‘Strategic’: One reason why Samantha Murphy’s body hasn’t been found

This week, a new search was launched for missing mum Samantha Murphy’s body. However, the operation brought more questions than answers.

As yet another police search for Samatha Murphy’s body comes to a close, the community of Ballarat – as well as the rest of Australia – are demanding answers more than ever before.

Now one expert has suggested a theory about the searches for the missing mum.

On Monday, seven months after the mother disappeared while on a jog, Victorian police announced they were launching a new search.

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

Ms Murphy was 51 when she went missing. Picture: Supplied

They would be sending in a motorbike team and a dog squad to “targeted bushland” in the Enfield State Forest, about a 15-minute drive from Buninyong, where Ms Murphy’s phone was found buried in mud on the edge of a dam in May.

The announcement sparked fresh hope and sent the internet into a frenzy.

However, on Thursday afternoon, police said they were concluding their search, and that no items of interest were located.

They also refused to answer any questions about what they were looking for, or why they chose the area.

About 45 searchers were in the bush this week. Picture: NewsWire/David Crosling

Instead of answers, the search only raised more questions for the community.

Criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro believes police are remaining overly tight-lipped for one reason – they think someone else is involved.

In March, a month after Murphy’s disappearance, police charged 23-year-old Patrick Stephenson with her alleged murder.

Mr Stephenson, an electrician and the son of AFL player Orren Stephenson, remains behind bars and he is expected to appear in court again in November.

He was not known to either Ms Murphy or her family.

Mr Watson-Munro told news.com.au he believes another person was involved in the disposal of her phone at the dam, as it was in good condition when it was found.

“Of all the dams in that district on all the farms in that district they happen to find it there, and as I understand it, pretty well preserved,” he said.

“Clearly, this raises the likelihood of third-party involvement because by then the accused was in custody.”

Police on motorbikes join a search in an area around Enfield State park in Victoria on a new search for the body of Samantha Murphy. Picture: News Corp Australia

The psychologist said police were likely withholding information in hopes of “shaking” someone down.

“I suspect someone took the phone there and police have intelligence on that. Leaking or providing developments to the public is inevitably strategic,” he said.

“The discovery of the phone certainly indicates to me it was disposed of by somebody who was not in custody, that would suggest a level of communication between various parties.

“Now, whether that person was involved in the crime, who knows, probably unlikely, but we won’t know until there is more concrete evidence.”

Enfield Park is south of Ballarat. Picture: NewsWire/David Crosling

As to why it is taking so long to find the body, Mr Watson-Munro said the terrain where Ms Murphy went on her jog before disappearing has been one of the biggest barriers to finding her body.

The area is riddled with abandoned mine shafts, which have proved an added danger to rescue teams.

The search this week involved a range of specialist police from across the country. Picture: Newswire/David Crosling

She told her husband she was going on a 20km run prior to her disappearance. Picture: Supplied

“This is not CBD Melbourne, where you have all witnesses, harder to dispose of a body and so on. You’ve got the wild blue yonder,” he said.

“There’s a lot of places where a body could be disposed of without being discovered and it really is a needle in a haystack.”

Police have asked members of the public to not attend the search area as police continue their investigation.

“The investigation remains ongoing and is focused on locating Samantha’s body,” a spokesman for Victoria police said on Thursday.

“We are not in a position to supply further specific details of operational activity at this time.”