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

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If the alleged perpetrator was traveling south from the alleged Mt Clear murder scene the dam is on the route to where the most recent searches for her body have been in Enfield State Park.

1728120116260.jpeg

I think it is possible he quickly pulled over to toss the phone into the dam before hiding her body in the hope that his (and her) movements would be less traceable in the immediate aftermath of the alleged murder. I imagine he was acting with urgency.

There are possibilities that his phone data is what provided information for the dam search location. He may have had apps that inadvertently track and log his location or his iphone may have logged a proximity to Sam’s iphone via Bluetooth.
Interestingly Bluetooth will still be able to locate an iPhone for some time after it is switched off.

“Does Find My Work When an iPhone Is Off But Still Has Battery?​

Yes, Find My will work on an iPhone that is turned off, as long as it still has battery power and you have the Find My Network setting switched on.

Luckily, if your iPhone has been moved after it’s been switched off, you will still be able to see its current location using the Find My iPhone feature.

This feature, available for iPhone 11 or newer, relies on Bluetooth to periodically share your iPhone’s location with nearby Apple devices.”

www.certosoftware.com

Does Find My iPhone Work When Phone Is Off? | Certo Software

If you have Apple's Find My iPhone feature enabled on your device, then you can quickly locate it. But does Find My iPhone work when the phone is dead?
www.certosoftware.com www.certosoftware.com
 
February 9th (1week in)

Not deemed suspicious. No cctv yet.

- investigation is now being led by the Missing Persons Squad, with police confirming the Homicide Squad is not involved at this stage, with no "suspicious or sinister circumstances" uncovered to date.

- Police are yet to uncover any other CCTV footage after she left her home on Sunday,

- Ms Murphy was wearing a watch and carrying her phone at the time she disappeared.

- police previously confirmed the device pinged near the Buninyong Golf Course


 
Oona said:
If the alleged perpetrator was traveling south from the alleged Mt Clear murder scene the dam is on the route to where the most recent searches for her body have been in Enfield State Park.

View attachment 535546

I think it is possible he quickly pulled over to toss the phone into the dam before hiding her body in the hope that his (and her) movements would be less traceable in the immediate aftermath of the alleged murder. I imagine he was acting with urgency.

There are possibilities that his phone data is what provided information for the dam search location. He may have had apps that inadvertently track and log his location or his iphone may have logged a proximity to Sam’s iphone via Bluetooth.
Interestingly Bluetooth will still be able to locate an iPhone for some time after it is switched off.

“Does Find My Work When an iPhone Is Off But Still Has Battery?​

Yes, Find My will work on an iPhone that is turned off, as long as it still has battery power and you have the Find My Network setting switched on.

Luckily, if your iPhone has been moved after it’s been switched off, you will still be able to see its current location using the Find My iPhone feature.

This feature, available for iPhone 11 or newer, relies on Bluetooth to periodically share your iPhone’s location with nearby Apple devices.”

www.certosoftware.com

Does Find My iPhone Work When Phone Is Off? | Certo Software

If you have Apple's Find My iPhone feature enabled on your device, then you can quickly locate it. But does Find My iPhone work when the phone is dead?
www.certosoftware.com www.certosoftware.com
Click to expand...

The other thing that may have led them to Enfield State Park and other locations is vehicle telematics. (@mrjitty has mentioned this before).

In the Suzanne Morphew disappearance, the telematics from her husband's vehicle's computer system showed the investigators many things about his vehicle. Like when doors opened, how long they were open, how far the vehicle travelled, in what direction.
They never found Suzanne herself via the telematics. They discovered her remains 3½ years later when searching for a different missing person.
But they were able to formulate other things about the alleged crime via the telematics.

imo
 
Porky1 said:
I find that recording a little odd
Click to expand...

I believe that is the way that the police video things, so they stand up in court and show the chain of evidence.
Put a marker there, pick up the item with gloved hands, maybe look at it a bit, and put it in an evidence bag.
 
SouthAussie said:
The other thing that may have led them to Enfield State Park and other locations is vehicle telematics. (@mrjitty has mentioned this before).

In the Suzanne Morphew disappearance, the telematics from her husband's vehicle's computer system showed the investigators many things about his vehicle. Like when doors opened, how long they were open, how far the vehicle travelled, in what direction.
They never found Suzanne herself via the telematics. They discovered her remains 3½ years later when searching for a different missing person.
But they were able to formulate other things about the alleged crime via the telematics.

imo
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised to see something like that.

Another possibility is they know where the victims phone went dark and then where the killer reappears - having been dark for the crime - then by looking for the route between those points, they have a theory for searching.

Often perps make the mistake of turning their phone back on when they are 'safe' but that in fact shows where they have been.
 
Rocket333 said:
Safety and convenience. I do it and the bulk becomes secondary. I’d rather the hassle of the bulk than find myself in a situation without my phone and access to money. I’m starting to think this is a gendered preference and it’s motivated by trying to safeguard against unsafe situations. Unfortunately didn’t work for Sam.
Click to expand...
I agree, although I didn’t use those phone wallets for long - just too bulky. It’s easier to wear a smart watch, cards loaded and a phone. Wallet left at home and would be useful if phone/watch was misplaced. The question is, how many runners take a bulky phone wallet?
 
Trooper said:
why on earth would she take her credit cards with her on a run down a bush track?... mystery to me....... ok , then.. credit cards it is.. could that be a mistake in reportage? ID card, possibly.... although, in AU that's usually a drivers licence, or .. pensioner card, or bank card, maybe, ID cards are not, as a rule, issued by any govt in AU, far as I know..
Click to expand...

Porky1 said:
You can still elect to receive a physical drivers license in addition to digital, certainly in my state. Perhaps the reporting may have embellished the type of cards, I guess it could have been other loyalty cards plus the phone. Iam still puzzled by running with the phone case, irrespective of its contents. A phone fits nicely in leggings pockets but a case doesn’t.
Click to expand...

Trooper said:
another mystery to me. Folks do all sorts of different things to me, who knew??... :p I would not dream of carrying my wallet, cards, etc in the same holder as my phone. Lose one and you lose the lot.. then again, maybe Samantha was not as clumsy as me, ....this sound more probable even as I type.
Click to expand...
I'll weigh in on the phone/wallet/card topic.

I'm a mum of a similar vintage to Samantha, although I have never used a phone cover/wallet like this. I do know of others my age (and it seems to be creeping in with the younger generation too) that have pared down their stuff and no longer carry a purse/wallet, just a few select cards in a phone cover like this. Many loyalty type cards and even credit cards can be stored digitally now, so I imagine she may only have had a licence, a debit and/or credit card and not much else. It depends how much she embraced technology. Not all of us around this age do. (Although she had a smart watch and ear pods, so you could argue she was on board with new technology.)

If you're used to carrying this around with you, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to put it in the pocket of your leggings for a run. I doubt you'd be paring things down for different occasions - it goes with you, as is, for all occasions. It all comes down to what you're used to. I've put my phone (no flip cover, just a case) in the pocket of leggings to go for a walk/something resembling a run without any drama. It's held tight to your skin so you don't even know it's there.

From the perspective of a woman, I think we tend to keep all our stuff together. Either in a handbag, purse, phone (digitally) or cards in a flip phone cover. As a man, you tend to also keep all your stuff together in a wallet, or flip case. It might come down to age, gender, country you live in etc as to whether you're comfortable carrying everything together like this. You could argue it's easier to keep track of one item than multiple, and multiple gives you more chances of losing something important.
 
mrjitty said:
I wouldn't be surprised to see something like that.

Another possibility is they know where the victims phone went dark and then where the killer reappears - having been dark for the crime - then by looking for the route between those points, they have a theory for searching.

Often perps make the mistake of turning their phone back on when they are 'safe' but that in fact shows where they have been.
Click to expand...
What we don't know is.. what was HIS phone doing, recording, turning on, turning off, dropped, thrown, lost, found... we are going to find out, though., Mr J.... I have no doubts, just as Samantha had her phone with her, he had his with him. I'll put the family farm on it, and it is probably, more than hers, going to be the one piece of techo that has sunk him. His own phone. And not just that day, but the days after, as well.

We don't know what he was doing at Mt Clear that morning, we don't know how long he'd been there, or why, but he had his phone, I have convinced myself, as much as I am convinced he fiddled with her phone, just because he could, he just wanted to..

A lot of that 'unprecedented amount' of disclosure that so discombobulated the defence probably will have come from his phone. Where he went. Who he went with. Who rang him, who he rang. ..
 
Bats said:
MOO, throwing a phone at a distance into the dam seems oddly flippant to me.
Click to expand...
You could be right. Maybe he’s flippant. Maybe he’s impulsive. Maybe he was in a mad hurry because he was panicking and his girlfriend was trying to contact him and Sam’s phone started beeping in his car. Stop, toss, keep going.
 
Trooper said:
What we don't know is.. what was HIS phone doing, recording, turning on, turning off, dropped, thrown, lost, found... we are going to find out, though., Mr J.... I have no doubts, just as Samantha had her phone with her, he had his with him. I'll put the family farm on it, and it is probably, more than hers, going to be the one piece of techo that has sunk him. His own phone. And not just that day, but the days after, as well.

We don't know what he was doing at Mt Clear that morning, we don't know how long he'd been there, or why, but he had his phone, I have convinced myself, as much as I am convinced he fiddled with her phone, just because he could, he just wanted to..

A lot of that 'unprecedented amount' of disclosure that so discombobulated the defence probably will have come from his phone. Where he went. Who he went with. Who rang him, who he rang. ..
Click to expand...
On that note, does anyone know, if he had his phone off but was getting calls from his girlfriend or mother etc, whether the incoming calls (even voicemails) would cause his location to be captured or registered somehow?
 
Rocket333 said:
You could be right. Maybe he’s flippant. Maybe he’s impulsive. Maybe he was in a mad hurry because he was panicking and his girlfriend was trying to contact him and Sam’s phone started beeping in his car. Stop, toss, keep going.
Click to expand...
Maybe he thought he'd got rid of it.. Let's face it , he had to drive SOMEWHERE, not for long, and not far, with the dead body of his victim propped up next to him, his nerves must have been shot to shreds, no matter how cool he thought he was, he is 22, not fully formed, and not in control of his emotions, he's been on a bit of a reckless tangent for a while, public intoxication, public drug use, bad driving resulting in traffic offences, etc... he is not operating with any high degree of IQ, perhaps he never has, so it isn't improbable that he forgot something, something important, too.

...
 
Rocket333 said:
Safety and convenience. I do it and the bulk becomes secondary. I’d rather the hassle of the bulk than find myself in a situation without my phone and access to money. I’m starting to think this is a gendered preference and it’s motivated by trying to safeguard against unsafe situations. Unfortunately didn’t work for Sam.
Click to expand...
Yes, unfortunately, as females we grow up with a sixth sense for danger. We learn from a very young age to do things to safeguard ourselves. The way we walk, the way we carry ourselves, our eye for potential danger etc. Many things become second nature and are subconscious. Sadly, even doing all these things doesn't always keep us safe.

Samantha appeared to be a very responsible woman, with a busy life, and her phone connected her to that life. Whatever else she chose to keep in her phone case probably tied in with that lifestyle. Women of our age grew up in times before the internet and mobile phones, and we tended to be prepared for any outcome when we left the house. What comes to mind is always having enough cash to pay our way on a date, and having enough to get a taxi home from a night out. Basically having a back up plan, which came about before we even left the house. All these things combined make me think Samantha could definitely have just become used to doing everything with that phone case, including putting it in her leggings for a run.
 
Rocket333 said:
On that note, does anyone know, if he had his phone off but was getting calls from his girlfriend or mother etc, whether the incoming calls (even voicemails) would cause his location to be captured or registered somehow?
Click to expand...

Voicemails are stored on the provider's voicemail server, and he would be notified he had a voicemail when the phone was turned back on. When you dial in to retrieve a voicemail, you are actually dialing in to the provider's server.

Text messages store on the provider's server, and come through when the phone is turned back on.

If his phone was off they wouldn't register on his phone/connect to the phone until it was turned back on.

www.simplymac.com

What Happens If You Send A Text To A Phone That Is Turned Off? - SimplyMac

It's natural to feel anxious about whether someone you texted has received your message. We all eagerly wait for the "read" notification or a response after
www.simplymac.com www.simplymac.com

www.zdnet.com

Your iPhone's deleted voicemails aren't actually deleted. Here's why and how to delete them for good

If you like keeping your phone tidy by periodically deleting old messages and voicemails, you may be surprised to hear that those voicemail messages you deleted two years ago may still be on your phone.
www.zdnet.com www.zdnet.com
 
Trooper said:
Maybe he thought he'd got rid of it.. Let's face it , he had to drive SOMEWHERE, not for long, and not far, with the dead body of his victim propped up next to him, his nerves must have been shot to shreds, no matter how cool he thought he was, he is 22, not fully formed, and not in control of his emotions, he's been on a bit of a reckless tangent for a while, public intoxication, public drug use, bad driving resulting in traffic offences, etc... he is not operating with any high degree of IQ, perhaps he never has, so it isn't improbable that he forgot something, something important, too.

...
Click to expand...
Is the what the CCTV footage has captured? Sam sitting in the passenger seat? I’d assumed in a Ute, perhaps dual dab that she was laid down out of view, or in the the tray, covered.
 
Porky1 said:
Is the what the CCTV footage has captured? Sam sitting in the passenger seat? I’d assumed in a Ute, perhaps dual dab that she was laid down out of view, or in the the tray, covered.
Click to expand...
It never occurred to me that he would put the body in the tray section! do you think??? I just never thought of that possibility until I read your post!!!.. that is one hell of a risk, ....

I need to rethink things!!

you think he bought a cover with him?? prepared the tray, or the back seat, ??

no I don't know, nor does anyone except the Barristers and the DPP and 40 police, etc.. whats on the CCTV< I had to think how it proceeded... I do not think he carried her away from Mt Clear. broad daylight, fully grown woman, hot day... I don't see him doing that on foot. not for long..
 
Trooper said:
What we don't know is.. what was HIS phone doing, recording, turning on, turning off, dropped, thrown, lost, found... we are going to find out, though., Mr J.... I have no doubts, just as Samantha had her phone with her, he had his with him. I'll put the family farm on it, and it is probably, more than hers, going to be the one piece of techo that has sunk him. His own phone. And not just that day, but the days after, as well.

We don't know what he was doing at Mt Clear that morning, we don't know how long he'd been there, or why, but he had his phone, I have convinced myself, as much as I am convinced he fiddled with her phone, just because he could, he just wanted to..

A lot of that 'unprecedented amount' of disclosure that so discombobulated the defence probably will have come from his phone. Where he went. Who he went with. Who rang him, who he rang. ..
Click to expand...

agreed.

my guess is it will be suspiciously off or in airplane mode for key events.
 
Trooper said:
It never occurred to me that he would put the body in the tray section! do you think??? I just never thought of that possibility until I read your post!!!.. that is one hell of a risk, ....

I need to rethink things!!

you think he bought a cover with him?? prepared the tray, or the back seat, ??

no I don't know, nor does anyone except the Barristers and the DPP and 40 police, etc.. whats on the CCTV< I had to think how it proceeded... I do not think he carried her away from Mt Clear. broad daylight, fully grown woman, hot day... I don't see him doing that on foot. not for long..
Click to expand...
I always imagined his ute had a hard canopy because it was his work vehicle and he had his sparky tools in it. Like in this article.

www.9news.com.au

Samantha Murphy's alleged killer's ute seized by police

www.9news.com.au www.9news.com.au
 
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