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.
State and federal police endured wet conditions on Tuesday as they began yet another search for Murphy in Grenville, south of Ballarat in central Victoria.
It was wrapped up on Thursday without any fresh discoveries.
The 51-year-old mother of three was last seen alive when she left her Ballarat home to go for a run early on February 4.
In March, police charged 23-year-old tradesman Patrick Orren Stephenson with Murphy’s murder.
The most recent search remained focused on the Enfield State Forest at Grenville. It is about 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 Victoria 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.”
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.
Stephen will 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.
-AAP
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