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]

Thanks AWS. Can you show us the whole thing please? Is it an arc or a circle?

sure. An Arc is simply a section of a circle. The upper portion of the circle goes through Mount Clear.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

That is a fallacy.
And, yes, there were concerns for her safety. Sam was not answering her phone (which apparently she always answered), she was late home, she was due to attend a brunch.

You can report someone as missing at any time. There is no time limit or period to wait.

Report a missing person

Learn about when someone is considered a missing person, and how to make a missing person’s report to the police.

www.police.vic.gov.au

This was from the below channel 9 news article:
"Samantha Murphy functioned like "clockwork", so her husband knew something was wrong when she failed to return to her Ballarat East home on the morning of February 4."

Coupled with the fact she did not answer her phone and was late coming home, "functioning like clockwork" might prompt police action quicker than normal. Perhaps she knew some local police, who were aware this was very out of character, so pushed to be involved sooner. Perhaps the weather or terrain meant police acted quickly. Let's be honest - could it have been because she's a white, middle aged woman, with work/home/community obligations who appeared to be very responsible, organised, and followed a routine? She was an upstanding member of society. In the days following, she caught the attention of the media, and the world, it seems. She was relatable, the mum-next-door type. Who really knows why police acted so quickly, given she was an adult and AFAIK, had no other reasons why police would act immediately. Police do tend to move quickly for minors, those with mental or physical health concerns, or those believed to be vulnerable/in danger. Could it been as simple as it was a quiet policing day, and they figured it would just be a matter of searching some trails and finding her with a twisted ankle, or a snake bite, making her fit the "being in danger" category? We may never know.

'Life was really good, and then this': Samantha Murphy's husband speaks

www.9news.com.au

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Given the recent posts about the phone, it makes this scenario more likely as phones don't work underwater. Those who say the phone was at the dam have to reconcile that the phone was not in the dam and why they did not reconcile the phone earlier. But we know the phone was underwater at that dam.

The owner of the dam was questioned early on, suggesting that it was about that 5pm ping from the single cell phone tower. How we can be sure of only one phone tower?

Samantha Murphy mystery is starting to unravel

Alternatively did he actually turn the phone on before he threw it in the water creating the ping?

Initial reports Samantha's phone PINGED off the Buninyong tower supposedly at 5pm on the day she was doing a 14km run and was switched on.

But I find it interesting, that Mick had stated previously that her phone was OFF as he had tried calling her that morning.

 

[australianwebsleuth]

Initial reports Samantha's phone PINGED off the Buninyong tower supposedly at 5pm on the day she was doing a 14km run and was switched on.

But I find it interesting, that Mick had stated previously that her phone was OFF as he had tried calling her that morning.

It was off because he turned it off. It was detected with apple phone tracking or he turned it on just before he threw it in the dam .

 

[Scooby-Doo]

It was off because he turned it off. It was detected with apple phone tracking or he turned it on just before he threw it in the dam .

Or possibly it was put into a metal box, which would eliminate a ping from the tower

 

[mrjitty]

It was off because he turned it off. It was detected with apple phone tracking or he turned it on just before he threw it in the dam .

Which apple phone tracking do you mean here?

If it pinged the tower, it must have been turned back on at 5pm, at some location in that sector - we don't know where exactly. My guess is this perp is an idiot, because by doing that, he created enough of a lead that they found the phone in the end.

 

[australianwebsleuth]

Which apple phone tracking do you mean here?

If it pinged the tower, it must have been turned back on at 5pm, at some location in that sector - we don't know where exactly. My guess is this perp is an idiot, because by doing that, he created enough of a lead that they found the phone in the end.

This is the post about iPhone tracking. I have shortened it. I also have a post showing had an iPhone 12. o essentially they could of searched for SM phone and its possible any iPhone determined its position including phone.

Mobile phones can be detected when turned off.

I am going to show you that late model iPhones can be detected even when turned off. All it requires is another iPhone to pass within range of the phone. The U1 chip is found in iPhones since the 11 model. There are two chips that enable this. U1 and U2. The U2 chip is newer and found in later models.

There is an article below published by lifehacker Australia that contains information on the U1 chip.
How to Find Your Lost iPhone, Even If It's Turned Off

I will quote from this article of lifehacker;

How does offline iPhone tracking work?​

Apple will now use its low-power U1 chip to continue tracking the location of an iPhone even after it’s switched off. This feature is enabled by default once you install iOS 15 on a compatible iPhone (every iPhone after iPhone 11, including the latest iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro).

When the iPhone is turned off, Apple continues to run its Low Energy Bluetooth chip via a custom secure applet. The rest of the device is completely switched off (including the always-on processor that’s used for background tasks like “Hey Siri” requests).

The other part of the equation has to do with Apple’s Ultra Wide Band U1 chip. Just like with the AirTags, your iPhone will keep on sending cryptographically secure beacons out to other Apple devices. And when someone passes near your switched-off iPhone, it will pick up those beacons, and will relay that information securely using the Find My network.

Essentially with the newer U2 Chip, the range is even better and has been tested to over 60m. This is found in the latest iPhones and is discussed in 9to5mac.

iPhone 15 can locate your friends up to 60 meters away with Precision Finding [Video] - 9to5Mac

We don't know exactly which phone Samantha had. So long as she had an iPhone newer than iPhone 11 her phone was detectable when turned off.

 

[australianwebsleuth]

Which apple phone tracking do you mean here?

If it pinged the tower, it must have been turned back on at 5pm, at some location in that sector - we don't know where exactly. My guess is this perp is an idiot, because by doing that, he created enough of a lead that they found the phone in the end.

Essentially he did not even have to turn it on, if he still had the phone as he had an iPhone 12.

Former schoolmate lifts the lid on Samantha Murphy's accused killer

In this article you can see a photo with his girlfriend.

He appears to be taking a photo into a mirror. His thumb appears to be on the side button.

It appears to be an iPhone 12. The position of the camera is reversed due to the mirror. The logo appears obscured.

Questions;

1. Could this be another brand of phone?
2. Could Samantha Murphy's turned off phone have been identified at 5 pm because it was close to his phone using the apple technology I have earlier described.
3. Did they identify the accused because his phone was the one that provided the location information for SM phone?
4. Did turning off SM phone actually make it easier for the police to identify him.

Some say that apple encrypts the information but could the service provider identify the ping based on the possibility his phone found the SM phone at 5pm.

Thoughts.

Because he had a late model apple phone, her phone could be identified if he was carrying it even if turned off.

 

[mrjitty]

Essentially he did not even have to turn it on, if he still had the phone as he had an iPhone 12.


Because he had a late model apple phone, her phone could be identified if he was carrying it even if turned off.

Ah ok - yes i read this. But this would not be a ping on the tower from her phone.

Rather a short range bluetooth type connection to another apple device in range over some 10s of meters - then the info conveyed by that phone into the apple cloud.

I think it's always a bit unclear on these skanty news reports exactly what happened, but my take is the phone must have been on at 5pm to hit the tower direct.

IMO

 

[Scooby-Doo]

If a phone is turned off or not connected to the internet, it may not be able to respond to a ping.

So I wonder If her phone was actually turned off at 11am ? When Mick said he tried to call and said it was turned off ?

But her phone was in the vicinity at the time of the Ping, and was switched on.

Also, it's quite possible the phone was out of range for a time, without necessarily moving.

Someone could have kept Samantha's phone for some time before discarding it in the dam.

 

[callmehenry]

Or possibly it was put into a metal box, which would eliminate a ping from the tower

Like a toolbox perhaps?

 

[Rocket333]

8th Feb

* Sam had a phone, watch & ear pods
* Searching east of Geelong Road, which goes straight down the middle of @australianwebsleuth ‘s circle (earlier post).

“Investigators are focusing the search on the Ballarat East, Canadian and Mount Helen areas east of Geelong Road, looking for any sign of Ms Murphy, including her iPhone, Apple Watch or earpods.”

* The mine shafts were ruled out early?

“Acting Inspector Macdougall confirmed that disused mine shafts were no longer part of the search.”

* Day 5 and police haven’t identified anything suspicious in the forest. Why is there no signs of a struggle or attack?

“The family of a Ballarat woman missing for five days has pleaded for her to "come home soon" as authorities confirm they have not identified any suspicious circumstances in the ongoing search.

'Mum please come home soon': Daughter of missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy makes tearful plea

Jess Murphy says she knows her mum is out there as she addresses media in a desperate bid to help the search for missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Curiousobserver]

This is the post about iPhone tracking. I have shortened it. I also have a post showing had an iPhone 12. o essentially they could of searched for SM phone and its possible any iPhone determined its position including phone.

This may be how they got him-

Your IPhone works like an Airtag when it is shut off for a certain period of time. It will report that is has been found if another iphone comes close. Perhaps that other iphone was his or his girlfriends phone.

 

[australianwebsleuth]

This may be how they got him-

Your IPhone works like an Airtag when it is shut off for a certain period of time. It will report that is has been found if another iphone comes close. Perhaps that other iphone was his or his girlfriends phone.

This is what all my posts are about. A real possibility that phone was identified because he switched off SM phone and they were able to identify him because his phone was the one that picked up SM phone through tracking.

 

[australianwebsleuth]

Ah ok - yes i read this. But this would not be a ping on the tower from her phone.

Rather a short range bluetooth type connection to another apple device in range over some 10s of meters - then the info conveyed by that phone into the apple cloud.

I think it's always a bit unclear on these skanty news reports exactly what happened, but my take is the phone must have been on at 5pm to hit the tower direct.

IMO

We actually don't know what they did. There is no report on how they found her phone at 5pm. Her phone was off, they may have used iPhone tracking.

 

[BreakingNews]

It’s interesting that Police were involved so quickly. Either there were known concerns for her safety or the timeline wasn’t what was published. Still something fishy. Missing Persons usually not acted on in less than 24 hours.

Sorry, but that is incorrect about nothing acted on within first 24 hours of missing person. Never has been the case in Australia. In fact the first 24 hours are the most crucial.

Report a missing person

Learn about when someone is considered a missing person, and how to make a missing person’s report to the police.

www.police.vic.gov.au

 

[Porky1]

Maybe police intelligence led them to the dam and the phone, or the property was of interest to police. They had reportedly visited there before, another possibility someone is helping police

Why throw the phone at all? If he is on the way to disposing of the body, why risk a stop and not just dispose of the phone with the body? If he is on the way back, and presumably just realised he still had the phone, why choose that location and that dam ? When he could easily destroy the phone by other means

They have not connected the alleged murderer with the phone or the dam yet, and unless they can do so, it can be indicated that someone else might be involved.
And how long and when it got there?
Finding the phone without finding Samantha opens up more possibilities, including one where the phone was disposed of by someone other than the alleged murderer

Doesn’t that property have pigs? and aren’t pigs used for disposal? horrible I know. Mind you, his Bunnings trip to buy a tarp and rope (allegedly) wouldn’t be necessary in that case.

This case is fascinating for all the wrong reasons. Similar to Greg Lynn’s trial, with all the layers. VicPol did a great job and hoping they can nail this case too.

 

[drsleuth]

Doesn’t that property have pigs? and aren’t pigs used for disposal? horrible I know. Mind you, his Bunnings trip to buy a tarp and rope (allegedly) wouldn’t be necessary in that case.

This case is fascinating for all the wrong reasons. Similar to Greg Lynn’s trial, with all the layers. VicPol did a great job and hoping they can nail this case too.

Bunnings trip??

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Bunnings trip??

It appears you are not an Aussie drsleuth.
Bunnings is a massive hardware chain store here in Australia. It's often the undoing of many a criminal, who goes there to purchase shovels, cement, acid, weights, you name it. CCTV footage will often capture them just before or just after the crime, casually wandering out like they didn't just kill/are about to kill another human. I'm sure the footage can be used to show pre-meditation in some case.

Oh, and don't forget to get a Bunnings snag while you're at it, if you're mind is not elsewhere. Local community groups are able to book a day to sell sausages in bread and cans of soft drink as a fundraising effort.

 

[drsleuth]

It appears you are not an Aussie drsleuth.
Bunnings is a massive hardware chain store here in Australia. It's often the undoing of many a criminal, who goes there to purchase shovels, cement, acid, weights, you name it. CCTV footage will often capture them just before or just after the crime, casually wandering out like they didn't just kill/are about to kill another human. I'm sure the footage can be used to show pre-meditation in some case.

Oh, and don't forget to get a Bunnings snag while you're at it, if you're mind is not elsewhere. Local community groups are able to book a day to sell sausages in bread and cans of soft drink as a fundraising effort.

Haha well aware of what Bunnings is

More questioning that the accused did a Bunnings trip to buy the good old tarp & rope, as I've not heard that before in this case.