One man is going underground in search of answers as authorities continue to look for clues regarding the disappearance of Samantha Murphy.
Raymond Shaw, an experienced mine shaft explorer, believes that one of the mine shafts beneath Ballarat may be where the body of the missing mother is.
Last week, Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with killing her. However, the 51-year-old’s remains were never found.
For the past few weeks, the mining enthusiast has been going through the former mine shafts of the city in an attempt to find evidence related to the case.
He has been abseiling down several shafts in an attempt to locate electronic devices and other clothing that could be used in the investigation.
According to Shaw, his interest in mining through old mine shafts started when he was a child growing up in the goldfields of Victoria.
This week, a group of miners got trapped after a mine collapsed in Mount Clear, which is located in the same area where Murphy went missing.
The body of the worker who was killed during the incident was recovered on Thursday.
Two people were initially trapped inside the mine after it collapsed due to the falling rocks.
Fortunately, 29 miners were able to get out safely. To ensure safety, Shaw was equipped with a helmet, a harness, and overalls.
He has been going through the mine shafts in the region and sharing updates about his progress on social media.
According to Shaw, he has encountered many mines that the authorities don’t know about and he’s been overwhelmed by the number of shafts he’s visited.
However, the Victoria Police stated that there are no plans to conduct a search operation in the area.
On his Facebook page, Shaw noted that he and his team have already abseiled down about a hundred shafts.
Pictures posted on his Facebook page show the frightening depths of some of the mines he’s explored.
He said that there’s a chance that Murphy’s body is in one of the thousands of abandoned mine shafts.
In an interview with Nine’s Under Investigation, Shaw said that it’s very dark and damp inside the mines and that nobody will hear a person calling for help.
According to Shaw, the mine shafts can be filled with either foliage or semi-collapsed.
These conditions could allow a person to go down to the depths of up to 60 meters.
Damian Marrett, a former detective in Australia, said that it’s plausible to think that a body or a crime has been hidden in these areas.