A phone discovered by police during a search for the body of missing mother Samantha Murphy does indeed belong to the missing mother, sources have told media.
The 51-year-old was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street, Ballarat, to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4.
Detectives from the Victoria Police Missing Persons Squad and a range of specialist police officers resumed the search on Wednesday morning.
The location, which was initially kept secret, was later revealed to be south of Buninyong, while officers found a phone.
Sources have said so 7NEWS the phone belongs to Murphy and is an important clue to the investigation.
A phone discovered by police during a search for the body of missing mother Samantha Murphy does indeed belong to the missing mother, sources have told media.
The phone turned out to contain an ID in a wallet
“Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad found some items of interest in Buninyong this morning during their search for Samantha Murphy,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said on Wednesday afternoon.
‘The area has been cordoned off and the items are now being forensically tested.
“We will not provide any further information about the items until testing is completed.”
The search was described as targeted and also involved the Australian Federal Police.
Samantha and Mick Murphy in happier times
“Further information will be provided as soon as we are able,” the police spokeswoman said.
Officers hugged after finding the phone near a dam.
Victoria Police confirmed on Wednesday evening that the search is not expected to continue on Thursday.
Ms. Murphy, 51, was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home to go for a run in Canadian State Forest on the morning of Feb. 4.
Police charged 22-year-old trader Patrick Orren Stephenson in March with the murder of Ms Murphy in Mount Clear on the day she went missing.
He will appear in court again in August.
Stephenson is the son of Orren Stephenson, who played 15 AFL games for Geelong and Richmond between 2012 and 2014.
Police have launched several searches in the bushland since February as part of the investigation.
Ms Murphy’s family have been informed of the latest search.
Police divers searched the dam in brutally cold conditions