A former detective has revealed that he believes that Samantha Murphy, who has been missing since February 4, is dead.
She was last seen leaving her home in Eureka Street, Ballarat East, at around 7 am to go for a run.
Volunteers searched the area around Eureka Stockade on Saturday.
Meni Caroutas, who is the host of the podcast The Missing Australia, said that he would not be able to predict the outcome of the investigation due to the amount of resources that the police are putting into it.
He spoke with Holly Stearnes on the program Weekend Live.
According to Meni Caroutas, the police initially conducted interviews with the family in order to gather information about the last activities of the missing person.
After talking to the family, the police then expanded their search.
Due to the amount of resources that the police have put into the investigation, it is not looking good for Murphy.
Her family is praying for a miracle, but they also need people to contact the authorities. On Friday, the police carried out a new targeted search after they were able to obtain new data from her phone.
About six kilometers away from where Murphy went missing, officers were able to search an area of bush after it was discovered that her phone pinged at around 5 pm on the day she disappeared.
Detective Superintendent Mark Hatt stated that the police believe that Murphy’s disappearance was most likely caused by multiple parties.
Due to the extensive search that the police conducted, they were not able to find traces of Murphy’s personal belongings or any sign of a medical incident.
The police have also referred to her disappearance as suspicious.
Due to the length of time that she has been missing, and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, the police believe that it could be a case of foul play.
Murphy is described as a Caucasian woman, who has blonde hair and a slim build.
She was last spotted wearing a maroon singlet and black leggings. Anyone who may have seen her should contact Triple Zero.