Man charged with murder of missing Australian woman

A 22-year-old Australian man has been formally charged with the murder of a woman who disappeared a month ago after leaving her residence.

Samantha Murphy vanished after setting out for a jog from her home in Ballarat, Victoria, on February 4th. Despite extensive search efforts, the whereabouts of the 51-year-old mother of three remain unknown.

Authorities arrested the individual at his residence in Ballarat, approximately 115 kilometres (70 miles) northwest of Melbourne, on Wednesday. He has yet to make a plea.

On Thursday, law enforcement disclosed that the man had intentionally assaulted Murphy on the day she vanished, in a wooded area where she often exercised near her East Ballarat residence.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton informed the press that the suspect has not revealed the location of Murphy’s body and detectives do not believe he had any prior acquaintance with her.

Security footage captured Murphy wearing a maroon running shirt and black leggings in her driveway just before her disappearance. Despite thorough searches and examination of thousands of hours of CCTV footage, her phone, Apple Watch, and headphones, which she had with her at the time, have not been recovered.

“I know that Samantha’s disappearance has had a profound impact on the Ballarat community,” Det Acting Supt Mark Hatt said.