Man, 22, charged with murder of Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy

A man has been charged with the murder of missing Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy.

A man has been charged with the murder of Samantha Murphy, who vanished without a trace while out for a jog more than a month ago.

A 22-year-old local man was taken into custody shortly after 6am on Wednesday at his home by detectives.

The accused was interviewed over a number of hours and a number of search warrants have been executed in what police allege was a “deliberate” act by a stranger.

Police are alleging the murder occurred at Mount Clear, less than 10km from her hometown of Ballarat, on the day she disappeared.

Investigators claimed it was not a hit and run incident.

It was the first time any arrest has been made in the case, which has gripped the country and sparked wild conspiracy theories.

The mum-of-three was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home in Ballarat, a Central Highlands city in Victoria, about 7am on Sunday, February 4, to go for a 14km run through the nearby Woowookarung Regional Park.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said the location of Samantha Murphy’s body is still unknown.

Ms Murphy’s father, John ‘Pud’ Robson, said he had no idea of the alleged links between the arrested man and his daughter.

“I haven’t got the faintest, mate. Not in that age range,” he told the Daily Mail.

“I can only hope that he is the bloke responsible because that way, we might get a bit of closure.

“You know, it’s sort of too late to think that she might still be alive.”

Samantha Murphy has been missing since February 4. Picture: Supplied

Husband Mick Murphy and daughter Jess Murphy speak to media. Picture: Nicki Connolly/NCA NewsWire

Detectives are still hunting for CCTV or dashcam footage from the area which may hold clues to the missing mother’s whereabouts.

Ms Murphy’s husband Mick, 51, spoke outside his Ballarat East home after the development.

“The adrenaline with everything that’s been going on, it’s just, it’s trying to be brave for everybody,” he told reporters, explaining that it was a “relief” to see the case being resolved.

“It’s something you wouldn’t want anybody to experience.”

“It is (a relief). Definitely. It’s like something has just let the pressure valve off sort of thing. It hasn’t been a good near on five weeks. Anyway, we’re doing as good as we can. Keeping a brave face.”

Mr Murphy said his family was “doing the best we can under the circumstances”.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said the location of Samantha Murphy’s body is still unknown.

Daughter’s emotional plea

Samantha Murphy’s eldest daughter Jess, 22, begged the community for help last month as the search intensified.

“Mum’s a really strong woman, and she’s far too determined to give up this fight,” Jess said.

“Mum, we love you so much, and we miss you. We need you at home with us. Please come home soon. I can’t wait to see you and to give you the biggest hug when I do.

“And to tell you off for giving us so much stress. I love you.”

SES crews during a large-scale search in Buninyong. Picture: Ian Wilson/NCA NewsWire

Hundreds of locals volunteered to search for Ms Murphy. Picture: Ian Wilson

Mr Murphy added: “People just don’t vanish into thin air. Someone’s got to know something.”

Ms Murphy’s disappearance sparked a wide-scale search with hundreds of locals volunteering to help search the bushland where she usually runs, but no trace of the mum was found after six days.

Homicide detectives from the Missing Persons Squad joined the investigation on February 9.

The following day Victoria Police scaled back the active search phase and on February 15, 10 days after she went missing, police said they were treating her disappearance as suspicious.

Detectives this week revealed they were using mobile phone data to piece together the movements of those who were in the area on the morning Ms Murphy disappeared.

Police had already used mobile phone data to narrow down her last-known location before she vanished.

Police search in Woowookarung Regional Park. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Early reports suggested Ms Murphy’s phone pinged off the Buninyong tower, south of the Woowookarung Regional Park, at 5pm the day she went missing, though it has not been confirmed.

She is believed to have reached the Mount Clear area, adjacent to the park, about an hour after leaving home, but has not been seen or heard from since departing.

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

“Everyone” close to Ms Murphy was a “person of interest”, police said last month, while stressing her husband was not a suspect.

“We have a number of people that we are speaking to and I can say the family have been absolutely fantastic in co-operating with police,” Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt told reporters.

“At this stage [Mr Murphy] is not [a suspect]. Everyone in relation to Samantha is a person of interest. In our investigation we are speaking to everyone that was in her life.“

Anyone who sights Samantha is asked to call triple-0 (000) immediately.

Any other information regarding her disappearance is to be reported Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or by submitting a confidential crime report at CrimeStoppers.com.au.

“We understand that there is a continued high level of interest in this investigation and concern about Samantha’s disappearance, however it remains critical that any speculation does not impede any aspects of the investigation,” police added.

— with NCA NewsWire

Originally published as Man, 22, charged with murder of Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy