The disappearance of Samantha Murphy has led to a widespread, multi-agency search across swathes of bushland near Victorian regional city Ballarat and prompted thousands of community members to volunteer to help find the 51-year-old mother of three.
After heading out for her usual run on Sunday morning, just after 7:00am, Ms Murphy failed to return home.
In the hours that followed, her worried family called police who started a widespread search.
Ms Murphy's husband Mick appealed to the public on Thursday to keep searching and come forward with information.
"People don't just vanish into thin air," Mr Murphy said.
"Someone's got to know something.
"Whether it be any little thing that you might think's relevant, just call the police. Let them know."
Her daughter, Jess Murphy, described her mother as someone who wouldn't stop fighting.
"Mum's a really strong woman and she's far too determined to give up this fight," she said.
"If you could please continue to search for her, to give us something to work with, we'd really appreciate it."
On Wednesday, police released CCTV footage showing a person running down Eureka Street, however the image has now been ruled out of the investigation after a local resident came forward to identify themselves in the footage.
A pillar of the community
Ms Murphy is described as a regular runner and familiar with the often isolated roads around her home.
She was well-known to locals who would often see her on her runs.
The Murphys own a local panel beating business, Inland Motor Works, where Ms Murphy works in administration.
Friends have also described her as closely involved in the arts and the local community.
One of Ms Murphy's friends, Virginia O'Loughlan, said the tense wait for news was taking a toll.
"It's a rollercoaster of a nightmare at the moment. I can't sit still," she said.
"Our kids went to school together, that's where I first met Sam … we'd often catch up.
"Everyone absolutely adores Sam. She is the backbone of a lot of community organisations.
Police continuing the search
Ballarat police officer Lisa Macdougall told ABC Statewide Drive that while police had ruled out CCTV vision of a runner, they would still like the community to keep checking their cameras.
She asked anyone with dashcam or CCTV vision from the search area to review footage and contact police about anything unusual.
"It's particularly important for us to scour everything that's out there, any knowledge, and take that into account so that we can really assess what evidence we have," Acting Inspector Macdougall said.
"I would suggest to the community ... that rather than making an assessment of their own, they bring it to the attention of police."
Acting Inspector Macdougall said police had been "inundated" with information from the people trying to help.
Police are now focusing the search on the Ballarat East, Canadian and Mount Helen areas, particularly east of Geelong Road.
A Facebook group set up by locals dedicated to the search quickly grew to 10,000 members.
Many of these people have volunteered to head out into the Woowookarung Regional Park and help emergency services with the search.
Ms Murphy is described as Caucasian, about 173 centimetres tall, of slim build and with shoulder-length blonde hair.
On the morning she went missing she was wearing black exercise leggings and a brown singlet.
Anyone who sees Ms Murphy or has information that can help with the investigation, should contact triple-0 immediately.
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2024-02-08 18:46:57Z
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