Police have launched a renewed search for missing Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy, who went missing while going for a run last February.
New intelligence have led specialist detectives to Enfield State Park – about 30km south of Ballarat where the mum was last seen – where they carried out out a targeted search.
Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad confirmed the renewed search on Wednesday night in a statement, and they have advised members of the public to not assist with the search.
“Since February 2024, police have regularly undertaken a range of enquiries 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.”
The 51-year-old mother of three disappeared while completing here morning run through the Canadian State Forest about 7am on February 4, 2024.
A month later, 23-year-old Patrick Orren Stephenson was charged with her murder, but has since pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in the Supreme Court on April 8.
Police have conducted multiple searches in the region since her disappearance, including the bushland of the Enfield State Park, Canadian State Forest and Buninyong Bushland Reserve.
In May 2024, detectives found her phone in the bank of a dam near Slaughterhouse Road on the outskirts of Ballarat.
Image: Nine
