Police have admitted CCTV from the morning Samantha Murphy disappeared does not show the missing mother, after a jogger came forward to reveal she is the person seen in the footage.
Murphy, 51, went missing on Sunday after leaving his home in Eureka Street, East Ballarat, northwest of Melbourne, to go for a run at 7.16am
Victoria Police released CCTV footage on Wednesday showing a person leaving a property before heading northeast towards Yankee Flat Road, near the Warrenheip Road intersection.
The person was understood to be Ms Murphy who was out for a 20km run through the Canadian State Forest.
Police confirmed on Thursday that a member of the public came forward to identify themselves as the person seen in the CCTV footage, ruling out a key line of inquiry.
Police have admitted CCTV from the morning Samantha Murphy disappeared (pictured) does not show the missing mother, after a jogger came forward to reveal she is the person seen in the footage.
Ms Murphy (pictured), 51, went missing on Sunday after leaving her home in Eureka Street, East Ballarat, in Melbourne’s northwest to go for a run at 7.16am.
“In relation to the most recent CCTV footage released yesterday, a member of the community came forward and identified themselves as the person seen running,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said in a statement.
“For this reason, the images will no longer be relevant to the search for Samantha.”
This is the second time in 24 hours that police have had to declare evidence irrelevant.
Police found items in woodland on Wednesday, raising hopes they were coming close to finding her, only to later decide they were not Ms Murphy’s.
Police, volunteers and aircrew on Thursday combed the surrounding suburbs of Black Hill, Brown Hill, Buninyong, Scotchman’s Lead and Woowookharung Regional Park.
Now in its fifth day, the large-scale search is expected to end at dusk tonight and resume Friday morning.
It is understood Ms Murphy was wearing an Apple watch while she ran, but it is not known if police were able to use it to determine her location.
Ms. Murphy was known to be fit and ran almost daily in the state forest.
The shocking twist came after Murphy’s husband Mick and daughter Jessica launched a public appeal for information on Thursday.
Jessica fought back tears as she addressed the media, asking the public for help in finding her mother.
“Mom, we love you so much, we miss you and we need you home with us. Please come home soon, I can’t wait to see you.” Jess said.
“Mom is a very strong woman and she is too determined to give up this fight.”
Murphy’s daughter Jessica (pictured) fought back tears as she addressed the media and pleaded for the public’s help in finding her mother.
Jessica’s father thanked the public and community for their support over the past few days while asking for answers.
“The way they have all come together as a unit to help us search for Sam and his disappearance,” Mr Murphy said.
‘People just don’t disappear into thin air.
‘Someone has to know something… whether it’s any little thing you might think is relevant, just call the police and tell them.
“It will give us some peace of mind if we have some hope.”
The family’s heartbreaking statement came as police gave an update on their investigations.
“We are keeping an open mind and considering all possibilities and are being extremely thorough and methodical with that investigation,” Acting Ballarat Police Inspector Lisa McDougall told reporters on Thursday.
“We’re keeping an open mind and we’re hopeful… the search continues and we’re devoting all those resources in hopes of finding Samantha and getting some answers for her family, who are obviously worried.”
“We have not identified any suspicious circumstances at this time.”
“Like any family, they are very concerned and very concerned,” he said.
“They also really appreciate the community helping out with this.”
Mr Murphy (pictured, appeared visibly dazed and was turned away by police officers after visiting the bush area at Woowookarung Regional Park on Wednesday).
Emergency crews, including SES volunteers (pictured), were seen scouring the surrounding areas as the desperate search for Ms Murphy continues.
Drones were used in Thursday’s extensive search.
CCTV footage of Ms Murphy (pictured) captured on her own security system before she disappeared showed her wearing what appeared to be an Apple Watch and wearing black half-length leggings and a tan/brown T-shirt.
“We have 40 resources on the ground at the moment and they are both Victoria Police and CFA and SES resources,” Inspector McDougall said.
‘We have used a number of resources internally, including things like the mountain branch over the last few days and search and rescue.
‘Also today we had the police helping us with the search. “We also have some drones that help us.”
Ms Murphy is described as white, about 173cm tall, with a slim build and shoulder-length blonde hair.
Anyone who sees her is urged to contact police immediately.