Victoria Police have called off their search of bushland south of Ballarat for the body of missing Victorian woman Samantha Murphy.
Investigators said they were focusing on the Buninyong Bushland Reserve based on "intelligence derived from a number of sources".
But authorities wrapped up the search shortly after 2pm, and said Ms Murphy's body had not been located.
Ms Murphy, 51, was last seen on February 4 leaving her home in Ballarat East.
Loading...Over the past six weeks, police have searched the Canadian Forest area, closer to Ballarat.
In early February, their search included parts of the Buninyong area.
The area searched today is known to contain mineshafts.
Those searches involved specialist Victoria Police units and members of the public who volunteered to help.
"Since Samantha's disappearance, extensive searches have been conducted in the Ballarat area and today we will focus on an area of bushland in Buninyong," Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt said.
"We will have a range of specialist resources involved, however as we are searching for Samantha's body, we ask that members of the public do not try and join today's search."
Premier praises 'strong' Ballarat community
Premier Jacinta Allan praised the Ballarat community for its resilience during a difficult few months that has seen the city deal with fires, the disappearance of Ms Murphy and last week's fatal mining accident.
"The Ballarat community is a proud and strong one, I know they're doing it really tough, and I want to say that we support you during this difficult time," she said.
"Thank you for the way you have shown great support for one another through this period of challenge and adversity."
Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with murder earlier this month over Ms Murphy's disappearance.
His identity was initially suppressed by a Ballarat magistrate after his lawyers told the court there were concerns about his mental health and fears he would not receive a fair trial.
However, media organisations challenged the suppression order and the application was later withdrawn by Mr Stephenson's lawyer.
Over the weekend, more than 100 people took part in a run in Victoria's west dedicated to Ms Murphy.
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2024-03-19 23:00:46Z
CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTAzLTIwL3NhbWFudGhhLW11cnBoeS1ib2R5LXNlYXJjaC1idW5pbnlvbmctYmFsbGFyYXQvMTAzNjA4NzIy0gEA
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