Ballarat East disappearance: Samantha Murphy’s husband breaks silence as Canadian State Forest search of missing mum continues

The husband of a mother-of-three who disappeared after going for a run in a national park has broken his silence as the massive search entered its third day.

Samantha Murphy, 51, was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, about 100km northwest of Melbourne, at 7am on Sunday.

The avid runner had embarked on a 20km run through the Canadian State Forest, an area her husband says she is very familiar with but has never returned to.

Michael Murphy, who runs a major repair business with his missing wife, said things “didn’t go that bad under the circumstances.”

“It’s just up in the air, we don’t know,” he told the station Herald Sun.

‘In the end it’s just a matter of time.’

Mrs Murphy is listed as head of administration at the Inland Motor Body Works, a car repair shop run by the couple in Delacombe.

The massive search resumed on Tuesday after being suspended overnight.

The efforts are coordinated by the Search and Rescue Squad, involving local police, more than 100 specialist officers from the Dog Brigade, Mounted Unit, Solo Unit and Air Wing.

SES crews and teams from Forest Fire Management Australia and Parks Victoria have also joined the search.

The Ballarat community has come together, with a growing number of residents and Ms Murphy’s friends joining the search.

Ms Murphy’s ‘appalled and concerned’ family have serious concerns, describing her disappearance as ‘out of character’.

On the morning Ms Murphy disappeared, she was captured on her own CCTV system wearing a brown shirt and black mid-length leggings.

Acting Inspector Lisa MacDougall previously said Ms Murphy’s mobile phone had pinged in Buninyong but “investigations are ongoing to see if (the phone) is still on”.

“It’s clear that phone batteries can run out, but that’s part of the investigation,” she told reporters on Monday.

Mrs Murphy was known to be fit and walked through the national forest almost every day.

“The search area is not completely remote, we are on the outskirts of Ballarat, and it’s not that far from urban areas either,” Insp MacDougall said.

Temperatures rose to a scorching 36 degrees Celsius on Sunday and it is not known whether Ms Murphy had food or water with her.

“It was clear that (Sunday) was a hot day… there is clearly an increased risk there because of the heat,” Insp MacDougall added.

‘For us it increases the urgency of the search and of course we take into account that this has an impact on someone’s health.’

Ms Murphy is described as white, approximately 173cm tall, with a slim build and shoulder-length blond hair.

She was involved with the Ballarat Center of Music and Arts for over twenty years, with colleagues describing her as a ‘giving person’.

Center director Paula Heenan said Mrs Murphy “adored her children”.

“There are a lot of people in the community looking in different areas, they have been given some direction,” she told the Herald Sun.

“There are a lot of people concerned about someone we love very much.”

Meanwhile, locals say Ms Murphy’s disappearance makes no sense.

‘Awful. But you know, it could have been one of us taking the dog for a walk. So, you know, the situation can turn around pretty quickly,” one woman said.

Another said mine shafts in the Canadian State Forest were a “big problem.”

“The mine shafts out there are not very noticeable in some areas,” she said.

Anyone who sees the 51-year-old is asked to contact police immediately.