Samantha Murphy: Fresh update in four month search for missing Ballarat mum
- New search for Samantha Murphy concludes
- Her phone found in a dam two weeks ago
- READ MORE: Crime expert reveals major fear in search for missing mum
Police have concluded a fresh search for missing mum-of-three Samantha Murphy in the Ballarat area.
Ms Murphy vanished without a trace after she left her Ballarat East home on February 4 to go for a morning run.
Patrick Orren Stephenson was charged with Ms Murphy's murder a month later. He's yet to enter a plea and police allege he acted alone.
Investigators are still searching for the missing mum's body.
Victoria Police confirmed a targeted search took place in the Ballarat area on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of the investigation into Ms Murphy's disappearance.
Police have concluded a renewed two day search for missing mum Samantha Murphy (pictured) who disappeared
'Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad as well as a range of specialist resources from across Victoria Police were involved in the search,' the statement read.
'Since February, police have regularly undertaken a range of inquiries and small-scale searches as part of the current investigation.
'Samantha's family has also been advised of the search.'
The search was called off around 5pm on Wednesday.
Police added that the search wouldn't not resume on Thursday.
A number of items located during a search in Buninyong on May 29 arestill being forensically assessed.
These items include Ms Murphy's phone, which was found at a dam about 14km away from her home.
Speaking to Sunrise last week, University of Newcastle criminologist Xanthé Mallett said the discovery of a phone, if it were Ms Murphy's could be a breakthrough.
'Unfortunately, it may have been damaged,' Dr Mallett said.
Victoria Police said they would not resume their search after officers conducted a targeted search in the Ballarat area, in Victoria's west on Tuesday and Wednesday (pictured police found Ms Murphy's phone at a dam two weeks ago)
Investigators including specialist divers (pictured) also found several other items during their search in Buninyong, in Victoria's west on May 29
Ms Murphy was last seen leaving her Eureka St home in Ballarat about 7am to go for a 14km run through the nearby Woowookarung Regional Park.
Police believed she had reached the Mount Clear area, adjacent to the park, about an hour after leaving home, but had not been seen or heard from since departing.
Subsequent searches by police and volunteers have failed to locate any trace of the missing mum.
In February, a huge group of volunteers combed through bushland after gathering at Ballarat's Eureka Stockade Memorial Park - some bringing metal detectors and even a sniffer dog.
Later that month, police launched a targeted search of Buninyong Bushland Reserve involving a range of specialist units including mounted officers, dog squad and motorcyclists.
The search area was highlighted in 'intelligence derived from a number of sources,' a police spokesman said at the time.
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