Samantha Murphy Ballarat * Patrick Orren Stephenson Charged With Murder

[Kurve]

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The Murder of Rebecca Young - Ballarat

The Murder of Hannah McGuire - Ballarat * Lachie Young

17

Lachie Young

Age

25

Ht

189cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.5

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

4.1

3star

M

3.3

3star

T

1.8

4star

MG

220.3

3star

D

9.0

2star

K

5.5

2star

HB

3.5

2star

M

1.0

1star

T

2.0

3star

MG

210.0

3star

D

11.2

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

5.0

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

1.8

4star

MG

219.6

4star

charged



Allegedly

 

[Kurve]

There's some good footage in here of the search area which seems very specific, it's well in to her run or as 31550 suggested, probably close enough to the point she might turn/loop around and head home. How the police have found she got that far is interesting.

As Samantha Murphy's disappearance enters fourth week, Ballarat residents continue search

While police hold little hope that 51-year-old mother of three Samantha Murphy will be found alive, dozens of volunteers are trying to help authorities bring answers to her family.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Lady O]

There's some good footage in here of the search area which seems very specific, it's well in to her run or as 31550 suggested, probably close enough to the point she might turn/loop around and head home. How the police have found she got that far is interesting.

View attachment 1912909
View attachment 1912912

As Samantha Murphy's disappearance enters fourth week, Ballarat residents continue search

While police hold little hope that 51-year-old mother of three Samantha Murphy will be found alive, dozens of volunteers are trying to help authorities bring answers to her family.

www.abc.net.au

Just looking at the map, there appears to be several farms/businesses just off the edge of the wooded area, along Boundary Rd/Davidsons Rd.

I know a friend of mine used to run in an area of similarly scattered rural properties, when she was attacked by a couple of dogs from one of the houses. That's also a possibility that hunting dogs might take her down and that is not something the owners would want to take responsibility for. However, it would definitely leave blood trace. She could have tried to outrun them and gone off the track. Still, they should have found some evidence by now though.

 

[geoffjennings79]

It's interesting several new ABC articles suddenly have the updated portrait, rather than Samantha next to her daughter (?) in more formal attire.
She still looks the same, hair less styled, but why start using the different image now?

 

[FTY1]

There's some good footage in here of the search area which seems very specific, it's well in to her run or as 31550 suggested, probably close enough to the point she might turn/loop around and head home. How the police have found she got that far is interesting.

View attachment 1912909
View attachment 1912912

As Samantha Murphy's disappearance enters fourth week, Ballarat residents continue search

While police hold little hope that 51-year-old mother of three Samantha Murphy will be found alive, dozens of volunteers are trying to help authorities bring answers to her family.

www.abc.net.au

I think they must have some GPS data that has been uploaded to the cloud. Perhaps even other data after she was moved from Mount Clear. If you listen to the press conference, they say she was on foot through the Canadian State Forest and moved to the Mount Clear Area. This is in the first minute. I assume that is speed that it hit different GPS areas. They also know she didn't suffer a medical event so that could indicate heart data. An hour into her run she would have hit the Mount Clear Area 7 km from home.

 

[Irma]

Interestingly enou

There's some good footage in here of the search area which seems very specific, it's well in to her run or as 31550 suggested, probably close enough to the point she might turn/loop around and head home. How the police have found she got that far is interesting.

View attachment 1912909
View attachment 1912912

As Samantha Murphy's disappearance enters fourth week, Ballarat residents continue search

While police hold little hope that 51-year-old mother of three Samantha Murphy will be found alive, dozens of volunteers are trying to help authorities bring answers to her family.

www.abc.net.au

Interestingly enough, the search site is pretty much right under the nose of a Telstra tower. Phone service shouldn’t be an issue then.

 

[Athena]

I don't think it's a random 'hit and run' as there would be little chance of useful forensic evidence to identify the perpetrator left at the scene. They need to find something physical placing both Smantha and the suspect at the scene. If police have a specific suspect, then they would have already examined their vehicle(s) for forensic evidence.

I think it's more likely an altercation or intervention. The perpetrator has deliberately intercepted Samantha on her run and then transferred her to a vehicle. Police have used phone/GPS data to narrow down a location where both Samantha and a suspect are known to have been at around 8am. They may have used cloud data from her previous runs, and assumed she took the same route. She possibly regularly ran to Mt Clear and back, and maybe this was her stopping / turnaround point.

This may have been a planned attack - someone who also frequented this location and had seen her - or someone who knew her and followed her, or lay in waiting for her at her regular stopping place?

There are a number of possible motives which don't implicate Samantha in anything sinister or wrong. She may have come across a stolen car ring through the family business, for instance, and was killed because she 'knew too much'?

As for the 'damaged vehicle' reference - perhaps police theorise it was necessary to drive the car off the road for some way in moving the body, and this may have caused damage? Or maybe it's just a fishing exercise?

Agreed. Also, if it was a random "hit and run" Superintendent Hatt wouldn't have answered an emphatic "definitely" to the question of whether they're looking into the business at the presser, nor would they need to be talking to all the family and friends as part of the investigation. Unless they're keeping all lines of enquiry open? I don't know, it sounds more like they're closing in on a suspect/suspects than just investigating potential scenarios. Let's hope so!

 

[Lady O]

f you listen to the press conference, they say she was on foot through the Canadian State Forest and moved to the Mount Clear Area. This is in the first minute. I assume that is speed that it hit different GPS areas. They also know she didn't suffer a medical event so that could indicate heart data. An hour into her run she would have hit the Mount Clear Area 7 km from home.

I have just listened to the video again, he said "We believe she then travelled, on foot, into the Canadian State Forest, where she embarked on a run, for a period of time, and made her way to the Mt Clear area"

He did not say "she moved", he said "made her way" which does not indicate to me that she was taken, but continued her run to that Mt Clear area.

 

[Flog111]

I feel as though the attacker was in a car. Either planned or by accident. Then driven away with ms Murphy or buried near the scene. You could quite easily drive a car or 4wd down those tracks

 

[FTY1]

I have just listened to the video again, he said "We believe she then travelled, on foot, into the Canadian State Forest, where she embarked on a run, for a period of time, and made her way to the Mt Clear area"

He did not say "she moved", he said "made her way" which does not indicate to me that she was taken, but continued her run to that Mt Clear area.

I was paraphrasing. I did mean she went there on her own. I never said someone else moved her. I did suggest that she was moved from the Mount Clear area but that was perhaps implied rather than said.

 

[darrenmorgan]

I feel as though the attacker was in a car. Either planned or by accident. Then driven away with ms Murphy or buried near the scene. You could quite easily drive a car or 4wd down those tracks

there's a road runs right through there, Rec Rd turns into McCartheys Road. presuming this is the road she was running down to head into Mt Clear. I grew up just of Rec Rd and still use MCarthey Road to come into Mt Clear the back way from Melbourne Road when I visit family there. Mt Clear Secondary College campus is right there at the edge of the forest. yes there are obviously quite a few smaller dirt tracks running off Rec/McCartheys Road which easily take standard vehicles let alone 4WD's. But it is quite busy through there, lots of people use that road in particular as a back way to get across town. as I said in a previous post, I grew up right next to the Secondary College and spent my youth exploring those forests; there was always sketchy people and sketchy shit you'd come across..

 

[rdhopkins2]

Not sold on the hit & run theory.

Surely there would be blood and forensic evidence on the road road or nearby which dogs would have sniffed out. Possibly fragments of plastic & metal too. Possibly a dark coloured car would perhaps render blood invisible but surely a damaged car would have been sighted by somebody and the sighting reported to the police by now.

As for transporting a body, you’d think it would have to be a ute or trailer or caravan unless the perpetrator happened to have a tarp or plastic to cover the body and put it in a car or boot? Blood stains would be hard to wash out I’d imagine and a dead body would start to decompose quite quickly. Maybe they had a shovel in the car and managed to dig a sufficient hole in record time and were wizards at concealing the burial spot? Seems unlikely but this horrible mystery is so strange.

 

[31550]

Not sold on the hit & run theory.

Surely there would be blood and forensic evidence on the road road or nearby which dogs would have sniffed out. Possibly fragments of plastic & metal too. Possibly a dark coloured car would perhaps render blood invisible but surely a damaged car would have been sighted by somebody and the sighting reported to the police by now.

As for transporting a body, you’d think it would have to be a ute or trailer or caravan unless the perpetrator happened to have a tarp or plastic to cover the body and put it in a car or boot? Blood stains would be hard to wash out I’d imagine and a dead body would start to decompose quite quickly. Maybe they had a shovel in the car and managed to dig a sufficient hole in record time and were wizards at concealing the burial spot? Seems unlikely but this horrible mystery is so strange.

If she was accosted or abducted, she may not have been physically injured at the scene to leave any blood traces - she may have been coerced or physically forced into a vehicle then driven elsewhere. If there was a weapon involved and/or more than one offender this would have been quite easily done.

 

[Jimmybob]

Has the red thing the cop was pictured holding been identified yet?

 

[31550]

I think they must have some GPS data that has been uploaded to the cloud. Perhaps even other data after she was moved from Mount Clear. If you listen to the press conference, they say she was on foot through the Canadian State Forest and moved to the Mount Clear Area. This is in the first minute. I assume that is speed that it hit different GPS areas. They also know she didn't suffer a medical event so that could indicate heart data. An hour into her run she would have hit the Mount Clear Area 7 km from home.

"No evidence that she left the area of her own accord". This surely means that either her GPS tracking stopped at around 8am in the search location, or that she was tracked moving in a vehicle after that time?

 

[ElliottsMaggies]

If she was accosted or abducted, she may not have been physically injured at the scene to leave any blood traces - she may have been coerced or physically forced into a vehicle then driven elsewhere. If there was a weapon involved and/or more than one offender this would have been quite easily done.

Exactly. People are assuming there would have to be blood after being hit (or assaulted) but that's not necessarily true. Perhaps Samantha hit her head on impact, was knocked unconscious or worse..that could be true for either accidental or intentional.

There also may have been more than one person in the car.

And we simply don't know what evidence the police may have discovered. We know they don't tell the media everything. And rightly so.

 

[Longmembrey]

He wrote:

"The police are obviously not telling us everything as they should"

Unless he's Humpty Dumpy:

“When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less

Should implies an obligation, one step below must .

He chose the word and in a text based forum the reader can only go on the words the writer uses.

Its very obvious that he meant "the police are withholding info - as they should"

Not sure why you can't understand that...

 

[Lady O]

If she was accosted or abducted, she may not have been physically injured at the scene to leave any blood traces - she may have been coerced or physically forced into a vehicle then driven elsewhere. If there was a weapon involved and/or more than one offender this would have been quite easily done.

Here's a sobering statistic.

On average, 125 females of all ages are murdered each year in Australia,
with the greatest risk of homicide victimisation for females being between
the ages of 21 and 23 years. Overwhelmingly, it is men who kill women—
male offenders were responsible for killing approximately 94 per cent of
adult female victims. However, the likelihood of a woman being killed by a
male stranger is very slight—each year in Australia fewer than 14 women
are killed by a man that they do not know.

 

[31550]

Here's a sobering statistic.

On average, 125 females of all ages are murdered each year in Australia,
with the greatest risk of homicide victimisation for females being between
the ages of 21 and 23 years. Overwhelmingly, it is men who kill women—
male offenders were responsible for killing approximately 94 per cent of
adult female victims. However, the likelihood of a woman being killed by a
male stranger is very slight—each year in Australia fewer than 14 women
are killed by a man that they do not know.

So statistically six times more likely someone she knows than a total stranger.

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

Yep, I had to pull over just off Port Headland near dusk for the same reason last I was there, it was impossible to see at all, I was blind.

Worked up there for a while too, that sun is crazy you just can’t see.

 

[FTY1]

The Friday Press Statement. Pasting it so in 5 days time when it disappears we have a copy

Search continues for missing woman Samantha Murphy

Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad will today lead a targeted search of the Mount Clear area as part of their…

www.police.vic.gov.au

Friday 23 February 2024 6:44am

Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad will today lead a targeted search of the Mount Clear area as part of their investigation into the suspicious disappearance of Ballarat East woman Samantha Murphy.
This extensive search will involve a significant number of detectives from across Crime Command and other specialist commands, as well as local police.
They will focus on an area highlighted by intelligence derived from phone data.
Extensive searches have been conducted throughout the Canadian Forest area since Samantha’s disappearance almost three weeks ago, however no trace of her has been located at this time.
These searches have involved a range of specialist units from across Victoria Police and many local community members have also volunteered their time to assist the search.
The 51-year-old was last seen leaving her property on Eureka Street to go for a run, about 7am Sunday, 4 February.
Samantha was known to regularly run through the Canadian Forest area.
Police are treating her disappearance as suspicious due to the length of time she has been missing and given no trace of her has been found.
The Missing Persons Squad has primacy of the investigation and that team has been further expanded with experienced detectives from a number of units across Crime Command and other specialist areas.
The team will also continue to work closely with local police.
Investigators are currently in the process of reviewing about 12,000 hours of CCTV footage and following up over 500 separate pieces of information.
Police are again releasing two images of Samantha in the hope someone recognises her and can provide any information about her movements since Sunday, 4 February.


One of the images was captured on her home CCTV system before she left for her run on the Sunday morning.

Police are continuing to ask everyone in the Ballarat East and Mount Helen areas, particularly around the Canadian Forest, to check their CCTV for any possible sightings over the past three weeks.

Detectives are also urging anyone travelling through the area, particularly between 7am and 7pm on Sunday 4 February, who may have dash-cam footage to also check this for possible sightings.

A number of items have been located during the search for Samantha, however these have since been assessed and at this time are not believed to be related to her disappearance.

There is also no evidence to suggest Samantha’s disappearance is linked to any other incidents in the area at this time.

Police and family have significant concerns for Samantha’s welfare due to the length of time she has been missing and her disappearance is considered extremely out of character.

Samantha is described as Caucasian, about 173cm tall with a slim build and shoulder-length blonde hair.

She was last seen wearing black half-length leggings and a maroon/brown coloured singlet.

Anyone who sights Samantha is urged to contact triple zero (000) immediately.

Anyone with any other information about Samantha’s current whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers.com.au


Quotes attributable to Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt, Crime Command:

“Since Samantha’s disappearance almost three weeks ago, a significant search and investigation has been undertaken in an effort to find her.

“We are keeping an open mind, but believe the most likely scenario is that her disappearance involves one or more parties.

“Given the extensive and detailed search that has already been undertaken, and the fact no sign of Samantha or her personal belongings has been located, we have ruled out any type of medical incident.

“There is also nothing to indicate that Samantha left the area of her own accord.

“I know that a lot of people, particularly those who live in the local Ballarat community, are extremely concerned about the fact we haven’t yet located Samantha or who may be responsible for her disappearance.

“I want to reassure those members of the public that Victoria Police is doing everything we can to find out what has happened and provide some answers to Samantha’s family and the broader community.

“We have also had immense public support for both the search and investigation, and I want to thank those people who have given up their time or provided information to police.

“I encourage anyone who does have information that could be relevant to this investigation – whether that’s a person or vehicle seen in the area on that day, something unusual such as a damaged vehicle or property – to please come forward and speak to police or provide the information via Crime Stoppers.

“Finally, it’s important that people continue to avoid unnecessary and unhelpful speculation because we don’t want that to detract from the genuine investigation or potentially prevent anyone coming forward with information because they have a misconception about what has happened to Samantha.

“Police remain open to any and all possibilities, so if you know something or have seen something, then we want to hear from you.”

Victoria Police Media Unit

123922

 

[shorsky]

I could be way off base, but I think they have someone from cctv, and are playing a slow game.


The no body situation says family/friend or known. They’ll wait them out while on the collect.

why? I got nothing…

I tend to agree. I think they ‘know’ - not only who’s responsible, but that she’s definitely no longer alive.

Meaning ‘time’ is no longer of the essence … they will take all the time they need to find & put together everything needed for a watertight case.

My heart breaks for her family, particularly her children.

 

[shorsky]

It's interesting several new ABC articles suddenly have the updated portrait, rather than Samantha next to her daughter (?) in more formal attire.
She still looks the same, hair less styled, but why start using the different image now?

View attachment 1912949

Possibly for ‘recognition purposes, I think it would be more recent.

 

[MiguelM]

If she was accosted or abducted, she may not have been physically injured at the scene to leave any blood traces - she may have been coerced or physically forced into a vehicle then driven elsewhere. If there was a weapon involved and/or more than one offender this would have been quite easily done.

Much more plausable than the hit run theory for sure.

 

[Percel]

I tend to agree. I think they ‘know’ - not only who’s responsible, but that she’s definitely no longer alive.

Meaning ‘time’ is no longer of the essence … they will take all the time they need to find & put together everything needed for a watertight case.

My heart breaks for her family, particularly her children.

Well said, totally agree time becomes irrelevant in this situation.

*unless they’re a flight risk of course, which i don’t think is the case

 

[MiguelM]

Well said, totally agree time becomes irrelevant in this situation.

*unless they’re a flight risk of course, which i don’t think is the case

or danger to the public which makes me think suspect/s are known to her.