In a seismic shift that has reignited hope and heartbreak for the Murphy family, Victoria Police have declared an official crime scene at a remote dam site near Buninyong, following the discovery of a key item during a targeted search on December 2, 2025. The breakthrough—described by investigators as the most significant since the arrest of accused murderer Patrick Orren Stephenson—comes 22 months after 51-year-old Samantha Murphy vanished during a routine morning run in Ballarat’s Canadian State Forest on February 4, 2024. While police have not publicly detailed the item, sources close to the investigation confirm it was recovered from the muddy banks of the same agricultural dam where Murphy’s iPhone, credit cards, and driver’s license were dredged up in June 2024, in near-perfect condition inside a teal case. The find has prompted an immediate lockdown of the 4-hectare site, with forensics teams combing the area under heightened security, marking a pivotal escalation in the probe that has gripped Australia.

Murphy, a beloved mother-of-three and fitness enthusiast, left her Eureka Street home at 7 a.m. for her daily 14km jog through the bushland trails she knew like the back of her hand. Clad in activewear and her Apple Watch, she sent a casual text to her husband Mick about grabbing coffee post-run. Then—silence. Her phone pinged a tower in Buninyong, 14km from home, but triangulation failed. By evening, with no sign of her, police launched Operation Spotlight, Victoria’s largest missing persons search in years. Volunteers scoured the forests, divers plumbed local waterways, and cadaver dogs sniffed every trail. Nothing. “Samantha wouldn’t just disappear,” Mick Murphy told reporters, his voice hollow. “She’s our rock—gone in a heartbeat.”

The case cracked open on March 6, 2024, with the arrest of 23-year-old Patrick Orren Stephenson, a Scotsburn local and son of former AFL player Orren Stephenson, who was not known to the Murphys. Charged with murder despite no body being found, Stephenson—initially under a suppression order—has pleaded not guilty. His trial is set for April 8, 2026, in Ballarat Supreme Court, expected to last six weeks with pre-trial arguments starting November 2025. Police allege Stephenson killed Murphy in the Mount Clear area, possibly during a random encounter. The June 2024 dam discovery—Murphy’s belongings in pristine condition—hinted at concealment, with criminologist Xanthe Mallett noting the phone’s functionality could yield “crucial timeline data.” Now, this new item—rumored to be clothing or personal effects—has elevated the site to crime scene status, triggering a full forensic sweep. “It’s unprecedented evidence volume,” a court heard in August 2024, as prosecutors battled defense demands for withheld phone passwords.

The Murphy family’s agony endures. Mick, a former soldier, has shouldered the search solo, his three daughters—Olivia, 20; Juliette, 18; and Isabella, 15—grappling with loss. “Samantha was our everything—jogs with the girls, barbecues in the yard,” he shared in a June 2024 interview. Community vigils light Ballarat’s streets monthly, with #JusticeForSamantha trending amid theories of targeted attack or random violence. Forensic psychologist Tim Watson-Munro called the case “very unusual,” citing the lack of body and witnesses. Stephenson’s October 2023 drunk motorcycle crash fine ($2,500) fuels speculation of impaired judgment, but his defense insists innocence.

As forensics dig deeper, the dam—once a serene farm pond—holds secrets that could crack the case. “We’re closer, but every day without Samantha is hell,” Mick said. For Ballarat, the breakthrough is a beacon in the fog. Updates pour in: sniffer dogs, ground-penetrating radar, endless hope. Samantha Murphy’s run ended abruptly, but her fight—for justice, for closure—endures. Australia watches, prays, and waits for the truth to surface.