A former homicide detective believes missing mother Samantha Murphy could still be alive. There is a chance Victoria Police could still find her despite suspending the search.
Ms Murphy, 51, disappeared ten days ago while out for a run at 7am on Sunday in the beautiful spot of Woowookarung Regional Park near Ballarat, Victoria.
Former Victoria Police detective Charlie Bezzina said police could investigate the same suspects who attacked Sissy Austin, who was knocked unconscious by an unknown man a year ago as she walked through nearby Lal Lal State Forest on February 11 last year jogged.
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.
A former homicide detective believes missing mother Samantha Murphy may still be alive, and there’s a chance they’ll find her.
Ms Austin posted photos of herself before and after the attack by a man with a rock tied to a stick, almost a year before Samantha Murphy disappeared nearby on Sunday.
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.
Ms Austin, who was running for the Senate for the Greens, then ran four kilometers to raise the alarm and call for emergency services.
“That would be an investigative opportunity,” Mr Bezzina told the ABC’s 7.30am.
“I would keep a close eye on the entire investigation, do they have any suspects, or should you go back and talk to her?”
‘I would look at the investigation file. Let’s interrogate those suspects again, let’s give them an alibi.’
“Until the moment you actually physically see her, alive or dead… you work in the hope that she is still alive somewhere and then you continue with the investigation at full speed.”
Ms Austin wrote on social media on Tuesday: ‘I just heard detectives on the morning news say they are reviewing my case regarding missing Samantha Murphy, but I haven’t heard a single word from detectives or police in 12 months. .
“And you know what makes me furious, one of the last things the police said to me after my attack?
“The only way we can find the person who attacked you is if he gives himself up or if he attacks again.”
“And here we are…”
Dozens of volunteers continue to search for Ms Murphy, despite police suspending their foot search.
The Lal Lal national forest is just 20 km from where missing mother Samantha Murphy went running on Sunday in the nearby Woowookarung Regional Park
Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson said it was heartwarming to hear people had made the journey from Melbourne, but also worrying as newcomers were unfamiliar with the area.
“What we don’t want, and what the emergency services don’t want, is to have to look again for other people,” Cr Hudson told Sky News.
He said police had installed an information board at the local police station where newcomers could get safety tips before starting their own search.
“Ideally, people would at least travel in pairs so they can work as a team, but people need to be careful,” he said.
“Ballarat is a city built on gold, there are a lot of gold mines – and people need to keep that in mind when they’re looking.”
Police have used CCTV footage to map Ms Murphy’s last documented movements, and say a full search will only resume if new information emerges.
Investigators are keen to view footage from the three suburbs, even if it does not show Ms Murphy.
Police said on Saturday there were no sinister factors surrounding Ms Murphy’s disappearance, but there were major concerns for her welfare.
Police said they are in regular contact with the Murphy family about the investigation.
Dozens of volunteers continue to search for Ms Murphy, despite police suspending their foot search
Ms Murphy regularly jogged between 15km through nearby remote areas.
She left her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East at 7am on the day she disappeared.
CCTV footage from the parental home shows that she is about to leave.
Police worked with telecommunications experts to identify her route as she was carrying a smartwatch and phone.
Mrs. Murphy is described as physically and mentally strong.
She and her husband Michael run a car repair business called Inland Motor Body Works in Delacombe, a few suburbs from their home.
Anyone with information about Ms Murphy’s disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.