Police will continue the search for the body of missing mother Samantha Murphy after a man was charged with her murder.
The 51-year-old woman was allegedly murdered on February 4, the same day she went missing after going for a morning run in Woowookarung Regional Park.
Despite extensive searches in the bush over the past five weeks, not a single trace of her has been found.
The 22-year-old son of a former AFL player, whose identity has been withheld, was charged with her murder on Thursday, although police say they have not revealed where the mother-of-three’s body is located.
Police are still searching for missing mother Samantha Murphy (pictured), who disappeared more than a month ago after going for a run at Woowookarung Regional Park in east Ballarat.
“In the interview with the suspect, he did not reveal where Samantha’s body is,” Victoria Police Chief Superintendent Shane Patton told reporters.
Patton urged the public to come forward with “even the smallest bit of information.”
“We’ve had incredible assistance in terms of intelligence reporting,” he said.
“But anyone who has any information, even the slightest bit of information that you think might not be that relevant, please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
“Any little clue could be vital in helping us locate his body.”
Without commenting on the details of the current case, criminologist Xanthe Mallet said people who commit crimes of “this nature” generally commit them in areas where they feel comfortable.
“We call it a comfort zone and so the police will take all that into consideration,” he told Today.
‘Somewhere where they feel safe and comfortable to commit a criminal act.
“Police have been working very hard to find Samantha’s remains, not only for the investigation but also obviously for Samantha’s family.”
Criminologist Xanthe Mallet (pictured) said crimes like the alleged murder of Ms Murphy are often committed by perpetrators in areas where they feel comfortable.
Victoria Police Commissioner Shane Patton (pictured) urged anyone with information about Ms Murphy’s disappearance to come forward as police intensify their search for the missing woman.
Commissioner Patton said “painstaking detective work” over the past month led them to lay the murder charges this week.
“It has been located through a variety of investigative results that have been gathered and, as you know, we have been pinging phones and following up on investigative reports from members of the public,” he said.
‘We have carried out field searches, we have knocked on doors, so a whole range of information has been gathered.
“It has been the result of meticulous research work with greater public assistance.”
The Ballarat community will come together to honor Ms Murphy’s life at an evening vigil to be held at Eureka Gardens on Friday night.
The media will return to the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Friday morning to fight the suppression order surrounding the 22-year-old man’s identity.
