Jesse Baird. Luke Davies. Samantha Murphy. Names that would have passed without an iota of recognition from almost all of us, until earlier this month.

But over 15 days, Jesse, Luke and Samantha have bound us together in a way that is difficult, and perhaps even uncomfortable, to fathom.

Samantha is missing, not dead. And in the wake of the brutal murders of Jessie and Luke, we are hanging onto that word like no tomorrow. She is missing.

A word has rarely carried so much hope.

But how has the heartbreak – and hope – behind what has happened to three individuals been able to seep into our daily lives? Make headlines in the New York Times and the BBC, and in the backwaters of Queensland?

Samantha Murphy was last seen on February 4, 2024.

Why is that we feel drawn to all three people who were strangers to us in January, but who represent something so much more to us in February?

Perhaps it’s because they tie three states – Victoria, New South Wales and........

© The New Daily