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

[Oona]

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.



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.”

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

 

[Rocket333]

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

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/crime/police-probe-background-of-samantha-murphy-and-her-movements-in-the-days-before-her-disappearance-from-ballarat-east-home-as-the-search-operation-widens/news-story/8e600dea71c4e970136745ed3fcbb5d3

 

[SouthAussie]

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.”

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

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]

I don't think so. Look at the imprint of it in the mud to the left of the police marker. Flat to the ground.

View attachment 535485
Her muddy phone was found on Wednesday beside a dam

You can even watch the police picking it up in the video in this link. Flat to the ground.

View attachment 535487

Phone found near dam belonged to Samantha Murphy

I find that recording a little odd

 

[SouthAussie]

I find that recording a little odd

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.

 

[mrjitty]

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

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.

 

[Porky1]

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.

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?

 

[Porky1]

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.

Ahh, ok. So that wasn’t the media. That makes sense.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

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..

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.

another mystery to me. Folks do all sorts of different things to me, who knew??... 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.

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 paired 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.

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.