A criminologist has revealed that the mobile phone police found on the banks of a dam in their search for missing mother Samantha Murphy could be damaged and unusable.
Ms Murphy disappeared without a trace after leaving her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, Victoria, on the morning of February 4.
The 51-year-old left her home 18 minutes after dawn, at 7 a.m., to run 14 kilometers through nearby Woowookrung Regional Park, a route she had done countless times.
In early March, almost five weeks after Murphy disappeared, local man Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with her alleged murder. His body has not yet been found.
On Wednesday, police began a new search for his remains focusing on a dam on a property south of Buninyong, approximately 14 kilometers from his home.
Samantha Murphy (pictured) disappeared without a trace after leaving her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, Victoria, on the morning of February 4, to go for a run in nearby Woowookrung Regional Park.
Police made a breakthrough in their case on Wednesday after discovering a phone in a wallet (pictured) while searching for Ms Murphy’s body.
Officers located a mud-spattered mobile phone in a wallet at the water’s edge and it is believed to have been found by a police technology detection dog.
In a statement issued shortly after the mobile phone was found, police said they had located some “items of interest” during the search for the missing mother.
Police said the phone, along with other items found during the search, will be subject to forensic testing to determine if it belonged to Ms Murphy.
Newcastle University criminologist Xanthe Mallett told Sunrise on Thursday the discovery was “very significant” as it could provide information about where Ms Murphy had been.
However, Dr Mallett added that Ms Murphy’s phone had been exposed to the elements for an extended period.
“Unfortunately, it may have been damaged,” he said.
‘Samantha Murphy has been missing for 116 days, that is, almost four months.
“If it turns out (the phone) is theirs, they may not have gotten as much information as they could have if they had found it sooner.”
‘It really depends on the quality of the phone and how damaged it is. Remember, it’s been outside.
Criminologist Dr Xanthe Mallett (pictured) told Sunrise the discovery was “very significant” but depended on the condition of the phone.
Mallett said technicians would immediately assess the condition of the phone and whether it belonged to Murphy, but that process could take weeks.
‘They will work on it quickly, but it will not be in the short term. “We’re not talking about days, we’re talking about weeks at a minimum,” she stated.
‘Whether it’s been for four months or if it turns out to be Samantha’s or longer, we don’t really know yet. “We’ll have to wait and see exactly what condition that phone is in.”
Aerial footage of the search showed detectives celebrating jubilantly after locating the phone at the dam’s water’s edge.
Police hugged, patted and shook hands after the discovery, in video captured by ABC.
A team of police divers was also sent into the water to search the small dam for further possible evidence.
Dr Mallett said the police reaction showed the discovery was a “good moment” in their desperate search for Ms Murphy.
“I think we need to remember that police are people too,” Dr. Mallett said.
‘This case has really affected everyone, not just the Ballarat community but the wider community and the police.
“Finding (her phone) after so long with no real leads… would have been a really good moment for them, giving them hope that they could make progress on this case for Samantha’s family.”
Officers located the mud-spattered mobile phone in a wallet at the water’s edge of a dam at a property south of Buninyong, approximately 14 kilometers from Ms Murphy’s home.
The phone is believed to have been found by a police sniffer dog.
The property owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, said police contacted him about three weeks ago for permission to access his land.
The man said officers returned Wednesday and told him they were going to conduct a search along the highway.
“A dog found something on the shore and they came over and asked me and my wife to make a statement,” he said.
The man said police were interested in the levels of his quarry.
“I haven’t seen anything suspicious out there. We don’t have cameras. But yeah, I think one of those tech dogs found it,” he said.
The man said detectives came and spoke to him about a month after Ms Murphy disappeared, but only returned in recent weeks.
“They just asked me if I had seen anything suspicious,” he said.
Daily Mail Australia understands police are still searching for other key evidence, such as Ms Murphy’s missing watch and headphones, or a possible murder weapon.
Police have been desperately searching for Ms Murphy’s body after she disappeared from her home.
Police allege Stephenson “deliberately attacked” Ms Murphy in Mount Clear, about seven kilometers from her run.
Stephenson, who has no connection to the Murphy family, was charged with murdering the mother of three on March 7.
More to come…
