Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #12

[StillDiggin]

desperate search continues for a mother-of-three who vanished without a trace after heading off on a 20km run during a heatwave.

Samantha Murphy, 51, was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, about 100km northwest of Melbourne, at 7am on Sunday.

It's understood she was planning to run through the Canadian State Forest and was captured on CCTV wearing a brown singlet and black half-length leggings.

The mother-of-three has now been missing for almost 36 hours

Her 'upset and concerned' family hold grave concerns and described her disappearance as out of character.

Grave fears for mum missing for 36 hours

Samantha Murphy, 51, was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, about 100km northwest of Melbourne, at 7am on Sunday. She's still missing 36 hours later.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Thread #1 Thread #2 Thread #3 Thread #4 Thread #5 Thread #6 Thread #7 Thread #8 Thread #9 Thread #10 Thread #11

 

[Knitty]

IMPORTANT

Effective with the arrest in this case, sub judice is in effect and will be until a trial has concluded. For anyone not familiar with the judicial principle of sub judice, please review the following.

WS is based in the USA but we do try to manage the various discussions to comply with laws of other countries.

As this trial is in Australia, the case is under sub judice so please avoid anything that violates the following principles:

Basically anything that may prejudice the accused’s right to a fair trial
Any suggestion, opinion, or direct accusation that the accused is either guilty OR innocent
(i.e. the accused cannot be called "the killer"; use "the accused", "the alleged killer", or "the defendant")
A defendant’s previous history of any offences is off limits
Scandalizing the court (disparaging judges, lawyers, any officer of the Court) is off limits
Broadcasting anything about proceedings which happen in the jury's absence is off limits
Any non compliance with an Order of the court is off limits

Note in the event of an Appeal subsequent to verdict:
Appeals are usually heard by senior judges who are not likely to be influenced by the media, therefore responsible comment is usually considered acceptable once a trial has concluded, regardless of if there is going to be an appeal.

Posts that are determined to constitute a violation of sub judice will be removed. To avoid this, please review the following from the Victoria Law Reform Commission and post accordingly:
10. Sub judice contempt: restricting the publication of prejudicial information

 

[Knitty]

Please continue here.

 

[Porky1]

Why was Thread11 closed?

 

[iamshadow21]

Why was Thread11 closed?

Threads get closed when they get over a certain length, generally 1000+ posts.

It makes it easier for both users and mods. Over that length, it gets very unwieldy.

 

[Porky1]

Threads get closed when they get over a certain length, generally 1000+ posts.

It makes it easier for both users and mods. Over that length, it gets very unwieldy.

Thanks. I was curious. I’d mentioned a few things that I’d read on another sleuth site and wondered whether I’d crossed a sub-justice line.

 

[JLZ]

Thanks. I was curious. I’d mentioned a few things that I’d read on another sleuth site and wondered whether I’d crossed a sub-justice line.

Have a look at Knitty's links to the rules, especially under this section within her first link, Rules--Etiquette & information.

LINKS and REFERENCING OUTSIDE SOURCES
Websleuths is fact based. Rumors and conspiracy theories are not allowed. Do not link to them and do not mention them.

 

[Warshawski]

Thanks. I was curious. I’d mentioned a few things that I’d read on another sleuth site and wondered whether I’d crossed a sub-justice line.

Don’t stress Porky, you did nothing wrong. And if you did the Mods would let you know.

Welcome btw - good to have you with us, and hopefully you can shed some new lights to arouse our (my) exhausted & perplexed brains !

 

[Warshawski]

Does anyone know if Police are still conducting searches for Samantha ?

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Does anyone know if Police are still conducting searches for Samantha ?

Only the police would know that. There has been no further media announcement

 

[Warshawski]

Only the police would know that. There has been no further media announcement

Agreed Scooby. I just hoped there may be locals who are more privy to what’s going on.

I think it’s sad for SM that within 7.5 months, there’s no more mention of her, no more pleas or updates to jog memories.

She’s still a ‘missing person’.

Police seem convinced she’s deceased, but either way, I’m sure at the very least her children & parents want her / her remains located.

‘Grief’ in a situation such as this, would take a terrible toll I imagine. .. it’s often quite challenging, even destructive, without the ‘unknown’.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Agreed Scooby. I just hoped there may be locals who are more privy to what’s going on.

I think it’s sad for SM that within 7.5 months, there’s no more mention of her, no more pleas or updates to jog memories.

She’s still a ‘missing person’.

Police seem convinced she’s deceased, but either way, I’m sure at the very least her children & parents want her / her remains located.

‘Grief’ in a situation such as this, would take a terrible toll I imagine. .. it’s often quite challenging, even destructive, without the ‘unknown’.

Yes, very hard for her loved ones. I really can't wait until we know more. I hope it's a thorougher investigation

 

[mrjitty]

I'll go in to bat for law enforcement here.

It is exceptionally difficult to find a body that has been buried in a rural area if the perp has a wide potential area to work with. It tends to require a break in the case - some new intelligence to narrow down the area to search, or luck. Bodies often turn up years later from animal disturbance for example.

Even knowing the general area is not sufficient once a general search has failed.

No Stone Unturned is a great book about specialists who do this kind of work.

tldr; while it's tough, it is unfortunately common that there will be no more searches without a break in the case.

 

[drsleuth]

I'll go in to bat for law enforcement here.

It is exceptionally difficult to find a body that has been buried in a rural area if the perp has a wide potential area to work with. It tends to require a break in the case - some new intelligence to narrow down the area to search, or luck. Bodies often turn up years later from animal disturbance for example.

Even knowing the general area is not sufficient once a general search has failed.

No Stone Unturned is a great book about specialists who do this kind of work.

tldr; while it's tough, it is unfortunately common that there will be no more searches without a break in the case.

Or randomly found by a member of the public IMO

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I'll go in to bat for law enforcement here.

It is exceptionally difficult to find a body that has been buried in a rural area if the perp has a wide potential area to work with. It tends to require a break in the case - some new intelligence to narrow down the area to search, or luck. Bodies often turn up years later from animal disturbance for example.

Even knowing the general area is not sufficient once a general search has failed.

No Stone Unturned is a great book about specialists who do this kind of work.

tldr; while it's tough, it is unfortunately common that there will be no more searches without a break in the case.

Or maybe the police know her body can't be brought back, another possibility. If that was the case, it would be brought up during the court process

 

[drsleuth]

Or maybe the police know her body can't be brought back, another possibility. If that was the case, it would be brought up during the court process

If she is down a mine shaft like this, she will never be found, took over 24hrs to retrieve this poor person who accidentally fell 450 meters down a decommissioned mine shaft.

Body of 59-year-old man recovered from NSW mine shaft

A body has been recovered from a decommissioned mine shaft in the NSW Hunter Valley region after an hours-...

www.9news.com.au

Worker's body recovered from 'de-commissioned mine shaft' in the Hunter Valley

The man fell into the 450-metre deep shaft while working at the site.

www.newcastleherald.com.au

A MAN'S body has been recovered and an investigation launched into a fatal workplace incident where a contractor fell down a 450-metre deep mine shaft in the Hunter Valley.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

If she is down a mine shaft like this, she will never be found, took over 24hrs to retrieve this poor person who accidentally fell 450 meters down a decommissioned mine shaft.

Body of 59-year-old man recovered from NSW mine shaft

A body has been recovered from a decommissioned mine shaft in the NSW Hunter Valley region after an hours-...

www.9news.com.au

Worker's body recovered from 'de-commissioned mine shaft' in the Hunter Valley

The man fell into the 450-metre deep shaft while working at the site.

www.newcastleherald.com.au

A MAN'S body has been recovered and an investigation launched into a fatal workplace incident where a contractor fell down a 450-metre deep mine shaft in the Hunter Valley.

Yes very sad. So many possibilities. She could have been taken right out of the area

 

[Trooper]

I'll go in to bat for law enforcement here.

It is exceptionally difficult to find a body that has been buried in a rural area if the perp has a wide potential area to work with. It tends to require a break in the case - some new intelligence to narrow down the area to search, or luck. Bodies often turn up years later from animal disturbance for example.

Even knowing the general area is not sufficient once a general search has failed.

No Stone Unturned is a great book about specialists who do this kind of work.

tldr; while it's tough, it is unfortunately common that there will be no more searches without a break in the case.

Count me in, on the bat business. Ballarat coppers were inundated with murder that fortnight, Mrs Murphy, while the first, was not the last, 2 more women were murdered in the two weeks following, one murderer had the brains to bow out under his own steam after killing the mother of his 5 children, but the other , a 21 yr old, has today decided to skip a Committal and go straight to the Supreme court on a not guilty plea of murdering his girlfriend, placing her body in her car, taking this car down the road, setting fire to it, then writing, on behalf of the dead girl, suicide notes intending to deceive people into thinking she did all this to herself., ( Lachlan Young ) .

All up, for the Ballarat contingent, it was all hands on deck and heads down, helped along somewhat by the IQ (or lack of ) of the killers, the three of them. .. Stephenson, who is accused of murdering a stranger to him, yet somehow managed to be caught, most unusually with stranger on stranger killings, the hardest crimes to solve, in a few weeks. Lachlan Young is a prime suspect, he having motive and opportunity, plus, he involved himself in the search for her car, and could not stop himself from directing searchers towards it. Ian Butler, the other killer in Ballarat, that month, a devotee of the Bandito's bike gang, a man who preferred to be called 'Sherrif'..( who actually called him that is up for grabs but that was how he introduced himself ) didn't bother to either hide her body or his own, and made sure his kids saw it all. ..

Busy times for VICPOL, Homicide Squad, MissPer, and every constable on the beat. mountains of paperwork.

Stephenson, and his Barristers, no doubt, would be watching how Young is going with his chess move of skipping a Committal trial, and going straight on up to the Supreme Court, on a Not Guilty plea, it's highly likely that Young's trial will take place before Stephenson's , even though the crimes were in the opposite order. But anything can happen, in criminal trials, many a slip twixt cup and lip, but the Court is inexorable and rolls right on regardless of feelings and wishes and hopes.

I don't think that VICPOL has made mistakes in these matters , as far as I can see... I go into bat for them with bells and whistles,... VICPOL will never give up searching for Mrs. Murphy's body, Police orgs in AU are not given leave to give up on that kind of stuff, SA police still actively search for the Beaumont children, even now.

 

[callmehenry]

Agreed Scooby. I just hoped there may be locals who are more privy to what’s going on.

I think it’s sad for SM that within 7.5 months, there’s no more mention of her, no more pleas or updates to jog memories.

She’s still a ‘missing person’.

Police seem convinced she’s deceased, but either way, I’m sure at the very least her children & parents want her / her remains located.

‘Grief’ in a situation such as this, would take a terrible toll I imagine. .. it’s often quite challenging, even destructive, without the ‘unknown’.

Am I correct in thinking Mick changed his FB bio to ‘widow’? If so, perhaps the police and the family know more than they have made public (probably for good reason if so)

 

[Warshawski]

Am I correct in thinking Mick changed his FB bio to ‘widow’? If so, perhaps the police and the family know more than they have made public (probably for good reason if so)

On hearsay, you’re probably correct.

Police were quite specific at the press conference on the announcement of Patrick Stephenson’s arrest, that he was being charged with the Murder of Samantha Murphy - most specifically a deliberate attack on her resulting in her death. What evidence they have of that has been kept out of the public domain, and as frustrating as it is for someone like me, I have to admit that’s a sound decision.

However, given the Police announcement, I guess Mick felt it appropriate to change his status. ….