Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #10

[Rocket333]

We are on the same wavelength, I agree with everything you said Rocket.

Snapchat seems to be a fave of the young ones for recording snippets that they believe disappear from the world wide web after 24 hours. But do they really? Does anything really?

One other thought, maybe PS was driving around with his girlfriend by 5pm and he pulled over and tossed the phone while she was in the car. Later she’s asked to recall that day and what they did and she remembers him pulling over by the fence and hurling something towards the dam. If so, the police would take a look and check things out but find nothing. Maybe then the owners reported the phone when it emerged.
JMO

 

[Curiousobserver]

I'd love to know what VICPOL had on PS to charge him with murder so early, before having his car, phone etc

And with public statement that indicate absolute certainty that this was deliberate... Only video or a recorded confession can do that.

The really interesting part here is how is LE going to connect the dots to this suspect? Presumably her phone, her clothes, her body, and her watch would be in the area regardless which Ballarat resident did this deed. So what difference does it make to his guilt or innocence that they found her phone nearby to where she went missing? Why is the phone being in that Dam significant?

 

[Dotta]

And with public statement that indicate absolute certainty that this was deliberate... Only video or a recorded confession can do that.

My guess is a
WITNESS.

Somebody whose conscience forced this person to contact Police.

I also think perp's DNA is on/inside the phone's cover.

It reminds me of Idaho4 tragedy and "touch DNA" of murderer on the knife's sheath.
The sheath the perp left on victim's bed.

JMO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Why cops may never get vital clues from Samantha Murphy's phone

The phone of the mother-of-three was found on Thursday near Slaughterhouse Road, south of Buninyong, near Ballarat in Victoria.

www.dailymail.co.uk

According to Apple: 'Devices locked with a passcode are protected by passcode encryption, and Apple can't help remove the passcode lock without erasing the device.

'For security, Apple requires and verifies legal documentation before we can assist with a deceased person's account.

'This generally includes a death certificate, and may also require a court order or other documentation. The requirements vary by country and region.'

Daily Mail Australia understands police are still searching for Ms Murphy's missing watch and headphones, or a possible murder weapon.

 

[Trooper]

I can't imagine, he needed a "handyman"/accomplice to throw the phone. Would be downright ridiculous to me. I think, he did it himself like all the other things, he had to sort out.

Why didn't they find the Smart-watch in the same area? PS had a plan, it seems.

Yes, that seems a ridiculous scenario.. an accomplice.. I don't know where the idea of an accomplice came from.

However, he could have dropped it, or it could have fallen from Samantha's hand, and someone else picked it up and threw it in the dam , not wanting to have anything to do with it.

Occams Razor could be applied here, but, he is a careful , calculating murderer., one could suppose. Not that VICPOL hasn't charged him, not that he hasn't managed to somehow drop himself in it, but he has managed to conceal the body of a full grown woman from a very thorough and detailed air and ground search, by an experienced and determined police force of about 3000 deployed in this , including the dogs. And then managed to keep silence about it.

 

[nightrider17]

I wonder if PS had seen SM jogging/walking in that area before on a previous Sunday?

Maybe he had???

I bet they have digital evidence (dashcam, gopro etc) plus an informer.
The informer provided the digital evidence which allowed the police to watch the crime and understand it as a deliberate attack.
The digital evidence may have uploaded to a site or device that the informer could view.

I wonder if Sam was deliberately chased and mowed down by the car and it was digitally captured by phone, watch, and dashcam etc
Captured the crime, the heart rate, the shared location, and maybe some audio.

I wonder if the body is hidden in the local area not far from town or his home. I think the likelihood of it being in water is very high.

I think the phone was tossed suddenly.
I wonder if it was forgotten and its disposal was a (panicked) hasty afterthought when it was sighted still sitting in the car. Maybe there was a passenger in the car by this stage and the phone was spotted still lying there in the back and needed to be thrown out straight away. Maybe it pinged when it was picked up and tossed.

If you are trying to make everything disappear why would you keep the license, credit card and phone of a murder victim together and rely on a smallish body of water to keep the secret? Because you didn’t have time to separate, destroy and scatter them well?

I don’t think he planned much or went far that day, hence him being easily found and it all now steadily unravelling.

Just my opinion.

Maybe PS had frequented this area where SM usually jogged on his dirt bike? fitted with a GoPro. IMO

Possibly PS had seen SM on previous occasions - maybe even a prior Sunday? IMO

An informer/witness/girlfriend/acquaintance possibly mentioned to police that PS regularly visited this area coincidently.

Maybe this person had been the brunt of PS's darker side? Maybe there were gaps of time that PS was vague in where he was??

Or had been a previous confident of PS's but his revelations had them alarmed?

Interestingly his family have rightly removed themselves - but maybe one of his sister's had something to contribute about PS that was incriminating. IMO

All just opinions only. MOO

 

[Dotta]

I wonder if PS had seen SM jogging/walking in that area before on a previous Sunday?

Maybe he had???



Maybe PS had frequented this area where SM usually jogged on his dirt bike? fitted with a GoPro. IMO

Possibly PS had seen SM on previous occasions - maybe even a prior Sunday? IMO

An informer/witness/girlfriend/acquaintance possibly mentioned to police that PS regularly visited this area coincidently.

Maybe this person had been the brunt of PS's darker side? Maybe there were gaps of time that PS was vague in where he was??

Or had been a previous confident of PS's but his revelations had them alarmed?

Interestingly his family have rightly removed themselves - but maybe one of his sister's had something to contribute about PS that was incriminating. IMO

All just opinions only. MOO

Now, when you mention it,
I seem to remember reading that a neighbour said PS had a habit of morning bike riding.

Does anybody remember this bit of info?

Also, his parents lived so near Mt Clear, no?

And he divided his living arrangements between parents and "house sitting" with g/f.

JMO

 

[Malibuandcoke]

What would be the wise approach? I suppose separate the SIM card from the phone.

And remove the ID/bank cards from the case

 

[Malibuandcoke]

You are correct in that the driving offences he was facing were the year prior. However, I do want to point out that it was only 4 months prior - it happened in early October and Samantha went missing early February. I think this time frame is important. This is a relatively short period of time, and I personally think a remorseful person would totally have laid off the drink/drug driving for good, or at least longer that this period. It may play into his showing no remorse for his actions.

It seems he thought he was invincible

 

[Rocket333]

And remove the ID/bank cards from the case

Makes me wonder if Sam was once in that dam too. The phone could’ve dropped in at the same (hasty) time but wasn’t retrieved when she was moved.
Digital data could have lead the police there and could explain the alleged focus on that particular site. Could also explain the possible celebration at the dam when the phone was found as it would make sense of the crumb trail.
JMO

 

[Malibuandcoke]

Pretty cool to actually murder someone, a complete stranger, in broad daylight, and then remove in total all traces of your crime, in addition, dispose of the body, again without leaving any discernible traces , again, in broad daylight ( because people were searching by that afternoon ) and then to trip on home to the girlfriend and rock up for work on Monday, have a yarn to the blokes about a bit of motocross on Saturday, share the lunch sandwiches around...

And keep it up as Mr Cool Electrician for weeks.

Not crack a word, or a sign., Cool as. For a first time murderer, at 22.

And then, maintain silence for all this time. .. mum and dad having to leave home, the sisters, too. . .. still. Silence. how cool can a bloke get?

The invincible narcissist, not cool, just seems to think himself to be untouchable

 

[Malibuandcoke]

Makes me wonder if Sam was once in that dam too. The phone could’ve dropped in at the same (hasty) time but wasn’t retrieved when she was moved.
Digital data could have lead the police there and could explain the alleged focus on that particular site. Could also explain the possible celebration at the dam when the phone was found as it would make sense of the crumb trail.
JMO

It’s possible and a different consideration to the dumped/tossed theory

 

[Trooper]

The invincible narcissist, not cool, just seems himself to be untouchable

Yes,..maybe, not cool, rather lazy descriptor on my part, ..but , in the terms of cataloguing this kind of stuff, perhaps, 'organised' as opposed to 'disorganised' .. it seems to me, the phone throwing in the dam is a highly disorganised action, particularly when the case had her licence and medicare cards and whatnot, whatever Mick said she had , still intact.

As opposed to the apparent high level of organisation in the actual murder and aftermath.

A big contrast between the organised and a disorganised component.

 

[Rocket333]

It’s possible and a different consideration to the dumped/tossed theory

Wonder if there’s a relationship between the property owners and PS, or if he had worked there before? He could have been familiar with the place and gone there whilst no one was home and dumped Sam and the phone. Wonder if there’s more items yet to be found in that water….

 

[Trooper]

Makes me wonder if Sam was once in that dam too. The phone could’ve dropped in at the same (hasty) time but wasn’t retrieved when she was moved.
Digital data could have lead the police there and could explain the alleged focus on that particular site. Could also explain the possible celebration at the dam when the phone was found as it would make sense of the crumb trail.
JMO

The police were searching that dam because, apparently, they told the property owner, the dogs had picked up something at the fence line, a while back. . this was three weeks before that search... wonder what the doggies picked up at the fence line? some sort of artifact? clothing?

 

[Malibuandcoke]

A “witness for the prosecution” perhaps ??? Kept very quiet??? Solid intel??
Someone close??

Just wondering …..???

Protected by police for their safety

 

[Malibuandcoke]

I BET:
- phone pings in the area
- witness/es
(Now way the perp was not noticed on sunny Sunday
No, no way!!!!)
- DNA (blood victim's touch DNA, hair...etc.) in the vehicle
(if his car was used)

I'm certain Police have piles of evidence.

JMO

Their behaviour following the event

 

[Malibuandcoke]

Wonder if there’s a relationship between the property owners and PS, or if he had worked there before? He could have been familiar with the place and gone there whilst no one was home and dumped Sam and the phone. Wonder if there’s more items yet to be found in that water….

I believe it was cleared/searched on the day the phone was found

 

[Malibuandcoke]

If they are celebrating finding the phone (and not just happy to see each another) then it tells me that finding the phone is MASSIVE for them and the case. Beyond being excited to have a significant win. I’m not sure why. If the water was still enough could DNA still be present? Or is it about something in or on the phone?
Also, did digital tracking or other clues keep bring them to that property and dam area but nothing was coming of it until now? Who knows.

The search and find was also well publicised, as with other searches previously, excellent tactics to pile on the pressure to whoever may feel it

 

[Malibuandcoke]

Re Snapchat

But WHO would be the recipient/s???

Wouldn't such person/s be treated as accomplice/s if not informing Police?

Or maybe this person/s is/are informer/s.

But then,
Police could take their phones to retrieve the alleged ghastly material.

And the sender would be marked/identified.

JMO

I thought Snapchat disappears once it’s been viewed, can anybody confirm that please?