The husband of missing woman Samantha Murphy is in ‘more pain than anyone’ over her disappearance, her family have claimed, as the search for the mother-of-three continues for a fifth day.
Michael Murphy was seen speaking to police officers in a bush area on Wednesday afternoon, following his wife’s disappearance in Victoria’s Woowookarung Regional Park on Sunday morning.
Ms Murphy, 51, had set off from her home in Ballarat East for a run in the state forest at about 7am but never returned home.
A major search has been ongoing since her disappearance, involving police, SES volunteers, family and friends.
The search for missing Samantha Murphy (pictured) enters its fifth day on Thursday
Michael Murphy, the husband of missing mum Samantha Murphy, drove to the crime scene in Ballarat East at about 1.45pm on Wednesday. He appeared visible shocked speaking to officers
Who is Samantha Murphy’s husband Michael Murphy?
Ms Murphy and her husband both own a car repair business called Inland Motor Body Works.
Mr Murphy has 23 years of experience in the industry while his wife handles the books and administration of the office, along with ‘keeping Mick in line’.
The business describes itself as Ballarat’s ‘leading smash repairs specialist’.
On the third day of his wife’s disappearance, Mr Murphy said he was feeling ‘not too bad under the circumstances’.
‘It’s just up in the air, we don’t know,’ he told the Herald Sun.
‘It’s just a whole time thing, at the end of the day.’
Mr Murphy had also told Nine News he would not be joining the search as he preferred to keep his mind occupied with other matters while he waited for an update.
Ms Murphy and her husband (pictured together) both own a car repair business called Inland Motor Body Works
Samantha Murphy left her Ballarat home at 7am on Sunday to go for a run in the nearby Woowookarung Regional Park and did not return home, nor has she been seen since
Following commentary online about why he was being so quiet about his wife’s disappearance, Mr Murphy said on Wednesday he had been advised to do so.
‘I’ve been speaking with the police and I’ve been advised not to say anything,’ Mr Murphy told the Herald Sun.
He added he was doing ‘ok’ and was not worried about the various theories of what lay behind his wife’s disappearance; saying he doesn’t ‘even look online’.
Mr Murphy also visited the bush area at Woowookarung Regional Park at about 1.45pm on Wednesday and spoke briefly to police officers through a car window after possible evidence was found.
He appeared visibly stunned and was turned away.
There is no suggestion Mr Murphy played any role in his wife’s disappearance, only that he came to see what authorities had found.
His family has also come out in his defence after he was targeted by cruel trolls online.
‘For those questioning Samantha’s husband, you need not worry,’ the family said in a statement released to the Facebook group set up to help in the search.
‘He is in more pain than anyone and would be the last person to suspect in any of this.’
The family said they were keen to stamp out the attacks on Ms Murphy’s husband and also wanted to set the record straight on other claims circulating online.
Her phone had pinged in Buninyong, about 11kilometres south of Ballarat.
‘I’ve been seeing some misinformation been spread on all platforms that I want to inform people about,’ the statement added.
‘Samantha’s phone pinging that far away from home is not usual.
‘Yes, she walked in different directions, but she kept to the paths, never went for more than 10km total roughly and would let family know if she was walking further.’
Mr Murphy and his daughter Jess pleaded for their wife and mother to come home in a heartbreaking message on Thursday outside Ballarat West Police Station
‘People just don’t vanish into thin air. Someone’s got to know something,’ Mr Murphy said.
‘Whether it be any little thing that you might think is relevant, just call the police and let them know. It’ll give us a bit of peace of mind, some hope’.
Michael Murphy is seen near a crime scene in relation to his wife’s disappearance
The search continues
Thursday marks the fifth day in the search for Ms Murphy.
Earlier on Wednesday, items discovered during a search were found not to be relevant to her disappearance.
‘Items located today during the search for Samantha have been assessed and at this time are not believed to be related to her whereabouts,’ a police spokesperson said.
A large-scale search has involved the Search and Rescue Squad, local police, and more than 100 specialised officers from the dog squad, mounted branch, and air wing.
SES crews and teams from Forest Fire Management Australia and Parks Victoria have also joined the search efforts.
Some locals have expressed fear that Ms Murphy’s running path may have taken her past several hard-to-see mine shafts.
Temperatures also soared to 36C on the day she vanished.
