Samantha Murphy: Cop makes bleak admission about the endless search for missing Ballarat mum after discovery by a dam renewed hopes of finding her body

A former officer has said the chances of Samantha Murphy’s body being found are getting smaller by the day as the four-month search continues.

The mother of three, 51, disappeared during a morning walk through Ballarat’s Canadian State Forest on February 4.

Police are still no closer to finding her body, despite Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, being charged with her murder a month after she disappeared.

It was hoped recovery efforts had come a step closer after detectives found Ms Murphy’s phone in a dam 9 miles from her home on May 29.

But despite a ‘targeted’ search last week, her body has still not been found.

Nigel Phair, from UNSW’s Institute for Cyber ​​Security, said that “as each day goes by the chances become increasingly remote” that they will recover Ms Murphy’s remains.

Nigel Phair, a former federal agent, believes it is unlikely the body of Samantha Murphy (pictured) will ever be found five months after she disappeared

Detectives found Ms Murphy’s discarded phone near a riverbank on May 29 and carried out ‘targeted’ searches of the area, which yielded no results

“The phone was obviously the most interesting because the assumption was that the body would have been in that lake, near where they found it. I assume the divers have been through that several times and found nothing,” Mr Phair said told Yahoo News.

Mr Phair, a former federal police officer, said the problem facing Victorian police detectives is that one day they will have to divert their resources to other priorities.

“I think they can keep looking for much longer, it’s the resources they put into this, to prioritize this over what’s going to be more pressing issues, that’s going to be the problem,” he added.

Ms Murphy, 51, disappeared during a morning walk through Ballarat’s Canadian State Forest on February 4 and Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, has since been charged with her murder

“There will always be an investigator assigned to the case. But whether it’s the one case or one of their many cases, that’s what’s going to happen over time as the next priority comes along.”

Last week, a renewed search took place over two days while officers conducted a ‘target area of ​​the forest.

“Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad and a range of specialist resources from across Victoria Police were involved in the search,” a police statement said.

‘Since February, the police have been regularly conducting investigations and small-scale searches as part of the ongoing investigation.

“Samantha’s family has also been informed of the search.”

Mr Phair said that although Ms Murphy’s phone has been found, detectives are no closer to finding her today than they were four months ago.

Speaking from his experience in the force, Mr Phair believes detectives would consider all options, including if more than one person may have been involved in the disappearance.

At least one detective will remain assigned to the case as long as Ms. Murphy remains missing, he added.

Mr Phair said the problem detectives face is their limited resources and the fact that they will one day be needed elsewhere

Mr Phair believes police officers are likely to focus on building their case against Stephenson, who has been behind bars since his arrest.

He said investigators have already presented their evidence against him and would now work to corroborate that evidence.

Ms Murphy’s phone and other items found in the search will be used in their case when it reaches court.

Mr Phair added that while there appear to be many unanswered questions in the case, investigators may be saving some crucial details for their case.

A number of items found during the May 29 search in Buninyong continue to be forensically examined, including Ms Murphy’s phone.