Members of a Facebook group dedicated to helping the search for Samantha Murphy have come under fire after some allegedly harassed and stalked her family.
Several online groups have been set up to help coordinate searches and provide updates on the 51-year-old’s case after she disappeared while out for a run in Ballarat East, Victoria, on February 4.
The mother-of-three has not been seen or heard from since Victoria Police say her disappearance is their ‘highest priority’.
The administrator of a Facebook group, which has more than 6,000 followers, has since had to tell members not to message Ms Murphy’s loved ones.
Members of a Facebook group dedicated to helping the search for missing mother Samantha Murphy have been blasted after understanding some had messaged her family for information
The administrator had to tell group members who had harassed Ms. Murphy’s loved ones
“Just a friendly reminder that drama of any kind will not be tolerated here,” administrator Jasmine Kraus posted to the group on Monday.
‘The administrator sometimes seems harsh or quick to remove people, but we don’t have time for drama, we don’t care what the drama is, you’re gone! If we find out we were wrong, this can obviously be remedied.
‘This group is about Samantha and finding answers for her family!
“(Members who stalk and/or message Sam’s family members will result in an immediate ban).
‘Admin is doing our utmost to keep it that way, the majority seems to understand this so thank you for that! Let’s continue to work together for Sam and her family.”
Other group members had also posted comments falsely suggesting that members of her family may have been responsible for her disappearance.
“I’ve also noticed comments suggesting that family is involved in Sam’s disappearance… those people shouldn’t be here,” one member said.
It comes after a former detective said good Samaritans who want to help in the search for Ms Murphy are actually doing more harm than good for authorities.
Narelle Fraser, who has worked for Victoria Police for 27 years, including 15 years as a detective in the Rape and Homicide Squads and Missing Persons Unit, said police would likely be working on the case 24/7 given the sheer volume of information from the audience coming in.
Ms. Murphy’s loved ones have been harassed. Her husband Mick Murphy is pictured
Police are to try a new tactic in the search for missing mother-of-three Samantha Murphy
Ms Fraser said she knew volunteers were ‘desperate’ to help and that if they found something they thought was important they would take it to the police.
“Then the police have to prepare a report, they have to find out whether it’s part of the investigation or not,” she told police. ABC.
“All this takes time and I think it can sometimes cause big problems.”
It comes after a crime expert suggested Ms Murphy’s would-be killer could be lurking within a volunteer search party.
Legendary Melbourne journalist John Silvester said detectives were investigating whether Ms Murphy’s killer was someone from the Ballarat community who volunteered their time to search for her.
“Now we know that the local population, volunteers, have selflessly set out to search time and time again,” he told Radio 3AW on Wednesday.
‘The police will also take into account that one of those searchers is the murderer.
“They put themselves in that situation to be seen as part of the community, but also to keep an eye on what’s going on.”
Investigators have revealed they will now look at mobile phone masts in the area in which Ms Murphy disappeared to identify the movements of people in the area.
However, analyzing cell phone tower data could be challenging in the Murphy case due to the number of people living in the area.
Pictured are metal detectorists volunteering to help search for missing mother Samantha Murphy
Detectives will focus on phones ‘pinging’ from towers covering the area they believe Ms Murphy was in hours after her flight.
The ‘pinging’ of the phone picks up people traveling in cars on the road and even people cycling or walking on the railway.
Metadata from the phone has been crucial to the investigation after it pinpointed a precise location in the Mount Clear area, about 7km from her home, about an hour into her 14km jog.
Initial reports said Ms Murphy’s phone pinged from Buninyong Tower at 5pm on the day she went missing.
However, that information, which has yet to be confirmed, came within 10 hours of her leaving for her run.