wearing, I said they appear to me to be leggings.
I think you can see the toe of one shoe, and again, I think they look like black runners. (I've circled what I believe to be her shoe in the pic below)
Somewhere along the line, she got rid of some dog poo, and that can explain why she is walking in the opposite direction to the gate. If a still was released of her heading towards the gate, we'd have a photo of her back. Not ideal.
I also addressed potential reasons why the time and date stamp is not visible.
All just my opinions of course.

Well, she has a very long leg. That looks like part of the bumper of the car and her pants look loose and not tight, it would actually be a better photo of her back heading towards the gate, as we would at least see the full length of her plus if she had running shoes on and knee-length tights and was actually going for a run

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Well, she has a very long leg. That looks like part of the bumper of the car and her pants look loose and not tight, it would actually be a better photo of her back heading towards the gate, as we would at least see the full length of her plus if she had running shoes on and knee-length tights and was actually going for a run

We'll agree to disagree on this one.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

They do that here too, if they don't have a photo of what they were wearing. In this case they had the CCTV photo.

In the Karen Ristevski case, VicPol put up a replica of the same kind of clothing that Karen was wearing. Because they had no CCTV.

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/karen-ristevski-has-been-missing-for-almost-a-month-as-police-step-up-search/news-story/576fcd9759456e1326308d6308d3b3e2

Police did come across CCTV footage that reveals what is believed to be Karen Ristevski's car heading to where her body was found.
The family home did have CCTV but unfortunately wasn't working for five to six months

Depends on police intelligence as well if they want to release any CCTV, especially If they already have good leads

https://heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/security-cameras-did-not-catch-missing-mum-karen-ristevski-leaving-home/news-story/61c942286677a956b7736301c3a5dc2d

 

[SouthAussie]

Police did come across CCTV footage that reveals what is believed to be Karen Ristevski's car heading to where her body was found.
The family home did have CCTV but unfortunately wasn't working for five to six months

Depends on police intelligence as well if they want to release any CCTV, especially If they already have good leads

Perhaps you misunderstood the context. I was speaking of CCTV of the missing person in the clothes that they were wearing at the time.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Perhaps you misunderstood the context. I was speaking of CCTV of the missing person in the clothes that they were wearing at the time.

Well, I will be interested to hear about the clothes during the court proceedings

 

[Rocket333]

I don't know what pants she is wearing, I said they appear to me to be leggings.
I think you can see the toe of one shoe, and again, I think they look like black runners. (I've circled what I believe to be her shoe in the pic below)
Somewhere along the line, she got rid of some dog poo, and that can explain why she is walking in the opposite direction to the gate. If a still was released of her heading towards the gate, we'd have a photo of her back. Not ideal.
I also addressed potential reasons why the time and date stamp is not visible.
All just my opinions of course.

To emphasise the obvious, as the public we only get told what we need to know in order to provide assistance, such as the police releasing this curated image of Sam in her driveway, and their requests for help, like with handing in cctv. If we’re not told, or not provided with info it’s intentional because Vicpol are all over it and our input is not needed. Thats a no brainer right? Vicpol would quite likely have a stack of clear info (cctv) of her outside her home, and her journey along her street to the forest. Given that, and if the driveway photo is of her on the morning of 4th Feb (which I believe is correct) and it is curated (intentionally chosen for what it reveals and also what it excludes), think about what’s being offered to us and what’s its purpose? We’re being provided with a thigh upwards photo of Sam (potentially) on the morning of the crime to inform us of her appearance (face, clothes, body) for the purpose of generating public attention and help with sightings and information from the day. The photo has been carefully selected for us and there’s info being intentionally provided and also withheld, such as the shoes. Maybe we aren’t being shown the shoes because they are significant to the investigation (ie tracks, prints) and they do not want things like false reports of shoes being found or nutters planting random shoes throughout the forest. Ultimately (and obviously) if Vicpol haven’t told us something it’s because they don’t need our help. Be curious about what we’re given and also what we’re not given. Sam’s wearing what you see; black leggings, and a singlet, and there would be more images of her on that morning in her driveway.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

To emphasise the obvious, as the public we only get told what we need to know in order to provide assistance, such as the police releasing this curated image of Sam in her driveway, and their requests for help, like with handing in cctv. If we’re not told, or not provided with info it’s intentional because Vicpol are all over it and our input is not needed. Thats a no brainer right? Vicpol would quite likely have a stack of clear info (cctv) of her outside her home, and her journey along her street to the forest. Given that, and if the driveway photo is of her on the morning of 4th Feb (which I believe is correct) and it is curated (intentionally chosen for what it reveals and also what it excludes), think about what’s being offered to us and what’s its purpose? We’re being provided with a thigh upwards photo of Sam (potentially) on the morning of the crime to inform us of her appearance (face, clothes, body) for the purpose of generating public attention and help with sightings and information from the day. The photo has been carefully selected for us and there’s info being intentionally provided and also withheld, such as the shoes. Maybe we aren’t being shown the shoes because they are significant to the investigation (ie tracks, prints) and they do not want things like false reports of shoes being found or nutters planting random shoes throughout the forest. Ultimately (and obviously) if Vicpol haven’t told us something it’s because they don’t need our help. Be curious about what we’re given and also what we’re not given. Sam’s wearing what you see; black leggings, and a singlet, and there would be more images of her on that morning in her driveway.

Of course, it has been carefully selected and a reason, we aren't privy to what the police know

 

[australianwebsleuth]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/everyone-in-relation-to-sam-is-a-person-of-interest-search-for-samantha-murphy-escalates/video/fd843961de4fd15913b7dbca840bb5cc

Also in this police video, he discusses phone data they had the next day when missing persons took over ( Monday 5th Feb

It was the digital data which allowed detectives to track Samantha arriving at Mount Clear which can be made from her Apple smartwatch.

But If she had a cellular Apple Watch there would have been no need for her to take her phone.

This requires either her phone, with or without a Sim card, to be active OR a cellular-connected Apple Watch.
Police have been very quiet on exact descriptions details of what Samantha had

But we still don't know if the phone had been on the bank for a while or had only recently being placed there ?

And we know the towers were working, because the police allege her phone / watch pinged Mt Clear at 8am

Can you run EarPods off an apple watch? I don't know the answer. If not she had to have her phone.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Can you run EarPods off an apple watch? I don't know the answer. If not she had to have her phone.

If the AirPods that you set up with your iPhone, they're ready to use with your Apple Watch

 

[Warshawski]

No trace of Sam at the alleged crime scene. No blood, no personal items, no environmental disturbances.
Makes you wonder if she got in his car (even initially willingly) and the car contains the crime and the evidence.

“It’s certainly unusual when we haven’t been able to locate any trace of her or any other evidence within that period of time,” he said. - Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton

Forensic psychologist Tim Watson-Munro said what baffled him about the case is that there has been “no evidence” to examine, explaining there is usually a small clue left behind for investigators to work with.

Missing mum family's grisly theory, 'clue' that's left them baffled

More family members have broken their silence, sharing their frightening theory.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Thanks for this article Rocket. It provides the info I’d been searching for re the timeline of when Police were notified :
Murphy was supposed to be back at around 9am, according to Allan. By 11am, two hours after her scheduled return home, Allan said her husband Mick made the phone call to police to report her missing.

I recall that Mick did some searching himself before calling police, which indicates there was not much time to disappear with SM & remove all trace of her from the suggested crime scene.