Australia is in the grips of a missing jogger mystery after a 51-year-old woman vanished, while her husband has been forced do deny rumours surrounding her disappearance.
Police have spent the past few days searching for Samantha Murphy who went missing at around 7.30am while jogging in the Woowookarung Regional Park on February 4.
The Mail reported that Samatha was near the Ballarat beauty spot when she went missing. Following her disappearance, locals, the State Emergency Service, and the police have been searching for Samantha as her daughter Jess and husband Michael wait for news.
As police search for Samantha, her family have had to battle trolls online who have made claims about her husband.
According to reports, Samantha has not yet been found since her last known sighting on Sunday when she was seen on CCTV.
The final clue police have about where Samatha went is her mobile phone pinging off a local tower at around 5pm on Sunday afternoon, 10 hours after she went missing.
Some say that this means she could be within around 10 miles of the town of Buninyong in the Victoria region.
Speaking about Samantha’s disappearance Inspector Bob Heaney commented: “We have had the Victoria police search and rescue squad involved in the search from day one. It is a challenging area.”
As the authorities continue to search for Samantha, there have been rumours online that Samantha may have been harmed. Addressing the rumours Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt said on Friday that no homicide detectives currently were involved.
Detective Hatt told reporters the authorities would be “digging into the background, working out Samantha’s movements in the days leading up to her disappearance and double-so the people who know her”.
In a statement, Victoria Police added: “While no sinister factors have been identified in Samantha’s disappearance at this time, there are significant concerns given it has now been six days without her being sighted or any signs of her current whereabouts.”
It comes as the family, as well as dealing with Samantha’s disappearance, have also been forced to put up with “malicious” rumours shared online, as her oldest daughter Jessica issued a heartfelt plea for the public to continue looking for her mum.
She said: “Mum, we love you so much and we miss you and we need you at home with us, please come home soon, I can’t wait to see you.
“Mum’s a really strong woman, and she’s far too determined to give up this fight.”
Speaking to the Herald Sun on Wednesday, Samantha’s husband Michael Murphy, who was advised not to say anything else by the police, brushed off the vile commentary being shared online, adding: “I don’t even look online so I’m not worried about it. I’m doing OK, it’s just a whole time thing.”
