Items discovered during a search for a mum-of-three who vanished on a morning jog have been found to not be relevant to her disappearance, in a heartbreaking development for her devastated family.
Samantha Murphy, 51, vanished on Sunday after leaving her home on Eureka Street, East Ballarat, to go for a run at 7.16am.
New CCTV shows her leaving her property, after which she is believed to have headed in a north-easterly direction toward Yankee Flat Road near the intersection of Warrenheip Road.
The search for Ms Murphy was rocked on Wednesday after a search party found possible evidence near a walking trail at about 12.30pm – giving her family hope that police were closing in on her whereabouts.
However, detectives now believe the items found are not relevant to the search.
Officers were seen looking closely at a plastic tree guard before a section of bushland was cordoned off after ‘items’ were found in shrubs.
Meanwhile, Ms Murphy’s teenage daughter has hit back at ‘malicious’ comments surrounding her mother’s disappearance.
The search for missing mother-of-three Samantha Murphy (pictured) has entered day four
New CCTV vision shows Ms Murphy leaving her Ballarat property at 7am on Sunday
Michael Murphy, the husband of missing mum Samantha Murphy, drove to the crime scene in Ballarat East at about 1.45pm on Wednesday. He appeared visible shocked speaking to officers
‘You have no idea what you are talking about,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘Be quiet and think before you post.’
A friend also leapt to the defence of the Murphy family, saying she was just trying to defend them against ‘trolls’ posting ‘malicious’ comments.
Earlier on Wednesday, Daily Mail Australia witnessed Ms Murphy’s husband Michael speaking to police at the crime scene.
He visited the bush area at Woowookarung Regional Park at about 1.45pm and spoke briefly to Victoria Police officers through a car window.
Mr Murphy, a panel beater, appeared visibly stunned and was turned away.
It is not suggested Mr Murphy played any role in Ms Murphy’s disappearance, only that he came to see what authorities had found.
Police said the items found in bushland were not related to her whereabouts.
‘Items located today during the search for Samantha have been assessed and at this time are not believed to be related to her whereabouts,’ a spokesperson said.
‘The search for Samantha continues, with the assistance of police Search & Rescue, uniform police, Canine Unit, Mounted Branch, SES and CFA.’
Exclusive photos captured Mr Murphy speaking to a police officer at the boundary of the search area, where he was turned away
Mr Murphy took in the message that police told him at the entrance to the crime scene
He then left the crime scene, supposedly to return home to the couple’s East Ballarat home
Police investigating the disappearance of missing mum Samantha Murphy have found an item of interest in bushland and declared a crime scene
Samantha Murphy left her Ballarat home at 7am on Sunday to go for a run in the nearby state forest and did not return home, nor has she been seen since
Ms Murphy vanished without a trace after going for a 20km run through the Canadian State forest at 7am on Sunday.
Some locals have expressed fear that her running path may have taken her past several hard-to-see mine shafts.
Police, SES and volunteers appeared to leave no stone unturned in the search this morning.
Volunteers were seen looking under bushes and inspecting scrubland directly outside the Murphy home.
A person inside the home gave media outside ‘the bird’ before closing the blinds. Police were also seen inside.
Across the road, officers were seen questioning a neighbour before then searching the rear of his property.
Ms Murphy, an avid runner, was last seen wearing a brown/maroon singlet and black leggings
At about 12.30pm, a search crew found a possible piece of evidence by a plastic tree guard off a walking trail at Woowookarung Regional Park before ejecting reporters from the scene
Victoria Police closed down a walking track (above) in the nearby state forest and kicked out media after finding an item of interest and declaring a crime scene
Daily Mail Australia witnessed detectives closely inspecting a new tree’s plant guard, after discovering an item of interest
SES crews outside the family home of Samantha Murphy on Wednesday. A large effort was focused on scouring the area outside her Ballarat East property – before attention shifted
Police on horseback walk past the Murphy compound on Wednesday as the search entered its fourth day
Search crews were also observed carrying out similar line searches along nearby Eureka Road.
Mr Murphy, who owns and operates a smash repairs business with his missing wife, has remained mostly tight-lipped since Ms Murphy went missing.
Daily Mail Australia has been told media who approached his business on Tuesday were given a frosty reception.
‘It’s just up in the air, we don’t know,’ Mr Murphy reportedly told the Herald Sun on Tuesday.
‘It’s just a whole time thing at the end of the day.’
He was pictured on Tuesday speaking with police as the desperate search continued.
A police car sat in the driveway of Ms Murphy’s home on Wednesday morning
Police question one of Ms Murphy’s neighbours on Wednesday
An SES worker looks for clues outside the Murphy compound
Police and SES crews gather down the road from Ms Murphy’s family home on Wednesday
On Wednesday, a worried neighbour told Daily Mail Australia Ms Murphy’s disappearance had shocked the community.
‘It’s just such a worry because you just don’t know what has happened. Is there someone out there? We just don’t know,’ she said.
Some locals are already beginning to come up with a range of theories as to what has happened, with some concerned about ‘suspicious’ characters living in the region.
A large-scale search has involved the Search and Rescue Squad, local police, more than 100 specialised officers from the dog squad, mounted branch, solo unit and air wing.
SES crews and teams from Forest Fire Management Australia and Parks Victoria have also joined the search.
The Ballarat community has rallied together, with a growing number of residents and Ms Murphy’s friends joining the search efforts.
Ms Murphy’s ‘upset and concerned’ family hold grave concerns and have described her disappearance as out of character.
On the morning Ms Murphy vanished, she was captured on her own CCTV system wearing a brown singlet and black half-length leggings.
Ms Murphy is an administrator at Inland Motor Body Works, which she owns with her husband
On Tuesday, Acting Inspector Lisa MacDougall said her mobile phone had pinged in Buninyong but that ‘inquiries are ongoing as to whether [the phone] is still on’.
‘Obviously, phones can run out of battery, but that forms part of the investigation,’ she told reporters on Monday.
Ms Murphy was known to be fit and run almost daily in the state forest.
‘The area of search isn’t completely remote, we are on the outskirts of Ballarat, and it’s not that far from urban areas as well,’ Insp MacDougall said.
Temperatures soared to a scorching 36°C on Sunday and it’s unknown whether Ms Murphy had food or water with her.
‘Obviously, [Sunday] was a hot day… there [is] obviously increased risk there because of the heat,’ Insp MacDougall added.
‘It raises the urgency of the search for us, and obviously we account for the fact that that will have an impact on someone’s health.’
Ms Murphy is described as Caucasian, about 173cm tall, with a slim build and shoulder-length blonde hair.
Anyone who sees her has been urged to contact police immediately.
