Heartbreaking detail in police update on missing mum Samantha Murphy investigation

Police have provided an update into the disappearance of mother Samantha Murphy.

A man has been charged with murder as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy.

The 51-year-old has been missing for more than a month after she failed to return from a morning jog in the Woowookarung Regional Park on February 4.

Police revealed on Thursday, a 22-year-old man had been arrested in relation to the mother-of-three’s disappearance.

He was subsequently interviewed by police and charged with one count of murder.

Ballarat mother of three Samantha Murphy has been missing for more than a month. Picture: Facebook

Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt, Crime Command, thanked many people in the Ballarat community, particularly local search volunteers and members of the SES and CFA for their support.

“Our thoughts today are with Samantha’s family and friends,” he said,

“Since Samantha’s disappearance at the start of February, a significant search and investigation has been undertaken in an effort to find her.

“This has included a dedicated and committed investigative effort led by the Missing Persons squad and also involving detectives from right across Crime Command, Counter Terrorism Command and Western Region.

“This has been further supported by a range of specialist resources from across Victoria Police.

“To get to a position where we have been able to charge someone is testament to the commitment and dedication from all those areas.

Not a trace has been found since she went for a morning jog on February 4. Picture: Supplied

Phone data has lead police to focus their search on the Mount Clear area. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt speaks at a press conference at Mount Clear Scout Hall as Search continues for missing woman Samantha Murphy Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Brendan Beckett

Samantha left her Eureka St home in Ballarat about 7am of February 4 to go for a 14km run through the nearby Woowookarung Regional Park.

She is believed to have reached the Mount Clear area, adjacent to the park, about an hour after leaving home, but had not been seen or heard from since departing.

Police, SES and volunteer search crews have searched the Woowookarung Regional Park, and surrounding areas, almost every day since she vanished. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Wilson

Samantha’s daughter Jess Murphy and husband Mick Murphy, speak to media outside Ballarat West Police Station, with Inspector Lisa Macdougall. PICTURE : NCA Newswire / Nicki Connolly

Despite a significant investigation by police and extensive volunteer searches of the Canadian Forest area, no traces of Samantha had been found.

Last week, police said they would be turning their attention to mobile phones that were in the vicinity of Samantha on the day she went missing.

Police have been using her mobile phone to guide their search for a number of weeks after it was discovered her phone had pinged at multiple cellular towers in the area on the day of her disappearance.

They have used the data to piece together her last-known movements and the movements of other people who were in the area at the time.

Local volunteer groups were due to return to Woowookarung Regional Park again this weekend to search for clues that could help investigators find Samantha.

However, soaring temperatures in the mid-to-high-30s have left search team organisers questioning whether it is a safety risk to send people out in the heat.