‘Item of interest’ found in search for missing Vic woman

Victoria Police have declared a crime scene after finding “items of interest” as they search for missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy.
Murphy was last seen leaving her property on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, in regional Victoria, to go for one of her regular runs in the nearby Canadian State Forest about 7am on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Victoria Police revealed officers found some items during a search but did not reveal what they were.
“The items will be assessed to determine if they are relevant to the investigation,” a police spokeswoman said.
“The search for Samantha continues, with the assistance of police search and rescue, uniform police, canine unit, mounted branch, SES and CFA.”
Her family and police hold concerns for the 51-year-old’s welfare due to recent hot weather. Temperatures rose as high as 36 degrees in the area on Sunday.
Crews have been searching for Murphy since Monday and journalists at the scene report authorities have focused their efforts on an area close to her house.
The search has focused on the state forest behind Buninyong Golf Club for any sign of Murphy. It continued on Wednesday afternoon, when police evacuated part of a walking trail and declared a crime scene after finding the unknown item.
Officers said earlier they did not suspect anything suspicious but were concerned for the missing mother’s welfare after the weekend’s hot weather. They said her disappearance was out of character.
A search zone was set up near the golf club on Wednesday, near where Murphy’s phone was last pinged.
The area is littered with thousands of disused mine shafts, which has has increased concern for the missing woman’s welfare. Local resident Donne Crouch told the Nine Network the mine shafts were a worry.
“That’s the biggest concern, that there are mine shafts out there that aren’t very noticeable in some areas,” he said.
Earlier, Murphy’s husband, Mick, said he was staying at home during the search to try to keep busy while waiting for news from police. He told the Herald Sun that his wife ran in the area daily but said he was becoming more worried as time went on.
“It’s just up in the air, we don’t know,” he said.
“It’s just a whole time thing, at the end of the day.”
Murphy is Caucasian, about 173 centimetres tall with a slim build and shoulder-length blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing black half-length leggings and a maroon or brown singlet.
-with AAP