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Detectives from the missing persons unit, along with a range of specialist resources including the federal police, spent the day carrying out a “targeted search” south of Buninyong, about five kilometers south of where Samantha’s phone last connected to a mobile telephone tower.
9News has footage of police seizing a phone in a wallet-like cover with ID cards inside next to the dam around 12:25 p.m.
Aerial footage showed police celebrating after sniffer dogs found a private property not far from the road.
Police confirmed they had “found some items of interest” which will be forensically tested.
“At this stage we are not releasing any further information on the items until the test has been completed,” a police spokesman said.
Police divers searched the dam in the late afternoon.
Metal detectors were also used to clean the water.
The property owner told 9News the water level in the dam hasn’t been this low in at least six months.
Investigators said they originally planned to spend three days searching the dam and area, but they moved faster than expected and will not return to the farm tomorrow.
Detectives said they will regroup tonight and decide where to continue searching for the mother’s body.
An excavator was also spotted clearing bushes by the dirt road.
A resident who lives along the road where police are searching told 9News they were alerted a few weeks ago that police would be searching the area during that time period for any links to this missing Ballarat mother.
Victoria Police asked members of the public not to attend the search.
”Police are today carrying out a targeted search in the Ballarat area as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Samantha Murphy,” police said this morning.
“At this time, we are unable to provide additional specific details about today’s operational activity.”
Detectives said they have “regularly carried out a range of inquiries and small-scale searches as part of the ongoing investigation” since Murphy disappeared.
Samantha’s family has also been notified of the search.
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