It has been more than a week since Ballarat East woman Samantha Murphy went missing while on her morning run.
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Mr Murphy's family raised the alarm about her disappearance on Sunday, February 4, 2024 when she was not back in time for a commitment later that morning.
The hot weather on Sunday with some parts of Ballarat reaching 36 degrees, increasing police concern.
By Monday morning they were appealing to the public to come forward with any information about Ms Murphy's whereabouts.
Across the next week hundreds of volunteers would come out to help search for Ms Murphy, which included CFA and SES crews from all over the western half of the state, and Ballarat residents and friends who conducted searches on their own.
Big search area to cover
The search area was extensive, spanning from Ballarat East where Ms Murphy lives, out towards Buninyong.
Police said this area was based on information received from Ms Murphy's phone.
Items were found by SES on Wednesday, which were thought to be the first clue to Ms Murphy's location.
These were quickly dismissed by police, who said they were not relevant to the investigation.
CCTV footage was also released from another home, but someone later came forward as the runner pictured.
Mr Murphy's family made an emotional plea on Thursday for anyone with information to come forward to the police.
Thanks for support
Husband Mick Murphy and oldest daughter Jess thanked everyone for their support.
"People just don't vanish into thin air, someone's got to know something," Mr Murphy said.
On Friday, the Missing Persons Unit took over the investigation, focusing on Ms Murphy's devices and movements before she went missing.
Police are still looking for CCTV and dashcam footage from Sunday between 7am and 7pm.
Even if the videos do not have Ms Murphy in them, police are still asking people to come forward.
Across the weekend, ground searches from the SES and CFA wrapped up as the police focused their search.
Search goes on
Community members were still out looking through the weekend and a vigil was held in Buninyong on Sunday.
In a visit to Ballarat, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the hundreds of volunteers who have been helping with the search for Ms Murphy.
In a police press release, Samantha is described as Caucasian, about 173cm tall with a slim build and shoulder-length blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing black half-length leggings and a maroon/brown coloured singlet.
Anyone who sights Samantha is urged to contact triple zero (000) immediately.
Anyone with any other information about Samantha's current whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers.com.au
Nieve Walton
Nieve covers federal and state politics for The Courier focusing on Ballarat, Wendouree, Eureka and Ripon electorates. She also covers Hepburn and Pyrenees shires. As a former dancer and art and theater enthusiast she would love to hear about your latest art exhibition or performance. You can send her an email at nieve.walton@thecourier.com.au
Nieve covers federal and state politics for The Courier focusing on Ballarat, Wendouree, Eureka and Ripon electorates. She also covers Hepburn and Pyrenees shires. As a former dancer and art and theater enthusiast she would love to hear about your latest art exhibition or performance. You can send her an email at nieve.walton@thecourier.com.au
