The police in Victoria stopped searching farmland south of Ballarat after discovering a phone in a dam.
The phone was found during their investigation into the disappearance of Samantha Murphy, who was last seen in February.
In March, Patrick Stevenson, a 22-year-old man, was charged with Murphy’s murder after he was arrested in Scotsburn.
On Wednesday, the police announced that they had found “items of interest” in Buninyong, which is around 11 kilometers away from Ballarat.
Pictures and footage from the scene show officers taking what appears to be a phone out of a dam.
Some of the searchers were seen hugging each other after they discovered the object.
Murphy’s phone was last pinged from a tower in Buninyong, which was at around 5 pm on the day she went missing. After the search in the area had concluded on Thursday morning, the police stated that the items they found would be subjected to forensic testing.
The police noted that the items were discovered during a targeted search that was carried out on Wednesday.
Various specialist units from the police force and the Australian Federal Police were also involved in the search. After the announcement of the renewed search, detectives went to various areas in the city of Buninyong.
The police informed Murphy’s family about the search. According to the police, they had carried out various searches as part of their investigation.
In the past, they had focused their attention on areas around Buninyong and the Enfield state park.
They also looked at the Woowookarung Regional Park, which is located in the south-eastern part of the city of Ballarat.
On August 8, Stephenson will appear in court. Murphy’s family reported her missing on February 4 after she failed to return home following a run.
She had reportedly told her friends and family that she was planning on running 14 kilometers that day.