A 22-year-old man has been charged with murder in the disappearance of Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy.

It followed the revelation earlier on Thursday that detectives from Victoria Police’s missing persons squad had arrested the man at his Scotsburn home about 6am on Wednesday.

The man faced a packed Ballarat Magistrates Court about 3.40pm on Thursday, where his lawyer David Tamanika applied to have his name and other details suppressed from media reporting.

Tamanika said releasing the name could cause prejudice to his client, who had suffered from poor mental health since his arrest.

Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz granted the temporary suppression, after several media outlets stood up in court to object.

Prosecutors asked for 20 weeks to compile evidence to hand to the defence, due to there being “a significant amount of material” that needed to be analysed.

The man was taken back into custody and will next face court on August 8.

The 22-year-old has no links to the Murphy family. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said earlier the man had not revealed the location of Murphy’s body.

“This investigation is far from over … Obviously we will continue to gather further evidence and will be taking further statements and investigations – they will continue at a very heavy pace,” he said.

“Importantly, doing everything we can [to find] Samantha’s body for the family is absolutely vital and something we focus on.”

Patton said police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the disappearance. They believe Murphy was murdered at Mount Clear on February 4, the day she vanished.

Shortly before the arrest was made public, Murphy’s husband Michael told media charges had been laid over his wife’s disappearance.

He did not go into further details, except to say the situation for the family was a “whole [lot of] unknown”.

“The family’s going OK … I can’t comment on anything at the moment,” he told the Nine Network.

Earlier, police had fuelled speculation that Murphy could still be alive after asking for anyone who saw her to “immediately” contact triple zero.

“Anyone who has seen Ms Murphy or has information about her disappearance and is yet to speak to detectives should do so immediately,” a media release issued Thursday morning said.

“People with CCTV or dash-cam footage from the area at the time are asked to come forward.”

However, detectives had previously indicated the 51-year-old, who disappeared on her morning run more than a month ago, was probably dead.

On February 23, Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt said officers were doubtful she was still alive.

On Thursday, Hatt said his thoughts were with Murphy’s friends and family. He said the charge laid was a testament to the “dedicated and committed investigative effort led by the missing persons squad”.

“Since Samantha’s disappearance at the start of February, a significant search and investigation has been undertaken in an effort to find her,” Hatt said.

“To get to a position where we have been able to charge someone is testament to the commitment and dedication from all those areas.

“I know that Samantha’s disappearance has had a profound impact on the Ballarat community and I want to thank all of those people who have assisted police in many different ways over the past month.”

Police also acknowledged the high level of public interest in the case and said it was “critical” that any speculation did not affect their investigation.

Wide-ranging searches have failed to turn up any trace of the missing woman.

Murphy left her home at Eureka Street in Ballarat East on February 4 to go jogging and has not been seen since. The alarm was raised when she failed to turn up for a brunch on the same morning.

The disappearance sparked weeks of extensive searches in the greater Ballarat area by trained emergency services workers and hundreds of concerned locals. They combed through dense forest, private land and walking tracks.

Officers spoke to a host of people as part of their investigation, police said.

Murphy was described as mentally and physically fit and was training for an upcoming race by doing 15-kilometre runs.

Detectives have worked with telecommunications technicians to track her route, after confirming she was carrying a smartwatch and phone.

The Murphy family runs a car repair business called Inland Motor Body Works at Delacombe, a few suburbs from their home.

Murphy’s husband and her eldest daughter Jess previously issued a public plea to help find her.

“Mum, we love you so much and we miss you, and we need you at home with us,” Jess, 24, said on February 8 in Ballarat.

-with AAP