Key points: All the information you need to know about Samantha Murphy’s disappearance

Cassandra Morgan and Rachael Ward

AAP

3 Min Read

07 Mar 2024

KEY POINTS

Samantha Murphy, a 51-year-old Ballarat woman and mother of three, was last seen leaving her home on February 4 to go for a run
A 22-year-old Ballarat man was arrested over Ms Murphy’s disappearance early on Wednesday morning
Police say the man is not linked to the Murphy family
No trace has been found of Ms Murphy, despite weeks of extensive searches by emergency services and concerned community members

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She is married to Michael Murphy and the couple run a car repair business near their Ballarat East home
Ms Murphy has been described as a caring friend, a valued Ballarat community member and a dedicated mother
Her eldest daughter Jess described her as a “really strong woman” during a press conference
She is physically strong and had been training for an upcoming race by doing 15km runs

A 22-year-old Ballarat man was arrested at his home at around 6am on Wednesday
He remained in police custody as of 11am on Thursday and has not yet been charged
He is not linked to the Murphy family
Police have not revealed any further information, such as where he was arrested or if they expect to make any further arrests
The investigation is ongoing and police are calling for information from the public
Police in Victoria can only hold people in custody after an arrest for a reasonable time before issuing charges, however the law does not state what a reasonable time is

She left her Eureka Street home in Ballarat East to go for a run about 7am on February 4, 2024
Officers do not know the exact route Ms Murphy took on her run
Her family members reported her missing that morning
She was last seen wearing black half-length leggings and a maroon or brown singlet
She had her smartwatch and phone when she left her home

On February 23, Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt said officers were doubtful she was still alive
He said police were looking into the possibility that Ms Murphy’s body was moved from where she vanished
He said police were keeping an open mind about Ms Murphy’s disappearance but the most likely scenario was that it involved one or more parties

Members of Victoria Police, the State Emergency Service, the Country Fire Authority and concerned locals have scoured the greater Ballarat area for several weeks
Areas of focus have included Ballarat East, the Canadian Forest area and Mount Helen
Search areas include dense forest, private land and walking tracks

Anyone who has seen Ms Murphy or has information about her disappearance and is yet to speak to detectives should do so immediately
People with CCTV or dash-cam footage from the area at the time are asked to come forward
Police have acknowledged the high level of public interest in the case and on Thursday said it was “critical” that any speculation did not impact their investigation.