Samantha Murphy: Police dramatically warn locals about new Buninyong search for Samantha Murphy’s body

The public have been urged to ‘stay away’ as police search for a new location in the hunt for missing mother-of-three Samantha Murphy.

In a major breakthrough for the case, detectives swarmed a Buninyong bush area, just south of Ballarat, on Wednesday to search for Ms Murphy’s body.

Police will allege the 51-year-old mother was murdered by Patrick Stephenson, 22, on February 4 after leaving her Ballarat East home to go for a morning run.

The search is focusing on an area of ​​the Buninyong Bushland Reserve that has been brought to the attention of police from a ‘number of sources’.

‘A range of specialist units will join investigators from the Missing Persons Squad Investigators, including the Search and Rescue Squad, Mounted Branch, Dog Squad, Public Order Response Team and motorcyclists from the Road Policing Command, as well as local police from Western Region,” Victoria Police said.

Investigators are pictured scouring the Mount Clear area for Ms Murphy during a search last month

“As such, police ask that members of the public do not participate in today’s search efforts at this time.”

Ms Murphy’s case has captured the nation’s interest, with hundreds of volunteers organizing and carrying out their own ground surveys in the area over the past six weeks.

The new development comes after extensive searches previously focused on the Canadian Forest, in Ballarat’s south-eastern suburbs.

The search location is just a four-minute drive from the home in Scotsburn where Stephenson was arrested on March 6.

He was in the process of housing the property with his long-term girlfriend at the time.

Stephenson was charged with murder the following day in connection with Ms Murphy’s disappearance.

He was subsequently remanded in custody to appear at the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on August 8.