Moorabool Crime Investigation Unit detectives are conducting a search of a Dereel farm in their continued search for Lorrin Whitehead who went missing nearly 12 years ago.
A dam has been drained and an excavator has been brought in to search for any sign of Lorrin, who was 42 at the time of her disappearance.
Today's search is based on intelligence that the mother-of-five's remains may potentially be located in this area.
The Bannockburn woman was last spotted leaving her home at 4.40pm on Friday, 8 February 2013.
Lorrin was then seen on CCTV at a local supermarket in Bannockburn just after 4.50pm that afternoon purchasing a bottle of water, a card and a pen.
Around the same time as her supermarket visit, a witness reported seeing Lorrin enter the driver's seat of a red 4WD in Bannockburn's CBD.
This was the last confirmed time she was seen by anyone.
A second witness reported seeing a red 4WD vehicle parked on the nature strip of Lorrin's property over the weekend of her disappearance.
At the time of her disappearance, Lorrin did not own a red 4WD.
Lorrin's disappearance was extremely out of character and her bank accounts have remained untouched since she went missing.
Her work phone was also found at her home, which raised further concerns.
Over the past year, detectives from Moorabool CIU have spoken to a number of people who knew Lorrin and they are continuing to explore all possibilities in relation to her disappearance.
Detectives are today re-releasing images of Lorrin in the hope they will prompt anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts to come forward.
This includes a digital image which shows how Lorrin may look today.
Lorrin is described as 170cm tall, with a medium build, brown eyes, and brown hair, and she was wearing black pants and a light-coloured shirt with a collar when she was last seen.
Lorrin also has a medical condition and it is believed that she left without her medication.
Anyone with information regarding Lorrin's disappearance is urged contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Quotes attributable to Detective Sergeant Steve Murphy, Moorabool Crime Investigation Unit:
"Next week will mark 12 years since Lorrin disappeared without a trace," he said.
"We are thankful for each new piece of information provided to us by the public and ensure to dutifully investigate every tip.
"Lorrin's family and friends have spent more than a decade not knowing what happened to Lorrin and we want to provide them with some answers.
"We know there is someone out there who has information that can assist us in working out exactly what happened to Lorrin and provide closure to her loved ones and the tight-knit community of Bannockburn.
"Our team will continue to follow up every new piece of information we receive until Lorrin is found."
