A leading criminologist believes Samantha Murphy’s phone could reveal her last movements after the device was found in perfect working condition next to a dam.
Victoria Police search teams last week discovered Ms Murphy’s iPhone in the mud at the water’s edge in Buninyong, about 19 kilometers from her home in Ballarat.
She was last seen leaving her Eureka St home in Ballarat about 7am on February 4 to run 14km through nearby Woowookarung Regional Park.
The phone, protected by a teal-colored covered case, is undamaged and functional, and investigators hope it could lead to the discovery of his body.
Dr Xanthe Mallett, a criminologist at Newcastle University, said she was “surprised” to find the phone was working properly.
“The police were obviously looking for her for almost four months, something led them to that dam,” he told Seven’s Sunrise on Tuesday morning.
Dr Xanthe Mallett, a criminologist at Newcastle University, said she was “surprised” to find the phone was working properly (pictured by Sunrise on Tuesday morning).
Victoria Police search teams last week discovered Ms Murphy’s iPhone in the mud at the water’s edge in Buninyong, about 19 kilometers from her home in Ballarat (pictured).
“It has not yet been revealed what evidence or intelligence it was, but yes, this could offer absolutely new clues that will help find Samantha.”
“As we know now, (the phone) is operational and can be downloaded.”
Dr Mallett speculated that a phone that had been underwater or in mud for four months would likely be “beyond recoverable”.
‘So that indicates he hasn’t been there for the full four months?’ she said.
“That remains to be seen. But it is that timeline that the police will work on and will certainly be essential in helping to develop.”
He said police would get as much information as possible from the phone.
“I think it’s possible that more witnesses will come forward because now we know about that dam, we know the phone is there,” he said.
“So I hope that now that the information is public, other people can come forward and offer information about who may have abandoned that phone and when.”
‘The researchers who have worked so hard on this must be commended.
‘You can see the relief and almost the celebration. “I know we’re not at the end of this investigation yet, but it’s a big step forward.”
Ms Murphy (pictured) was last seen leaving her Eureka St home in Ballarat about 7am to run 14km through nearby Woowookarung Regional Park on February 4.
Victoria Police search teams are seen using sniffer dogs during a targeted search on May 29.
Cybersecurity expert Nigel Phair previously said the results of the forensic tests could be a “game changer” for the investigation and lead to a breakthrough.
“The physical properties of the phone will obviously be damaged, but what’s behind it, those ones and zeros of data, can be recovered,” he said.
Murphy’s phone was found near where it last made contact with a nearby tower in the Buninyong region before going silent.
The device is believed to have been submerged in the dam since February 4, the same day police allege Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, murdered Ms Murphy while she was out for a run on Sunday.
Daily Mail Australia was told this week that detectives from the Missing Persons Unit had suspected the inmate shortly after taking over the investigation, and questioned her owner just weeks later.
The police would not return until early May, when they again asked the owner if he would mind if the police entered his property.
Three weeks passed before Wednesday’s search found the phone.
The dam’s location is just around the corner from the Durham Lead Nature Conservation Reserve, which search teams arrived at on April 12. The dam had been at its lowest point since the summer heat in December.
Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, pictured.
Stephenson has hired leading criminal defense lawyer Paul Galbally (left) from Melbourne-based law firm Galbally O’Bryan.
It comes as Stephenson hired leading criminal defense lawyer Paul Galbally from Melbourne-based law firm Galbally O’Bryan.
Galbally represented the late Catholic Cardinal George Pell, whose conviction on historic child abuse charges was overturned by the High Court.
He had previously said he did not feel uncomfortable acting on behalf of people accused of the most serious crimes.
“Either you have a disposition or a personality that can handle this job or you don’t,” he said in a 2009 interview.
Galbally O’Bryan’s website states that Galbally has “handled some of the largest and most complex criminal cases in the country.”
“His experience includes representing clients before public inquiries, royal commissions and defending Australian Securities and Investments Commission proceedings,” he says.
“Paul is recognized throughout the legal profession for his judgement, sound strategic advice and discretion, and is listed in Doyles Guide as one of Australia’s leading criminal defense lawyers.”
Stephenson is understood to have refused to co-operate with police and reveal what they claim to know about the location of Ms Murphy’s body.
Missing Persons Unit Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt has assured the community that his detectives will never stop searching for Ms Murphy’s body.
“I want to reassure members of the Ballarat community that police remain focused on doing everything possible to return Samantha to her family,” he previously said.
