As the search for missing Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy enters the fourth week, Victorian police are concerned that she may not be found alive.
The 51-year-old mother of three went missing on February 4 after leaving her home in Eureka Street for a Sunday jog, and has not been seen since.
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Despite a three-week investigation publicly revealing minimal details, some members of the Ballarat community are holding on to hope.
Police are currently analysing a substantial amount of 12,000 data pieces and pursuing up to 500 leads.
Meanwhile, locals and volunteers from outside the Ballarat area are actively involved in the search efforts, particularly in the Canadian Plantation forest area, where Samantha Murphy is believed to have gone missing.
Over the weekend, close to 200 volunteers scoured bushland east of Mount Clear, an area identified by the police as a potential location of interest.
Lois Abraham, a community member and friend of Ms Murphy’s husband Mick, said: “We’re just looking for anything that might indicate a clue, whether it’s a hair tie or a watch or a phone, anything that might have been discarded.”
“Looking for any patterns in the grass or the ferns, that they’ve been pushed aside.. it’s very difficult to do because there’s been a lot of people out here looking.”
Despite the community’s efforts, police have not provided further updates since concluding their search around Mount Clear.
Detective Acting Inspector Mark Hatt confirmed that investigators believe another person or multiple individuals were involved in her disappearance.
Ms Murphy’s husband is not considered a suspect, and the family has been praised for their cooperation with the police.
As the search continues, authorities are urging anyone with information or dashcam footage from the area between 7am and 7pm on February 4 to contact Crime Stoppers.
Crime Stoppers.com.au
1800 333 000
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