Ballarat community rallies to family of missing mother

Samantha Murphy has not been seen since she left her Ballarat home to go jogging on February 4. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

Dozens of volunteers continue looking for Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy despite police suspending their foot search.

The 51-year-old mother of three left home on February 4 to go jogging and has not been seen since.

Police have turned to CCTV footage to try and piece together Ms Murphy's final documented movements, saying a full scale search will only resume if fresh information emerges. 

Investigators are keen to review footage from the three suburbs even if it does not show Ms Murphy.

Police on Saturday said there were no sinister factors about Ms Murphy's disappearance but there were significant concerns for her wellbeing.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in Ballarat on Sunday, passed on his thoughts to Ms Murphy's family and friends. 

"It is, has been, I’m sure just such a difficult time," he told reporters. 

"I thank all those people who are involved in the search and hope that it has a good outcome. "

Minister Catherine King, the member for Ballarat, said Ms Murphy's disappearance has been a really distressing week for the family and thanked search crews for their efforts.

"The terrain they've been working through is really difficult. It's beautiful bushland, we all love it, but we know how difficult it is," Ms King told reporters.

"And just for a community like Ballarat, big hearts, very, very big hearts, and we just hope very much that there's a positive outcome for Samantha Murphy and her family."

Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson said the community response to Ms Murphy's disapearance had been "extraordinary".

"There is certainly great empathy for Samantha's family," Cr Hudson told Sky News on Sunday.

"I could not be prouder of our community."

He said the community had come together to support and generously offered food to Ms Murphy's family over the past eight days of the search. 

The landscape from Mt Buninyong near Ballarat
Missing mum Samantha Murphy regularly jogged about 14-15km through remote areas in Ballarat.

Official searches of areas such as parts of the Canadian State Forest have been paused until there is new information.

The tiny town of Buninyong, about 11km south of Ballarat, has been combed by SES volunteers.

Police said they remain in regular contact with the Murphy family about the investigation.

Ms Murphy regularly jogged about 14-15km through nearby remote areas. 

She left her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East at 7am the day she disappeared.

CCTV footage from the family home shows her about to depart. 

Police have been working with telecommunications staff to try to identify her route, given she carried a smart watch and phone.

Ms Murphy has been described as physically and mentally strong.

She and her husband Michael run a car repair business called Inland Motor Body Works at Delacombe, a few suburbs from their home.

Anyone with information about Ms Murphy's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store