Police have launched a renewed search for missing woman Samantha Murphy, who disappeared while going for a run in Ballarat in February last year.
Specialist detectives carried out a targeted search of Enfield State Park – about 30km south of Ballarat, where she was last seen – on Wednesday.
The search will continue today, police confirmed.
The mother of three, 51, vanished while completing her morning run through the Canadian State Forest about 7am on February 4, 2024.
In March 2024, 23-year-old Patrick Orren Stephenson was charged with Murphy’s murder.
Patrick Orren Stephenson has been charged with the murder of Samantha Murphy.
He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in the Supreme Court on April 8.
Police have conducted numerous searches in the Ballarat region since Murphy’s disappearance, including the bushland of the Enfield State Park, Canadian State Forest and Buninyong Bushland Reserve.
In May 2024, detectives recovered Murphy’s phone from the bank of a dam near Slaughterhouse Rd on the outskirts of Ballarat.
On Wednesday night, detectives from the Missing Persons Squad confirmed the renewed search.
“Since February 2024, police have regularly undertaken a range of inquiries and small-scale searches as part of the current investigation,” the statement read.
“We are not in a position to supply further specific details of today’s operational activity at this time.”
Members of the public have been advised to not assist with the search.
News
🚨 LATEST UPDATE Authorities say Zamil Limon’s car remained parked in the same campus lot for more than 14 hours after he was reported missing. Inside the vehicle, investigators noted a phone charger still plugged into the dashboard
As the investigation into the disappearance and death of University of South Florida (USF) doctoral student Zamil Ahamed Limon deepens, authorities have revealed that his vehicle sat stationary in a campus parking lot for more than 14 hours after he…
He left the door unlocked; A neighbor says Zamil Limon’s apartment door was slightly open when deputies arrived, something they say had never happened before. Investigators later collected two evidence bags from the kitchen counter — items that may clarify what happened in the hours before the remains were found on the Howard Frankland Bridge
A small but striking detail has emerged in the investigation into the deaths of two University of South Florida (USF) doctoral students: the apartment door of Zamil Ahamed Limon was found slightly ajar when law enforcement arrived — something neighbors…
🚨 DEVELOPING Deputies responding to a call encountered Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, roommate of Zamil Limon. Authorities say he remained inside the home for nearly 20 minutes before SWAT convinced him to step outside — wearing only a towel. Investigators say what happened in those minutes is now part of the case timeline
On the morning of April 24, 2026, a domestic violence call in the Lake Forest community — just north of the University of South Florida (USF) Tampa campus — brought deputies to a residence tied to 26-year-old Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh…
They disappeared just one hour apart: Police say Zamil Limon was last seen at 9:00 a.m. leaving his Tampa apartment. At 10:00 a.m., Nahida Bristy was spotted near the Natural & Environmental Sciences Building. Investigators now believe the missing 60-minute window may hold the answer to everything
“They disappeared just one hour apart.” Police say Zamil Limon was last seen at 9:00 a.m. leaving his Tampa apartment. At 10:00 a.m., Nahida Bristy was spotted near the Natural & Environmental Sciences Building. Investigators now believe the missing 60-minute…
🚨 LATEST UPDATE Authorities confirmed the remains discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge belong to 27-year-old doctoral student Zamil Limon. Investigators say the discovery came while they were already examining the timeline of his disappearance
🚨 LATEST UPDATE Authorities confirmed the remains discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge belong to 27-year-old doctoral student Zamil Limon. Investigators say the discovery came while they were already examining the timeline of his disappearance — and that breakthrough rapidly…
🚨 DEVELOPING: Deputies say Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, roommate of Zamil Limon, refused to open the door for nearly 20 minutes when SWAT arrived. When he finally stepped outside, investigators say the situation quickly escalated
🚨 DEVELOPING: Deputies say Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, roommate of Zamil Limon, refused to open the door for nearly 20 minutes when SWAT arrived. When he finally stepped outside, investigators say the situation quickly escalated — leading to his arrest in…
End of content
No more pages to load
