Update after search for missing mum concludes

A telephone recovered during the hunt for Samantha Murphy is understood to person belonged to the missing mum.

Ms Murphy was going for a tally successful Ballarat East connected February 4 erstwhile she vanished.

Her assemblage has not been located.

On Wednesday a mobile telephone was recovered connected the slope of a dam during a “targeted search” of a Buninyong property.

7News has reported confirmation of the nexus betwixt the Ballarat pistillate and the find of an iPhone, which was encased successful a teal telephone case.

The telephone find is 1 of the astir important developments successful the lawsuit arsenic investigators proceed to hunt for her body.

A spokesperson for Victoria Police would not corroborate whether the point belonged to Ms Murphy.

A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed detectives from the Missing Persons Squad located “some items of interests” during the renewed hunt successful Buninyong.

“The country has been cordoned disconnected and those items volition present beryllium forensically tested,” they said connected Wednesday.

Police confirmed the hunt successful the Buninyong determination had concluded connected Wednesday and would not proceed connected Thursday.

Patrick Orren Stephenson has been charged with Ms Murphy’s murder.

He is yet to participate a plea.

Police allege helium acted alone.

Speaking to Sunrise connected Thursday greeting University of Newcastle criminologist Xanthé Mallett said the find of a phone, if undamaged and did beryllium to Ms Murphy, could beryllium a breakthrough.

“Samantha Murphy has been missing for 116 days now, truthful astir 4 months,” helium said.

“If it does transpire (the phone) is hers, they whitethorn not person got arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic they could person done if it had been recovered earlier.

“It truly depends connected the prime of the telephone and however damaged it is. Remember, it has been outside.”

However, Dr Mallett said assessing the telephone could instrumentality weeks.

“They volition beryllium moving connected them rapidly but it is not going to beryllium abbreviated term. We are not talking days, we are talking weeks astatine the earliest.

“Whether it has been for 4 months oregon if it transpires it is Samantha’s oregon longer, we truly don’t cognize yet. We are going to person to hold and spot precisely what information that telephone is in.”