The Squiz

Over a month since Victorian mother Samatha Murphy went missing, a 22yo man was yesterday charged with her murder. Ballarat Magistrates Court quickly issued a temporary suppression order to keep his identity under wraps until a full hearing can be held next month after his lawyers said “mental health issues” could arise. Police do not believe the man – said to be the son of an ex-AFL player – has a connection to the Murphy family. Chief Commissioner Shane Patton fronted the media yesterday and said police allege the murder was a “deliberate attack” on Murphy at Mount Clear on the day she disappeared. He added the accused “has not disclosed where Samantha’s body is”.

Remind me what happened?

The 51yo vanished on Sunday, 4 February, after heading off on a run at 7am – CCTV footage shows her leaving home, which is the last confirmed sighting. Her family reported her missing when she didn’t show up for brunch at around 11am. As for where she went, police say Murphy made it to the Woowookarung Regional Park. Since then, police and local community members have spent weeks scouring bushland – including at Mount Clear, about 6km from where Murphy was last seen – after mobile phone data pointed to the area. Police have not revealed whether those searches turned up any clues about her whereabouts, but investigators have reviewed 12,000 hours of CCTV footage and followed up over 500 pieces of information. Last month, police said it was “very doubtful” she was still alive. 

How is her family going?

Murphy’s husband Mick says he felt “relief” after hearing about the murder charge and that it’s “like someone’s just let the pressure valve off”. Yesterday, Patton said police recognised the “profound impact” of the case on the Ballarat community and reiterated calls for the public to come forward with any information as “any little clue could be vital”. He says investigators are now “going even harder to find a body”. Murphy’s father John Robson said “I can only hope that he is the bloke responsible because that way, we might get a bit of closure”.