Disappearance of Samantha Murphy

Samantha Murphy was a 51-year-old Australian woman living in Ballarat, Victoria, born on 30 March 1972. She was the mother of three children and ran a small business with her husband, Michael, near the family home. On 3 February 2024, Murphy had dinner with her husband and mutual friends, during which she mentioned plans to run 14 kilometres at Woowookarung Regional Park the next day. She was captured by CCTV at approximately 7am AEDT on 4 February 2024 in her driveway. When she failed to attend a family event at 11am that day, her family contacted police.

Investigators found that Murphy's mobile phone had signalled a cellular tower in Buninyong, roughly 14 kilometres from her home, though a single tower signal cannot precisely triangulate a device's location. The SOS function on her Apple Watch was not activated. GPS analysis indicated she had run approximately 7 kilometres through Woowookarung Regional Park to Mount Clear, where an "anomaly" or "disturbance" appeared in the GPS data.

Victoria Police, including its Search and Rescue Squad, dog squad, Mounted Branch and Air Wing, worked alongside the Victoria State Emergency Service, Parks Victoria and the Country Fire Authority to conduct an extensive search of the park and surrounding areas, including Black Hill and Brown Hill. No sign of Murphy or her belongings was found during the initial search, and police ruled out the possibility she had suffered a medical episode or left the area voluntarily. After five days, the search was scaled back and handed to the Missing Persons Squad, though members of the public continued searching. By 23 February 2024, police stated they suspected Murphy was deceased and believed one or more parties may have been involved in her disappearance.

On 6 March 2024, Patrick Orren Stephenson, a 22-year-old man from Scotsburn, was arrested in connection with the disappearance. He was charged with murder the following day. According to the police hypothesis, Stephenson — who was not known to Murphy's family — killed her at Mount Clear. His name had initially been subject to a suppression order.

On 29 May 2024, Murphy's wallet, containing her ID cards, and her mobile phone were found on the bank of an agricultural dam during a targeted search of a property near Durham Lead, about 4 kilometres south of Buninyong. As of the available reporting, Murphy's body had not been found.

The case drew public attention, including commentary from forensic psychologist Tim Watson-Munro, who described it as highly unusual. Community-led search efforts included a Facebook group that grew to include speculation, conspiracy theories, and claims from psychic mediums, prompting Victoria Police Commissioner Shane Patton to call on the public to stop speculating about the case.