A renowned expert in the field of crime has stated that authorities believe a person of interest in the disappearance of Samantha Murphy from Ballarat, and responsible for her death, might be someone involved in the search.
The 51-year-old was last seen on February 4 while she was running in the Canadian State Forest.
A search was carried out near Mount Clear, which is about five kilometers away from where she went missing.
It was based on information collected from her phone.
This area was also used by Murphy during her frequent runs in the forest.
Crime expert and veteran John Silvester stated that there is a grim new theory regarding the case.
According to him, foul play is most likely the reason behind her disappearance.
He made the statement during a radio interview in Australia.
The authorities are also certain that if someone fell in the area, they would have found them.
Since the community has organized search parties in an attempt to help the authorities find Murphy, Silvester noted that the individuals participating in these efforts might be trying to throw the law enforcers off the scent of the missing woman.
According to Silvester, one of the individuals who joined the search parties might be a suspect in the case since he or she is part of the community and has an interest in the situation.
He noted that the police have ruled out the possibility that Murphy had secrets that her family did not know about.