Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat 100km NW of Melbourne, 4 Feb 2024 #2

[Kemug]

Her family have strenuously stated that she would not have turned off her phone, it's turned on all the time

But if she was pulled into a car, the abductor could have switched her phone off within seconds.

 

[olaselo]

I don't know that Sam's phone was turned off and turned back on? I haven't seen that info from any of the police. But I have seen it in speculation here.

In the presser (day six) the officer who was speaking alongside Mark Hatt was asked a couple of times if Sam had her phone with her. He gave affirmative answers (can't recall the exact words but I will transcribe if I watch it again for some reason), and his responses/subtle reaction gave me the impression there was more ping data.

The golf club area ping (for which the police will not acknowledge the time) is noted as the "last ping". There could be many or some pings prior to that.

imo

Perhaps - but with the amount of cell tower coverage in the area, it is likely it was deliberately switched off by someone. I agree about potentially more 'ping' data - however, if you recall the flight path of POL30 on the Sunday.
It spent majority of time over the area where SM phone no longer connected to anything (turned off, no range, whatever).

Not long after, the information about a signal near Buninyong golf course was discovered/released to the public - and a search began in that area. (Long after POL30 had left - the next day perhaps, I have forgotten exactly when)

There actually haven't been anymore police driven/focused searches other than these.

I really hope they are gathering lots of data. Otherwise - yeah, it might be one of those 1% ones that remain unsolved for a long time, and I really hope that is not the case.

 

[Warshawski]

I doubt her aunt or uncle would make up the 10am meet. I’d take this to be correct, I think it would be known to her aunt and uncle and other FM who she’s meeting with. Why else would aunt/uncle put this information out via the press?

I think there will ( naturally) have been a lot of discussion between family members as time has gone by since her disappearance. Everyone will be wracking their brains & trying to come up with ideas etc - and no doubt in the midst of that Aunt & Uncle became aware that SM had a planned meeting at 10am.

 

[SouthAussie]

There actually haven't been anymore police driven/focused searches other than these.

I think there have been more focused searches, we just don't know what they are.

I posted this info from an article on Wednesday.

This new Herald Sun article says that the investigators are continuing to conduct targeted searches of the area, according to the statement today from Commissioner Patton.

Patton said that they have committed significant resources to help Missing Persons because of the CCTV captured, and exploring where CCTV may be available.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/disappearance-of-ballarat-jogger-samantha-murphy-treated-as-suspicious-by-police/news-story/4e0a08c13a633d406c5f30429abfd783?amp

 

[olaselo]

I think there have been more focused searches, we just don't know what they are.

I posted this info from an article on Wednesday.

I hope so - but I believe they are retracing old spots again.

If they go into somebodies dam and drain it - that would be a focused search, they would be acting on some new information. The media would know about it as it makes VICPOL look less incompetent.

 

[Warshawski]

One thing I noticed (but I am not going to go back again to get the time mark) is the officer who is with Mark Hatt - I don't know who he is, police search & rescue or missing persons - said that there is very little CCTV in the search area from homes and businesses, but 'everyone' has dash cams these days and they really want that footage. To please look and see if you have footage from Sunday the 4th.

I doubt that many/any cars would have been driving the bush trails at that time. Yet they are interested in any dash cam footage. Maybe trying to see known and unknown vehicle movement?

imo

I guess maybe cars in the street may have picked up something - although may not be that many cars around that area at 7am on a Sunday morning.

I think they really still need to determine when she went for the run, as they can no longer use ( what they thought was her) on the 7.16am cctv in her street. For that matter, is she seen later, or one of their cars seen…

 

[Lukey2121]

Some

Perhaps - but with the amount of cell tower coverage in the area, it is likely it was deliberately switched off by someone. I agree about potentially more 'ping' data - however, if you recall the flight path of POL30 on the Sunday.
It spent majority of time over the area where SM phone no longer connected to anything (turned off, no range, whatever).

Not long after, the information about a signal near Buninyong golf course was discovered/released to the public - and a search began in that area. (Long after POL30 had left - the next day perhaps, I have forgotten exactly when)

There actually haven't been anymore police driven/focused searches other than these.

I really hope they are gathering lots of data. Otherwise - yeah, it might be one of those 1% ones that remain unsolved for a long time, and I really hope that is not the case.

Newer I-Phones can still be tracked even when turned off with the find my phone app.
So depending on her model, turning a phone off doesn’t stop it being tracked.

 

[Bats]

DBM

 

[Warshawski]

Given the nature of their panel-beater business, I’m guessing that family members have access to many cars even if they don’t own them themselves. So I’m sure that police would have to consider the possibility that a car not belonging to the family could have been used without that car having to have been registered as owned by the family or reported to the police as stolen, if that makes sense..

Thought crossed my mind that a lot of the cars may belong to customers, however from my searching I think the Business is located in a way different area of Ballarat to where they live.

 

[Investig8r]

I am just wondering if police have inspected every car that was in for smash repairs immediately prior to and after sm disappearance. It would be very easy for someone to take a drivable yet damaged vehicle awaiting repairs for a drive and use it to mow down someone then return it to the repair shop for the repairs as thou nothing had ever occurred. I think this mater will be solved very close to home but not at home and not involving next of kin of sm.

I think Police should also be checking all ‘customers’ who brought cars in for smash repairs prior to and after SM’s disappearance. This type of industry is known to attract insurance frauds which could include shady customers and broader criminal activity. SM may have been ‘noticed’ at work or may have stumbled across something she shouldn’t have!

 

[olaselo]

Some

Newer I-Phones can still be tracked even when turned off with the find my phone app.
So depending on her model, turning a phone off doesn’t stop it being tracked.

no they can't.

edited - my apologies, yes it can - as long as it has battery power and certain functions are enabled on the device.

 

[Deleted member 293720]

Some

Newer I-Phones can still be tracked even when turned off with the find my phone app.
So depending on her model, turning a phone off doesn’t stop it being tracked.

Exactly. The phone company can still get information from calls and messages made

 

[Dalziel]

I don't think anyone in particular - gathering data most likely.

Then cross checking dashcam data with vehicle registration data such as addresses - anyone out of the vehicles registered area will probably get a question.

Next will most likely be cell tower data dumps - going through the data and matching up 'pings'/'handshakes'/etc.

When SM phone was turned off - immediately before it was switched off it was connected to a tower.
When it was turned on again 'sometime later in the day' - there was another 'connection' or 'ping'.
There will be time between these pings. There could also be other devices connected to the same towers - at the same time, moving in tandem with SM 'phone movements'.

This takes a bit of time - this is similarly to how Cleo was found.

The ambiguous loss article above is a good read - very sad. The article also mentions that approx 85% of missing persons cases in Australia pertain to Mental Health. Only 1-2% are criminally related. (150 people go missing every day, 90% are found within a week. 1% remain missing long term. Of this 1% or 1.5 people every week (can't actually be 1.5 people - as you cannot have half a person, so let's simply annualise it and say 78 people every year) - of the 78 missing people every year, perhaps maybe 1 of these is criminally related.

And yet - here we all are trying to figure out 'whodunnit' when the odds are stacked against us.On average, one woman every nine days and one man every month is killed by a current or former partner.

According to Mission Australia

• On average, one woman every nine days and one man every month is killed by a current or former partner.4

I am not suggesting that this is the case but the statistics are interesting IMO

 

[Warshawski]

So I wonder why the 10.00 am appointment/meet up was not mentioned till now? only the brunch at 11.00am?JMO

Did that person not follow up on - SM not turning up? IMO

Did MM or children not know about the 10.00 meetup initially? JMO

Leaves SM less time to do a run and come back shower and change - its about 10 minute drive to Ballarat. IMO

Could the rest of her family - husband and children - be already gone to sport/church/dancing - left at 8.00?while SM was on her run? So no-one home when she got back? if she came back to the back of the property?JMO

In this article, the DM reports : The night before she disappeared, during dinner with her husband Mick and friends, Ms Murphy mentioned she was going for a 14-km run the next day before it got too hot.

Sinister twists as search for Samantha Murphy continues

 

[olaselo]

According to Mission Australia

• On average, one woman every nine days and one man every month is killed by a current or former partner.4

I am not suggesting that this is the case but the statistics are interesting IMO

Overlay the statistics of 'missing' person - and the statistics change dramatically.

Yesterday in QLD a husband allegedly ran over his wife using the slasher at the back of a Tractor. Nobody was reported missing. And in most of the DV cases - evidence is everywhere.

There is absolutely no trace of SM (other than device traces) other than CCTV from her house.

 

[Deleted member 293720]

In this article, the DM reports : The night before she disappeared, during dinner with her husband Mick and friends, Ms Murphy mentioned she was going for a 14-km run the next day before it got too hot.

Sinister twists as search for Samantha Murphy continues

That was not her running in the CCTV, which has been confirmed. Again everyone thinks, her family, because she religiously goes running the same time, same place etc. That she has done that, but there is no proof that she has gone running this time and actually left the home to go out

 

[Warshawski]

Were those areas searched before or after the cctv footage of the other jogger was released? Not knowing the other jogger wasn’t SM ?

Phone pings maybe

 

[Liadan]

You would think that most people wouldn't phone the police when all they have is a theory or a thought on what might have happened. But I bet they do.

Police always welcome observer input- they can choose to refute it or keep it or they can put it on the back burner alternatively they can act on it. But no police officer is going to discount a member of publics info without looking at how it relates to the investigation protocol being conducted.

 

[Dalziel]

Overlay the statistics of 'missing' person - and the statistics change dramatically.

Yesterday in QLD a husband allegedly ran over his wife using the slasher at the back of a Tractor. Nobody was reported missing. And in most of the DV cases - evidence is everywhere.

There is absolutely no trace of SM (other than device traces) other than CCTV from her house.

Yes absolutely, I agree but as history has taught us, sometimes both those stats can intermingle. I hope the cops are across all avenues, which I’m sure they are

 

[DK007]

So the CCTV still of SM with the dog bag was taken before her run at 7am?

Sunrise in Ballarat on the Sunday was around 6.45am.

Does the cctv still look consistent with a time before 7am?

I figure vpol would’ve checked for date and time stamp of footage