by Booney » Thu Mar 07, 2024 3:26 pm
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The son of a former AFL footballer has been charged over the murder of missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy.
Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was arrested at his Ballarat home just after 6am on Wednesday morning.
Mr Stephenson, a former St Patrick’s College Ballarat student is the son of ex-Richmond and Geelong player Orren Stephenson.
He played 15 games across both clubs between 2012 and 2014.
Ms Murphy’s body has not been recovered and the investigation remains ongoing.
The 51-year-old was last seen leaving her Eureka St home about 7am on Sunday, February 4.
Mr Stephenson’s arrest follows a major missing persons squad probe into the disappearance of the mother of three.
Extensive searches of the Canadian Forest area have not uncovered any trace of her.
On Thursday afternoon, Ms Murphy’s husband, Michael, said he was just trying to remain brave for everyone.
“God, the adrenaline with everything that’s been going on, it’s just trying to be brave for everybody,” he said.
“It’s something that we wouldn’t want anyone to experience.”
Mr Murphy said news of a charge being laid was definitely a relief after weeks with no answers.
“It hasn’t been good for a while, nearly five weeks, but we’re doing as good as we can, it’s a brave face.”
He praised the community of Ballarat for their “unbelievable” generosity and support during such a horrible period for his family.
“The community has just been — from the word go — has just been unbelievable,” he said.
“The generosity and the support from the community has been just overwhelming.
“Friends, family, everyone that have that much respect for Sam and us.”
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