Home Australia Samantha Murphy update as grim milestone is reached

Samantha Murphy update as grim milestone is reached

0 comments
Samantha Murphy (pictured) disappeared while on a morning run near her home in Ballarat.

Samantha Murphy was 51 years old when she left her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat, Victoria, to go for a run on the morning of February 4, 2024.

The mother of three was never seen alive again and her body was never found, compounding the unimaginable tragedy for her family.

Criminal psychologist Dr Tim Watson-Munro said there are “a multitude of reasons” why Ms Murphy’s body has not been found, more than 344 days after she disappeared without a trace.

“Police have invested a lot of resources into this in terms of metadata analysis, speaking to people in the community and a fairly consistent and rigorous media campaign,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

‘But if you look at the geography of Ballarat (with its disused mine shafts), it is essentially a country town… the surrounding countryside is quite foreboding and hostile.

‘I think it’s about geography, rather than lack of effort.

“People could disappear there, fall or hide in a mine shaft, and there are a lot of them.”

Just over a month after Murphy disappeared, Patrick Orren Stephenson, 24, was charged with murdering her in Mount Clear on the day she disappeared.

Samantha Murphy (pictured) disappeared while on a morning run near her home in Ballarat.

Police with sniffer dogs appear at Grenville Recreation Reserve, on their way to search the bushes for Mrs Murphy's body.

Police with sniffer dogs appear at Grenville Recreation Reserve, on their way to search the bushes for Mrs Murphy’s body.

Stephenson is the son of former Richmond and Geelong AFL player Orren Stephenson and is not known to the Murphy family.

Stephenson has reportedly hired Melbourne-based lawyer Paul Galbally of Galbally & O’Bryan, one of Australia’s top criminal lawyers, to lead his defense case.

Dr Watson Munro said the pain for a victim’s family can be particularly intense at certain times, especially when they face their first Christmas without them.

“Anniversaries are always difficult times for the families of people who have disappeared or been murdered, or even killed by a random act,” he said.

‘This highlights the magnitude of the loss. Inevitably, they start thinking about this time last year or this time 10 years ago, the last conversations, the last physical interactions with the person.

‘And so it can be an extremely difficult time for those people, as can the anniversaries of any death for families.

“But I think in a case like this, where it’s still a mystery in terms of where he is, what happened to him, who’s responsible, all of those feelings would be heightened and crystallized into a level of importance.”

For those frustrated by the apparent lack of progress, Dr Watson-Munro said it is understandable that police “don’t telegraph every move they are making to solve this crime”.

“They don’t want to contaminate evidence or contaminate the possibility of getting better and more details about his disappearance and, in all likelihood, his death.”

Murphy's phone and wallet (pictured) were found on the bank of a dam in May 2024.

Murphy’s phone and wallet (pictured) were found on the bank of a dam in May 2024.

He said that a topic that is forgotten is the impact of the continued search for Ms. Murphy’s body orn local people.

‘The Ballarat community rallied around the family. There were searches lined up and many volunteers tried to help the police in the first few days.

‘And I imagine the anniversary of her disappearance would be quite triggering for the people of Ballarat in terms of we have this person, a member of our community who has gone missing, and the crime is unsolved.

On May 29, Ms Murphy’s wallet containing her identity documents and mobile phone were found on the bank of a dam during a targeted search.

The phone was probably thrown into the dam, but a dry spell in the area caused the water to recede and what could be a vital clue emerged on the shore.

Police have not revealed what data, if any, they were able to extract from the phone, or whether the discovery has brought them closer to finding Ms Murphy’s body.

But given the terrain, Dr. Watson-Munro said the continued search is “like literally finding a needle in a haystack.”

Dr Xanthé Mallett, a forensic criminologist at Newcastle University, said the case has resonated with many Australians for one simple reason.

“The first thing I thought when I saw that Samantha was missing was that any of us could do very normal things, go on with our lives, and yet she has supposedly been the victim of a violent crime,” he said.

“A lot of women could imagine being her, they could sympathize.”

Dr Mallett said it had been a very detailed investigation and police were obviously looking for Ms Murphy’s body.

Samantha Murphy's husband, Mick Murphy

Samantha Murphy’s husband, Mick Murphy

In early March, almost five weeks after Murphy disappeared, police charged Patrick Orren Stephenson (pictured) with her alleged murder.

In early March, almost five weeks after Murphy disappeared, police charged Patrick Orren Stephenson (pictured) with her alleged murder.

‘Not only for the benefit of the family, although they desperately need to know where she is, they need to return to them, but Samantha’s body will also be a major source of information for them, so they will need it very much for the investigation.’

He said cases can proceed “without a body”, so police would be watching every movement of the accused and people they have spoken to.

He also noted that the recovery of the phone could have prompted new witnesses to come forward.

‘So they’ll build that full picture from the time Samantha disappeared to obviously the arrest, and they’ll look at all the details around that to determine who did what, when, who was in contact with who, and who shared what information.’

Dr Mallett said the police will certainly make sure everything is done correctly because this is a very high profile case.

“Everyone is going to be watching this case, because I think it resonates, because she was a very normal woman.

‘We have seen a lot of violence against women lately.

Police released this image of Ms Murphy from the morning she disappeared.

Police released this image of Ms Murphy from the morning she disappeared.

“And this is just another time where a woman can’t do her normal activity safely, and that’s something we desperately need to address, not just safety at home, but safety in public.”

The investigation into Ms Murphy’s disappearance continues.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Victoria Police said there is currently no update to report on the case.

You may also like