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7 months ago
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A new search has been launched for missing mother-of-three Samantha Murphy more than 30km away from Ballarat.
Victoria Police said the search would focus on an area of Enfield State Park 'highlighted by intelligence derived from a number of sources'.
The park is less than 30km away from where the body of 23-year-old Hannah McGuire was discovered on Friday.
Emergency services found her body inside a burnt-out car in bushland near State Forest Road at Scarsdale, 25km south of Ballarat.
The development in the Murphy case comes three weeks after police launched a search in Buningyong Bushland Reserve, just south of Ballarat, on March 20.
Dozens of officers, cadaver dogs were deployed to the new location but no trace of the 51-year-old one was found after eight hours of searching.
Police will allege Ms Murphy was murdered by Patrick Stephenson, 22, on February 4 after she left her Ballarat East home to go for a morning run.
This Sunday marks 10 weeks since the missing mother-of-three was last seen as pressure mounts on police to bring closure to her family.
A fresh search for missing jogger Samantha Murphy has been launched near Enfield State Park
The new location is 30km away from Ballarat and has not been searched before by police
Enfield State Park is less than 30km away from where the body of 23-year-old Hannah McGuire was discovered near State Forest Road near Scarsdale on Friday
On March 7, Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with Ms Murphy's alleged murder, but there have been no major breakthroughs since then.
Stephenson is not set to appear before Ballarat Magistrates Court until August 8.
Ms Murphy was last seen on CCTV on the driveway of her Ballarat East home as she left for a run in Woowookarung Regional Park two months ago.
When she didn't get back at her expected time for a brunch and the family were unable to contact her, they called the police.
An extensive search followed, with professionals and volunteers combing over a large area of bushland in the hope of finding her body.
Mick Murphy revealed earlier this week he also searches for his missing wife as the family celebrated her 52nd birthday without her last Saturday.
It was 'the first birthday without Sam … That's a hard thing but we've gotta face reality and realise she's just not coming back,' Mr Murphy told the Herald Sun.
Mr Murphy said he misses Samantha all the time, but he tries to hold his spirits up, saying: 'I need to be strong myself and look after everyone around me.'
More to come.
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