Victoria Police have provided a big update in the case of missing woman Samantha Murphy, confirming they are treating her disappearance as suspicious.
In a press conference this afternoon, Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said there had been no new information gathered by the Missing Persons Squad, though confirmed her disappearance is considered "suspicious".
"It's certainly unusual when we haven't been able to locate any trace of her or any other evidence within that period of time," he said.
"It's suspicious, whether that means there's foul play involved, or not, I don't know, but obviously detectives are investigating a matter where a woman's been missing for a significant period of time."
Days prior police had announced they were scaling back their search of bushland.
On February 4, the 51-year-old mother-of-three laced up her shoes and headed out for a run, leaving her home at about 7am for Woowookarung Regional Park near her home in Ballarat East, an area she ran in almost daily.
But this time, she never returned.
She was last seen wearing black half-length leggings, a maroon or brown singlet and an Apple Watch. Police are asking residents in the area to review their CCTV footage from between 7:00am and 11:00am on February 4 for sightings.
It comes as last week Murphy's daughter Jess Murphy spoke through tears to media as she pleaded for clues as to what happened to her mother.
"Mum's a really strong woman and she's far too determined to give up this fight," she said. "I know she's out there somewhere, so if you could please continue to search for her to give us something to work with, we would really appreciate it."
Murphy's husband also added: "People just don't vanish into thin air" and also appealed for any information.
"Whether it be any little thing that you might think is relevant, just call the police and let them know. It'll give us a bit of peace of mind, some hope."
Jess also delivered a message to her mother: "Mum, we love you so much and we miss you and we need you at home with us," she said.
More to come.
Feature Image: AAP.