Ahead of the one-year anniversary of her disappearance, detectives from the Missing Persons Squad have reaffirmed their commitment to finding the body of missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy.
Samantha was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home about 7am on Sunday, 4 February 2024.
She had planned to go for a run and was known to regularly run through the Canadian Forest area.
A 23-year-old man was subsequently charged with murder on 6 March, 2024 in relation to Samantha's disappearance.
Over the past 12 months, a number of extensive searches for Samantha's body have taken place with particular focus on the Enfield State Park, Canadian Forest and Buninyong Bushland Reserve.
These searches have involved a range of units from across Victoria Police including Missing Persons Squad detectives, Crime Command detectives, local police, Dog Squad, Mounted Branch, Search and Rescue, Public Order Response Team, Transport Branch, Air Wing, Intelligence and Covert Support Command and Road Policing Command.
A number of other agencies have assisted with the searches including the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police, CFA, SES and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.
There have also been many dedicated local community members who volunteered many hours their time to assist the search.
The investigation remains ongoing and is focused on locating Samantha's body, with further searches expected to take place in coming months.
Police are also continuing to liaise with the Murphy family.
Anyone with any information about Samantha's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers.com.au
Quotes attributable to Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan, Missing Persons Squad:
"As we approach the one-year anniversary, our thoughts are with the Murphy family and all of Samantha's friends and loved ones.
"Since Samantha's disappearance, police have worked tirelessly to locate her. While nothing can erase their grief and loss, being able to return Samantha to her family has always been incredibly important to us.
"We also know that Samantha's death has had an enormous impact on the Ballarat community, as well as the wider Victorian community.
"I want to reaffirm to the community that the Missing Persons Squad remains committed to doing everything we can to locate Samantha - while a year has passed, we still believe we can locate her.
"This year we will continue to conduct searches in the Ballarat area, including searches in areas highlighted by intelligence derived from a number of sources.
"We also ask people who may be using these areas, particularly in the Enfield State Forest, to be aware of their surroundings and if they believe they may have come across Samantha's remains to contact police immediately.
"There is nothing we want more than to return Samantha to her family and we remain committed to doing this."
