Samantha Murphy suppression order: Why missing mum’s accused killer can’t be named

A 22-year-old man has faced court charged with the murder of missing mum Samantha Murphy — but a legal twist means The Nightly can’t release his name.

Victorian police revealed on Thursday that they had arrested and charged the young man, who hails from Scotsburn, after Ms Murphy went missing in February while on a Sunday morning jog.

The news broke on Thursday afternoon that the man had been charged — and that he could be identified as the son of an ex-AFL player.

But the accused man’s name, his date of birth and his image cannot be revealed after the judge ordered those details be suppressed from the public.

Ms Murphy told her family she was heading out for a 14km run on Sunday, February 4 after leaving her Eureka Street home in Ballarat East at 7am.

Her family reported her missing when she failed to attend a planned brunch that day.

Despite extensive searches of the nearby Woowookarung Regional Park, the 51-year-old has not been found.

After the charges were laid, Ms Murphy’s husband Mick said his family was “doing as good as we can”.

Speaking outside his home, Murphy told 7NEWS he was relieved after hearing of the charge.

“The adrenaline with everything ... it’s trying to be brave for everybody, it’s something you wouldn’t want anyone to experience,” he said.

“It’s like someone’s just let the pressure valve off, sort of thing.

“It hasn’t been a good nearly five weeks, but anyway, we’re doing as good as we can.”

A police spokeswoman said the investigation remained ongoing.

Any members of the public who see Ms Murphy should call triple-0 immediately.

Anyone with information regarding her disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report online.