<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>337431</docID> <postdate>2025-02-02 13:01:58</postdate> <headline>One year on, police still think they can find her body</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-302296" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240207001898989085-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="601" /></p> <caption>Samantha Murphy's disappearance led to an outpouring of grief in the Ballarat community. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Melissa Meehan</strong> in Melbourne</span></p> <p><strong>It's almost a year since Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy went for a run and never came home. </strong></p> <p>The 51-year-old was last seen alive when she went for a run on the morning of February 4.</p> <p>In March, police charged 23-year-old tradesman Patrick Orren Stephenson with Ms Murphy's murder, but the search for her body still continues.</p> <p>Over the past 12 months, a number of extensive searches for Samantha's body have taken place with particular focus on the Enfield State Park, Canadian Forest and Buninyong Bushland Reserve.</p> <p>The most recent search focused on the Enfield State Forest at Grenville in September, 2024.</p> <p>The location is approximately a 15-minute drive from Buninyong, where Ms Murphy's phone was found buried in the mud on the edge of an agricultural dam in May.</p> <p>Ms 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.</p> <p>Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan said police had worked tirelessly to find Ms Murphy.</p> <p>"While nothing can erase their grief and loss, being able to return Samantha to her family has always been incredibly important to us," Det Insp Dunstan said on Sunday.</p> <p>"I want to reaffirm to the community that the Missing Persons Squad remains committed to doing everything we can to locate Samantha – while a year has passed, we still believe we can locate her.</p> <p>"This year we will continue to conduct searches in the Ballarat area, including searches in areas highlighted by intelligence derived from a number of sources."</p> <p>He called on locals using areas of interest to be aware of their surroundings and contact police immediately if they believe they may have come across her remains.</p> <p>"There is nothing we want more than to return Samantha to her family and we remain committed to doing this," he said.</p> <p>Stephenson pleaded not guilty to murder in November as he elected to fast-track his criminal trial.</p> <p> </p> </body>