Latest search for missing Australian woman Samantha Murphy’s body called off

Samantha Murphy was last seen alive when she went for a run on February 4.

• The search for missing Victorian mother Samantha Murphy’s body in Enfield State Forest has been called off.
• Police charged Patrick Orren Stephenson, 23, with Murphy’s murder in March.
• Murphy was last seen alive on February 4, when she went for a run in Ballarat.

The latest search for the body of missing Victorian mother Samantha Murphy has failed to turn up anything of interest and has been called off.

Australian state and federal police faced wet conditions this week as they conducted a new search in Grenville, south of Ballarat.

The 51-year-old was last seen alive when she went for a run on the morning of February 4.

Samantha Murphy disappeared without a trace after going for a run last summer in Ballarat, Victoria.

In March, police charged 23-year-old tradesman Patrick Orren Stephenson with Murphy’s murder.

The most recent search focused on the Enfield State Forest at Grenville.

The location is approximately a 15-minute drive from Buninyong, where Murphy’s phone was found buried in the mud on the edge of an agricultural dam in May.

“Police have concluded their current search of the Enfield State Forest and no items of interest were located,” a police spokesperson said.

“The investigation remains ongoing and is focused on locating Samantha’s body.

“We are not in a position to supply further specific details of operational activity at this time.”

The most recent search for Samantha Murphy remains focused on Enfield State Forest at Grenville. Photo / Victoria Police

Murphy’s disappearance led to an outpouring of grief in the Ballarat community and the nation, with an influx of volunteers joining multiple earlier searches.

Stephenson is due to next face court in November after prosecutors asked for a delay to go through an extensive evidence brief including reams of CCTV footage.

He is the son of Orren Stephenson, who played 15 AFL games for Geelong and Richmond between 2012 and 2014.