A volunteer search crew is calling for community members to join the group to help find Samantha Murphy

A volunteer led search crew is urging members with specialised skills to join the search for a missing mum.

The volunteer crew dedicated to searching for missing mother Samantha Murphy is calling for experienced personnel to join their search efforts.

The Ballarat woman, 51, has been missing for more than a month after she failed to return home from a morning run in the Woowookarung Regional Park on February 4.

Samantha Murphy has been missing since February 4.

Ms Murphy’s disappearance has prompted major search efforts by the local community, with hundreds joining the ‘Ground Crew’ volunteer search group to help find the mother of three.

But an organiser for the search group is calling for more experienced searchers with specialised knowledge and skills to help lead small groups through dense bushland as they continue to search for Ms Murphy.

“Seeking confident bushmen, prospectors, hunters, ex military and SES members to join us with our next search for Samantha Murphy,” an organiser posted to social media.

Ground Crew have previously led widespread searches in the Woowookarung National Park. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

The group is now calling for community members with specialised skills to join the group. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Ground Crew have organised a “team leader recruitment” meeting in Ballarat at 6pm on Wednesday to enlist additional members and keep the search efforts for Ms Murphy going.

“For us to plan and conduct another search we really need to have an adequate number of team leaders available,” an event organiser said.

“Due to this, we are hosting a briefing night this Wednesday for anyone wanting to get involved.

“If you have any experience in dense bushlands and the confidence to lead a small group, please join us”

However, the calls come as retired police officer of 30 years Narelle Fraser said while she understands the community “wants to help”, it could be creating more problems for investigators.

“If they find something that they think is part of the investigation, they might take that to the police,” she told ABC’s 7.30 program on Monday night.

“Then the police have to take a report, they have to find out whether it’s part of the investigation or not.

Police have continued to search for Ms Murphy. Picture: Brendan Beckett

“All this takes time and I think sometimes it can cause great difficulties.

“It’s a huge job, a huge job because there is so much information coming in and you have to go down every single rabbit burrow because you don’t want to miss something. If you’re the one that’s missed it, it would be terrible.”

Ground Crew’s search efforts were last week postponed due to a catastrophic fire danger rating in the area.

More than 300 volunteers previously joined the search for Ms Murphy, equipped with metal detectors and a sniffer dog.

Detectives have revealed they will now use mobile data to piece together the movements of those who were in the vicinity of Ms Murphy on the morning she disappeared.

It is not the first time data linked to a mobile phone has guided the investigation, with officers initially using it to narrow down Ms Murphy’s last-known movements before she vanished.

Early reports indicated Ms Murphy’s phone pinged off the Buninyong tower, south of the Woowookarung Regional Park, at 5pm the day she went missing, though it has not been confirmed.

Last month police indicated it was unlikely Ms Murphy suffered a medical episode and suggested it is likely she is no longer alive.

Originally published as A volunteer search crew is calling for community members to join the group to help find Samantha Murphy