Missing Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy: Police probe mobile data to trace movements of people in area

A large-scale search for Victorian mother of three Samantha Murphy has failed to locate her.

Police in Australia investigating the disappearance of missing Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy have changed tack and will probe mobile tower data to trace the movements of people in the area at the same time the 51-year-old vanished.

According to the Herald Sun, police will trawl through information from the phones of other people whose devices pinged off the same tower as Murphy’s phone.

Police have indicated that once they discern who was in the area at the time, they will then probe their backgrounds for any potential new leads.

Murphy disappeared four weeks ago after going for a run in the Canadian State Forest in Victoria, Australia, on February 4, with police describing her disappearance as “out of character”.

A targeted search began in and around Mount Clear, only 5km away from where she was last seen, based on an area highlighted by intelligence derived from phone data.

Mount Clear is adjacent to the Canadian State Forest, an area Murphy was known to frequent on her runs.

Crews scoured dense bushland looking for missing woman Samantha Murphy.

Police previously used the mobile data from Murphy’s phone to help narrow the search.

There were unconfirmed reports her phone pinged in the afternoon she went missing.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t give police any other clues. For officers, this is a marathon investigation, working through hours’ worth of security vision and 700 pieces of information,” 7 News reporter Hope Wilson said.

Police indicated it was unlikely Murphy was still alive and that “more parties” may have been involved in moving her from the local area.

Victoria Police Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt from Crime Command said there was no evidence Murphy had left on her own accord.

“Unfortunately, given the time and the fact we have found no trace of her, we do have severe concerns and are very doubtful that she is still alive,” he said.

“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.”

Police investigating the disappearance of missing mum Samantha Murphy will use mobile phone tower data to identify the movements of people in the area at the time.

Why the investigation is being hindered

A retired missing persons detective has come forward saying volunteers searching for clues could be hindering the speed of the investigation and giving police mountains of potential unneeded information to trawl through.

Former detective Narelle Fraser, who spent three decades on the force, said police will be doing everything possible and working “almost 24/7″ to get to the bottom of what happened to the missing mother-of-three.

Fraser explained that while it’s great people want to help, there’s a fear elements of volunteers’ findings could slow up the case.

“I feel uncomfortable, in a way, saying about the search teams ... If they find something that they think is part of the investigation, they might take that to the police.

“Then the police have to take a report, they have to find out whether it’s part of the investigation or not.

“It’s a huge job, a huge job because there is so much information coming in and you have to go down every single rabbit burrow because you don’t want to miss something. If you’re the one that’s missed it, it would be terrible.”

She did say, however, that more was likely happening behind the scenes than detectives were letting on.

Samantha Murphy is 51 years old and described as tall with blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a brown singlet.

Crime expert’s latest theory

A highly esteemed crime expert has spoken out, saying police likely suspect a person involved in the search for missing Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy could be her killer.

Speaking on Australian radio station 3AW, veteran crime expert John Silverster said she’s unlikely to have disappeared, pointing at foul play.

“We know it’s not self-harm or a medical issue. Why? Because the area has been searched, and they’re very confident if someone has fallen down one way or another, they would have been found.

“So that leaves you with the suggestion of foul play and probably murder.”

Locals have launched search parties in a bid to assist police in helping locate Murphy.

However, Silvester suggested someone among the search party could be operating with ill-intent to throw police off the scent that someone who knows Murphy or is an upstanding member of the community could be behind her disappearance.

“Police will also be considering that one of those searchers is the [alleged] killer in that they have inculcated themselves into that situation to be seen as part of the community, but also keeping an eye on what’s going on,” he explained.

He explained that police have likely ruled out that Murphy had any major secrets that the family didn’t know about.

New clue could spark hope

A team of criminal and missing person experts has lifted the lid on another potential new clue, sparking hope in the case.

Those experts included former Victorian detective Damian Marrett, criminal psychologist Dr Peter Ashkar, missing persons specialist Valentine Smith and cyber expert Nigel Phair.

The group raised the possibility Murphy was kidnapped and is still alive, as well as mentioned how the sighting of a damaged car may hold further clues.

The panel suggested the police statement where they said “one or more parties” could be involved could be related to the damaged car.

The experts considered the possibility the existence of the car could mean Murphy was taken from the area.