Samantha Murphy's disappearance: Victoria police call in homicide specialists to help search for missing Ballarat mother

Homicide detectives have been called in to help lead the search for Samantha Murphy as the hunt for the missing mother enters its sixth day.

Ms Murphy, 51, left her home on Eureka Street in East Ballarat, northwest of Melbourne, to go for a run at Woowookarung Regional Park at 7.16am on Sunday. She has not been seen since.

Victoria Police will further step up their efforts with the arrival of homicide detectives from the missing persons unit, Daily Mail Australia understands.

The specialist investigators are called in when a missing person is feared to have been the victim of foul play but no body has been found.

The officers have been deployed to some of Victoria's largest murder investigations in recent years.

IRREGULAR MEN HAVE WOMEN IN THE SEARCH GROUP

Sissy Austin, 29, was attacked by an unknown man last year while running in the area where Ms Murphy disappeared and assisting with the search efforts.

She reported that “unruly men” were harassing women in the search party.

'It is difficult. There have been some unruly men in the woods,” she told The Project on Thursday evening.

'Yesterday there were two reports to the police for harassing female searchers. One woman had to quickly jump into my car.

“So after yesterday we're all really looking out for each other and really encouraging women to start looking to go as a couple.”

Ms Austin said there is “still hope” that Ms Murphy will be found alive.

“There is 110 percent hope that we will bring Sam home,” she said.

This Sunday will mark exactly one year since Ms Austin's harrowing attack.

Ms Austin was 4km deep in Lal Lal State Forest when she was attacked by an unknown man armed with a rock tied to the end of a stick.

She only caught a glimpse of him before he brought the makeshift weapon to her head and knocked her unconscious.

She woke up on the forest floor bloodied and covered in flies and had to walk 2.5 miles back to her car before calling for help.

Ms Austin suffered post-concussion and facial injuries so severe they were still affecting her speech 12 months ago.

“I just can't believe that another runner has gone missing in our city and so, yeah, the most helpful thing I can do with myself right now is help look for Sam,” she said.

'It's an eerie feeling here. It's hard for everyone, but it's not as hard for us as it is for Sam's family.

“My heart and soul goes out to Sam's family and when they see this, we are doing absolutely everything we can to find Sam.”

Desperation grows as the search enters its sixth day

Locals in the area have raised concerns that the mother may have fallen into an abandoned mine shaft, which can be difficult to see on the forest floor.

One line of inquiry was officially ruled out on Thursday after police confirmed a woman in the CCTV footage was not Ms Murphy, as previously reported.

Victoria Police released CCTV footage on Wednesday showing a person driving north-east towards Yankee Flat Road, near the intersection with Warrenheip Road.

The woman is believed to have been Mrs Murphy, who was heading out for a 20km run through the Canadian national forest.

However, another runner came forward to reveal that she was the person pictured.

It was the second time in 24 hours that police had to declare evidence as irrelevant to the high-profile missing person case.

Reporters were removed from part of the woods on Wednesday after officers were alerted to 'items' possibly linked to Ms Murphy's disappearance.

However, it was later determined that they did not belong to the missing mother.

It is understood Ms Murphy was wearing an Apple Watch and had her phone with her at the time of her disappearance.

The mobile phone reportedly pinged in the nearby suburb of Buninyong and investigations are underway to see if the phone is still on.

“Obviously phone batteries can run out, but that's part of the investigation,” Acting Inspector Lisa MacDougall said.

Mrs. Murphy was known as an avid athlete who ran in the woods almost every day.

A massive search over the past 96 hours has covered areas including Brown Hill, Black Hill, Ballarat East, Woowookarung Regional Park, Buninyong and Mount Helen.

Earlier on Thursday, Ms. Murphy's eldest daughter, Jessica, and husband, Mick, stood before reporters to plead for their loved one to return home.

Through tears, Jessica urged the crowd to continue searching for her mother.

“Mom, we love you so much and we miss you and we need you home with us. Please come home soon, I can't wait to see you,” Jessica said.

“Mom is a very strong woman, and she is far too determined to give up this fight.”

Jessica's father thanked the community for their support in recent days as he called for answers.

“People don't just disappear into thin air,” Murphy said.

'Someone needs to know something… whether it's something small that you think is relevant, just call the police and let them know.

“It will give us a little peace of mind if we get some hope.”

Ms Murphy is described as white, 173cm tall, of slim build and with shoulder-length blond hair.

She was last seen wearing a maroon/brown running tank top and black mid-length leggings.

Anyone with information about Ms Murphy's whereabouts should contact police immediately.