It’s the third day of a desperate hunt for a mother who vanished from her home after going for a run in regional Victoria.
About seven in the morning on Sunday, Samantha Murphy, 51, was last seen leaving her residence on Eureka Street in Ballarat East to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest.
Although they do not believe anything unusual has occurred, police have notified the media that they are worried about Murphy’s well-being because the weather has reached oppressive degrees.
Murphy’s phone, which was last detected by telecoms towers in the Buninyong area, roughly 11 km south of her residence, was with her when she left the house.
After concentrating their efforts near the Buninyong Golf Club, police have widened their search, and many members of the community have joined them.
Murphy’s spouse Mick stated that he planned to remain at home throughout the search in an effort to distract himself as he awaited word.
The mother was a kind person, according to friend Chris Stapleton, who also noted that her disappearance was unusual.
“She’s a lovely, quiet lady I always thought,” he stated.
It is just dreadful, nothing at all. We’ve come here to lend a hand in any small manner.”
Volunteer Donne Crouch said that a large and dense area was being searched.
“There’s mine shafts, that’s the biggest concern is that the mine shafts out there aren’t very noticeable in some areas,” she stated.
The hunt will stop again at 8:00 p.m. today and pick back up the next day.
Acting Inspector Lisa McDougall stated that although Murphy was an accomplished runner, the heat—which reached 36 degrees in Ballarat on Sunday—alarmed Murphy’s relatives and the police.
“Obviously are very upset and concerned because this is very out of character for Sam,” McDougall stated.
“We’re going to look into all of the possibilities of where she might have gone so far.”
Murphy’s description includes a thin frame, shoulder-length blonde hair, and a Caucasian height of approximately 173 cm.
