A phone discovered by police during the search for missing mother Samantha Murphy’s body belongs to the missing mother, sources told media.
The 51-year-old was last seen leaving her home in Eureka Street, Ballarat, to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4.
Detectives from Victoria Police’s Missing Persons Team and a number of specialist police officers launched a new search on Wednesday morning.
Its location, initially kept secret, was later revealed to be south of Buninyong, and officers found a phone.
Sources have said 7NEWS The phone belongs to Murphy and is an important clue to the investigation.
A phone discovered by police during the search for missing mother Samantha Murphy’s body belongs to the missing mother, sources told media.
The phone appeared to contain identification inside a wallet.
“Missing Persons Squad detectives have located some items of interest in Buninyong this morning during their search for Samantha Murphy,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said on Wednesday afternoon.
“The area has been cordoned off and these objects will now undergo forensic testing.
“We will not provide any further information about the items until testing has been completed.”
The search was described as selective and also involved the Australian Federal Police.
Samantha and Mick Murphy in happier times
Patrick Orren Stephenson charged with Samantha Murphy’s murder
“More information will be provided once we are in a position to do so,” the police spokeswoman said.
The agents hugged each other after finding the phone near a dam.
Victoria Police confirmed on Wednesday night that the search was not expected to continue on Thursday.
Ms. Murphy, 51, was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4.
In March, police charged shopkeeper Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, with Ms Murphy’s murder in Mount Clear on the day she disappeared.
He will return to court in August.
Stephenson is the son of Orren Stephenson, who played 15 AFL games for Geelong and Richmond between 2012 and 2014.
Police have launched multiple bushland searches since February as part of the investigation.
Murphy’s family has been informed of the latest search.
Police divers scoured the dam in brutally cold conditions.
