Samantha Murphy: I was one of the last people to see missing mum when she ran past my campsite on her morning jog

A camper who saw missing mum Samantha Murphy running past her 24 hours before she disappeared has told of a terrifying encounter she had in the bush with a ‘sloppy man’ a few days earlier.

Rebecca Agheli and her partner, Michael, rented a caravan for a long weekend trip to Ballarat for a gold panning trip near Woowookarung Regional Park, arriving on February 1.

Ms Murphy disappeared in the regional park after leaving her home just after 7am on Sunday, February 4, and no trace of her has been found since.

Police said last night they would scale back the search for the missing mother-of-three in what would be a devastating blow to her family.

Ms Agheli said she only found out on Thursday that Ms Murphy had disappeared, noting that she had seen her running past their campsite on the Saturday morning before her disappearance.

Creepy encounter before mother disappeared

When they arrived on February 1, about 15 minutes from the national forest, Ms Agheli prepared for their gold hunt while her partner explored the area.

He quickly returned to their car after seeing a strange man.

“He’s a big guy, he’s not normally afraid of anything, but he told me he saw a strange, disheveled man coming out of the bush talking to himself with the crotch of his pants torn,” she told Daily MailAustralia.

Ms Murphy disappeared from Woowookarung Regional Park after leaving her home just after 7am on Sunday and no trace of her has been found since.

The 51-year-old has been missing for six days and police have called in homicide detectives to assist in the investigation

The couple decided to pack up and head to another area, which Ms Agheli said was about a seven-minute drive away.

She said her partner had warned her about mine shafts in the area and suggested she go elsewhere, but Ms Agheli wanted a quick look and walked some distance away from the car.

“Then I saw the same man again, even after we had only been driving for seven minutes,” she said.

‘His whole face lit up when he saw a woman alone.

‘I thought: how did this man get here so quickly? He must know a shorter route. He had both hands behind his back and was walking towards me very quickly.’

Ms Agheli said she then shouted at the man to ask if there was gold nearby, loud enough for her partner to hear.

Michael immediately ran to Mrs. Agheli. She said the man quickly put his hands in his pockets and fled into the bushes.

Ms Agheli described the man as white with medium-length hair. She suspects that he may have had an intellectual disability.

The couple then drove 15 minutes to the lookout point at Woowookarung Regional Park, where they camped overnight last Thursday and Friday.

Both Ms Agheli and her boyfriend said they heard strange noises on Friday night, even causing Michael to sleep with a cheese knife under his pillow.

“On Saturday morning, Michael said, ‘I don’t feel comfortable here, we have to go.’ “I kept hearing things last night, let’s pack up and go,” she said.

“It takes a lot for a man to be afraid.”

Mrs Murphy (pictured) was known as a keen athlete who visited the forest almost every day

THE MOMENT THE COUPLE SAW MS MURPHY RUNNING IN FRONT OF THEIR CAMPSITE

Before the couple left the national forest, they saw Mrs Murphy running past as the mother-of-three wished them a good morning.

Ms Agheli has spoken to detectives investigating Ms Murphy’s case about what she saw.

Michael also lost his Apple Watch and Ms Agheli said police told her it had last pinged in a similar area to where Ms Murphy’s phone had also pinged in the nearby suburb of Buninyong.

Ms Agheli hopes what she saw can help in the investigation into Ms Murphy’s whereabouts.

“I’m afraid something similar could happen to someone else,” she said.

“That was my first camping trip and I’ll never go there again.”

HORRIBLE ATTACK IN NEARBY FOREST IN FEBRUARY

Last February, Sissy Austin, 29, was knocked unconscious by an unknown man while jogging through nearby Lal Lal State Forest.

Ms Austin was running along the bike path through the woods, just 12 miles from where Ms Murphy was jogging, when she was suddenly confronted by the stranger.

She only caught a glimpse of him before he lashed out and hit her over the head with a rock on the end of a stick.

The blow knocked her unconscious and left her face bruised and bloodied, before she woke minutes later, dazed but alone.

She said her attacker was a white man. No one has been charged in the attack.

Sissy Austin posted photos of herself before and after last year’s attack by a man armed with a rock tied to a stick

THE LAST

Late on Friday, Victoria Police confirmed the “current phase of the active search” for Ms Murphy would be scaled back this weekend.

“An extensive six-day search was carried out involving local police, together with personnel from the Search and Rescue, Mounted Branch and Dog Squads, plus significant assistance from members of the SES and CFA,” a statement said.

‘Police continue to be in regular contact with Samantha’s family regarding developments in the search and the status of the investigation.

‘The investigative phase of the study continues and as new information becomes available identifying areas of interest, the search will be scaled up.’

Specialist teams will continue the search even if volunteers are reduced this weekend.

After an extensive search of the area yielded no clues, detectives from the missing persons team were put in charge of the investigation on Friday.

“While no sinister factors have been identified in her disappearance at this time, there are significant concerns as it has now been six days and she has not been seen or there are any signs of her current whereabouts,” police said in a statement.

SES volunteers are scouring farmland as the search for Mrs Murphy enters its sixth day

The squad will have the opportunity to expand the resources of specialized investigative units within the crime command.

“It is particularly concerning that we have now had no contact from her or any possible sightings for six days,” Detective Acting Chief Inspector Mark Hatt said in a statement.

It comes less than 24 hours after Acting Inspector Lisa McDougall told the media the disappearance was not being treated as suspicious.

“No suspicious circumstances have been identified at this stage,” she said.

But police insist her disappearance is still not being treated as ‘sinister’.

“We have received no information regarding her movements from the time she left (her) home address on Sunday morning,” Detective Acting Chief Inspector Mark Hatt said on Friday morning.

Detective Hatt added that missing persons investigators had more resources and experts who could assist in the search.

“There will certainly be additional crime command detectives visiting the Ballarat area today and in the coming days,” he said.

The focus has moved to the town of Buninyong, 15 minutes south of Ballarat.

Anyone who drove through the area between 7am and 7pm on Sunday with dashcam footage is asked to come forward.