Search for Samantha Murphy on hold as police plot next move
The search for the body of Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy is expected to resume within weeks, after a fresh probe failed to find any trace of her.
Intelligence from multiple sources led authorities to narrow in on the Buninyong Bushland Reserve on Wednesday but the operation was called off by 2.30pm.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.There are no plans to scour the area or anywhere else around the Ballarat region on Thursday.
“We expect to continue searching over coming weeks,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
Wednesday’s efforts focused on Sandys Hill Road, which is about 6km from the Mount Clear site where Ms Murphy went missing.
The operation involved specialist officers from the Missing Persons Squad, Search and Rescue Squad, the Mounted Branch and the Dog Squad, Public Order Response Team and local police.
The 51-year-old was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4.
Police allege 22-year-old Patrick Orren Stephenson murdered Ms Murphy at Mount Clear on the day she went missing.
The tradesman was arrested at the beginning of March and is due to return to court in August.
He is the son of former AFL player Orren Stephenson, who played 15 games for Geelong and Richmond between 2012 and 2014.
Authorities have spent weeks searching for the body of Ms Murphy, mostly within the Canadian State Forest.
Members of the public have also combed the wider Ballarat area in a bid to find any clues but were asked to stay away from the official search on Wednesday.
Ms Murphy’s disappearance and death sparked an outpouring of grief in the regional town, with hundreds of people attending an emotional vigil for the mother-of-three earlier this month.
