Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #13

[Spectrix]

ETA: I'm always leery about how things are being reported - was it really the exact location that's believed to be the crime scene, or is it just the general area...

JMO

I recall the police being oddly specific about the both the time and the location of SM's death. I suspect that might be because her apple health data showed her location and (for example) her heart stopping. Canadian Forest Mt Clear was the location.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

I recall the police being oddly specific about the both the time and the location of SM's death. I suspect that might be because her apple health data showed her location and (for example) her heart stopping. Canadian Forest Mt Clear was the location.

I agree. I think her watch told the story as best it could, but clearly has not lead to her body for whatever reason.

 

[Spectrix]

I agree. I think her watch told the story as best it could, but clearly has not lead to her body for whatever reason.

I'm not sure if her watch was a cellular version, perhaps it was linked only to her phone, which somehow made its way into a dam.
That in itself is another peculiar thing...

Samantha went missing on February 4, 2024.
Her phone was "discovered" on May 29, 2024. I say "discovered" because the police made a song and dance about the phone. News choppers circling overhead, cops hugging each other in glee, and later announcing that the phone was in perfect working order.
Yet, Victoria Police have been very secretive about other parts of the investigation.

So my question is, did they find the phone earlier, and then pretended to suddenly discover in the dam four months later - perhaps hoping to invoke a reaction from someone involved?

 

[Lucy.D]

I'm not sure if her watch was a cellular version, perhaps it was linked only to her phone, which somehow made its way into a dam.
That in itself is another peculiar thing...

Samantha went missing on February 4, 2024.
Her phone was "discovered" on May 29, 2024. I say "discovered" because the police made a song and dance about the phone. News choppers circling overhead, cops hugging each other in glee, and later announcing that the phone was in perfect working order.
Yet, Victoria Police have been very secretive about other parts of the investigation.

So my question is, did they find the phone earlier, and then pretended to suddenly discover in the dam four months later - perhaps hoping to invoke a reaction from someone involved?

Yes I think that's the story. Police must think the accused had help possibly in transporting Samantha's body.
I can believe the accused would go to the site where possibly Samantha was hit with his car if that's what happened and that's where the last pings with her phone or watch could have been.
But I'd be surprised if the accused went to a different location on the second visit to possibly where Samantha was taken because I don't think he would want her to be found IMO.
If the accused had an accomplice and wanted to save himself possibly 10 years in prison, then he should be IMO confessing to what exactly happened and dob in his helper if he had one and not go to trial.
A good lawyer would get him a good plea bargain. That's if he is guilty of something to do with Samantha's disappearance of course.

 

[touch]

Police must think the accused had help possibly in transporting Samantha's body.

The Police said they believe he acted alone:

Chief Commissioner Patton said the police would allege Mr Stephenson acted alone.

source

 

[Lucy.D]

The Police said they believe he acted alone:

source

Interesting. I wonder why they made such a big deal of Samantha's phone being found when they've got the one and only person involved in the disappearance safely locked up with police saying months beforehand that the accused performed a deliberate act of murdering Samantha and they've got mountains of evidence against him which basically delayed the trial.