Major development in search for Samantha Murphy’s body as officers raid new area
A new search has been launched for missing mother of three Samantha Murphy, seven months after she disappeared without a trace.
The 51-year-old was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home in Ballarat on the morning of February 4 to go for a run in the Canadian state forest.
Victoria Police launched a targeted search of a wooded area near Grenville on Tuesday.
The search has ended for today, but will resume on Wednesday.
Detectives from the Missing Persons Unit and officers from the NSW Police are also involved in the renewed search, along with their Australian federal colleagues.
‘Since February, police have regularly conducted a series of investigations and small-scale searches as part of the current investigation.
‘Samantha’s family has also been notified of the search.’
The public is urged to stay away from the new search area.
Police have launched several searches in the forest area since February as part of the investigation.
Ms. Murphy, 51, was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home on the morning of February 4 to go for a run in the Canadian National Forest.
A month later, police charged 22-year-old trader Patrick Orren Stephenson with the murder of Mrs Murphy in Mount Clear on the day she disappeared.
At the last hearing last month, prosecutors asked the court to adjourn the hearing for 12 weeks so they could go through a document of evidence that included “extensive” CCTV footage.
Stephenson remains in custody and is expected to appear in court again on November 14.
He is the son of Orren Stephenson, who played 15 AFL games for Geelong and Richmond between 2012 and 2014.
More coming soon.
