The single clue that could crack the Samantha Murphy case wide open – as expert reveals what could be on her phone

A leading criminologist believes Samantha Murphy’s phone could reveal her last movements after the device was fitted Found in perfect working condition next to a dam.

Victoria Police search crews discovered Ms Murphy’s illness last week iPhone in the mud on the Buninyong waterfront, about 19km from her home in Ballarat.

She was last seen on February 4 at around 7am leaving her Eureka St home in Ballarat go for a 14km run through the nearby Woowookarung Regional Park.

The phone, protected by a teal-covered case, is undamaged and in working condition. Researchers hope this could lead to the discovery of her body.

Dr. Xanthe Mallett, a criminologist from Newcastle University, said she was “surprised” to hear the phone was in working order.

“The police have obviously been looking for it for almost four months, something has brought them to that dam,” she told Seven’s Sunrise on Tuesday morning.

Dr. Xanthe Mallett, a criminologist from Newcastle University, said she was ‘surprised’ to hear the phone was in working order (pictured on Sunrise on Tuesday morning)

Victoria Police search crews last week discovered Ms Murphy’s iPhone in the mud at the water’s edge at Buninyong, about 19km from her home in Ballarat (pictured)

“It hasn’t been revealed yet what evidence or intelligence that was, but yes, this could absolutely provide new clues that could help find Samantha.

“As we now know, it is operational and downloadable.”

Dr. Mallett told the program that a phone left underwater or in mud for four months would be ‘unrecoverable’.

“So that indicates it hasn’t been there for the entire four months?” she said.

‘That remains to be seen. But it is that timeline that the police will be working on and it will certainly be essential to help develop that.”

She said police would get as much information from the phone as possible.

“I think there may be more witnesses who can come forward because now we know about that dam, we know the phone is there,” she said.

“So I’m hoping that now that that information is public, other people can come forward and provide information about who dumped that phone and when.

‘You have to commend the researchers who worked so hard on this.

‘You can see the relief and almost celebration. I know we haven’t reached the end of this research yet, but it is a huge development.’

The mother-of-three was last seen leaving her Eureka St home in Ballarat about 7am to go for a 14km run around the nearby Woowookarung Regional Park.

Cybersecurity expert Nigel Phair previously said the results of the forensic tests could lead to a major breakthrough.

“The physical properties of the phone will obviously be damaged, but what’s behind it, those ones and zeros of data, will be recoverable,” he said.

‘This is the game changer for the investigation.’

The device was found near where it last made contact with a nearby tower in the Buninyong region before going silent.

The phone is believed to have been submerged in the dam since February 4 – the same day police allege Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, killed Ms Murphy while she was jogging on Sunday.

Daily Mail Australia was told this week that detectives from the Missing Persons Unit quickly became suspicious of the dam after taking charge of the investigation, questioning the owner just weeks later.

The police would not return until early May when they again asked the owner if he did not mind the police entering his building.

Three weeks passed before Wednesday’s search turned up the phone.

The dam’s location is just around the corner from the Durham Lead Nature Conservation Reserve, where search crews responded on April 12. The dam was at its lowest level since the heat of summer in December.

The owner of the dam, who wished to remain anonymous, suggested that police had no specific information that the phone had been discarded there.

It comes as Stephenson hires top criminal lawyer Paul Galbally from Melbourne-based law firm Galbally O’Bryan.

Mr Galbally represented the late Catholic Cardinal George Pell, who was convicted of historic child abuse allegations overturned by the Supreme Court.

He has previously said he does not feel uncomfortable appearing for those accused of the most serious crimes.

“You either have an attitude or a personality that can handle this work, or you don’t,” he said in a 2009 interview.

Galbally O’Bryan’s website states that Mr Galbally has ‘led some of the largest and most complex criminal cases in the country’.

“His experience includes representing clients at public inquiries, royal commissions and defending prosecutions by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission,” the website adds.

“Paul is recognized throughout the legal profession for his judgement, sound strategic advice and discretion, and is listed in Doyles Guide as one of Australia’s leading criminal lawyers.”

More to come.