Alleged killer of Samantha Murphy hit with fresh charges over as fears grow her remains may never be found

The accused killer of Samantha Murphy has been hit with new charges in relation to an alleged drug and alcohol-fuelled bender last year.

Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, who has been charged with murdering Ms Murphy, has been hit with drink and drug driving charges after he allegedly crashed a motorbike into a tree on the night of October 1 following the AFL grand final.

He has also been also charged with careless driving.

Ms Murphy, a beloved mother-of-three was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street, Ballarat East, to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, 125km west of Melbourne, on the morning of February 4. 

The 51-year-old went to go for a 14km run in nearby Woowookarung Regional Park, at about 7am that morning and has not been since. 

Detectives charged Stephenson with her murder in March after he was arrested in the Ballarat suburb of Mount Clear – about 5kms from Ms Murphy’s home.

He has since been hit with three fresh charges after he allegedly crashed a motorbike he was riding into a tree last year, the Herald Sun reported.

No other vehicle was involved.

A friend told the newspaper the crash allegedly occurred after Stephenson attended an AFL grand final celebration. 

Celebrations reportedly started around lunchtime on October 1 and is understood to have continued late into the night at a bar in Ballarat. 

Police attended the crash scene and conducted a alcohol breath test, which Stephenson allegedly failed. 

He was taken to Ballarat Police Station where he then allegedly failed a drug test.

Daily Mail Australia doesn’t suggest that Stephenson has been involved in any wrongdoing, only that charges have been laid.

He has not yet entered a plea to the new charges.

Victoria Police wouldn’t confirm any details about the fresh charges against Stephenson when contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment on Thursday night..

The latest twist comes as police continue to search for the body of Ms Murphy, which has been abandoned in the Victorian bush for three months come Saturday, without any trace of her ever having been found.

Despite numerous searches, Victoria Police detectives appear no closer to finding  her body despite having her alleged killer in custody. 

A Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia this week that the investigation remained ‘very much active and ongoing’. 

‘We are continuing to do all we can to locate her,’ the spokesperson said.

It is understood Stephenson has continued to maintain his right to silence while awaiting his next court appearance in September. 

Detectives from Victoria Police’s Missing Persons Unit have been in a race against time to find Ms Murphy’s body. 

In the three months since she vanished, the area around Ballarat has seen heatwaves, bushfires and heavy rain as search teams tried to retrace her steps.

Wild animals including foxes are also known to have large populations in the dense bushland in the forests surrounding Ballarat. 

If left uncovered in the harsh bush, experts believe a body can quickly decompose, destroying important DNA evidence. 

‘The time taken for a body to decompose depends on climatic conditions, like temperature and moisture, as well as the accessibility to insects,’ the Australian Museum stated.

‘In summer, a human body in an exposed location can be reduced to bones alone in just nine days.’

Experts believe if Ms Murphy’s body has been buried, or dumped down one of Ballarat’s many mine shafts, detectives could still be able to extract important evidence. 

‘A body that is buried 1.2m under the ground retains most of its tissue for a year,’ the museum stated. 

While insects can decimate a body both buried or left uncovered, wild animals are also a real threat in the area where Ms Murphy went missing. 

Last month, police brought in specialist cadaver dogs from New South Wales to scour the Victorian bush at multiple locations in dense scrub spanning a vast stretch of countryside.

Teams of officers focused their search within Enfield State Park, 30km south of Ballarat – but another search team was also working 25km away in thick scrub in the Durham Lead Nature Conservation Reserve.

The nature reserve is just south of Buninyong where Ms Murphy’s phone was last detected by mobile phone towers at 5pm on the day she vanished.

Ms Murphy’s long suffering husband Mick Murphy recently told Nine News that he had not stopped searching for her.

‘On that particular day, I was outside and thought she’ll be coming up the road pretty soon,’ he said.

‘Then she didn’t.’

Mr Murphy still searches daily, either by driving through town or spending two hours walking through a pine plantation.

‘Sometimes I go for a drive and it might not be anywhere particular, or I go for a walk for two hours. It varies every day,’ he said.

‘It’s very good for my mind and if I sat at home I wouldn’t do myself any favours.’

Missing Persons Unit Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt has previously stated police would never give up looking for Ms Murphy. 

‘I want to assure those in the Ballarat community that police remain focused on doing everything we can to return Samantha to her family,’ he said last month. 

Stephenson, the son of ex-Geelong and Richmond AFL player Orren Stephenson, will return to court for a committal mention on August 8.

Anyone with any information about Ms Murphy’s disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.