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Police are searching near a dam on the outskirts of Ballarat as they investigate the disappearance of Victorian mother Samantha Murphy
The 51-year-old mother was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4.
She has not yet been found, but on March 8, 22-year-old Patrick Orren Stephenson was charged with her alleged murder.
READ MORE: How the investigation into the disappearance of Samantha Murphy unfolded
Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad, together with a range of specialist resources are currently performing the "targeted search" south of Buninyong.
Aerial shots over the search zone show police sniffer dogs and officers scouring farmland and scrub.
An excavator digger is also seen clearing bushes beside a dirt road.
9News understands items have been found near the dam.
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Victoria Police have asked members of the public not to attend the search.
"Police are undertaking a targeted search in the Ballarat area today as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Samantha Murphy," police said.
"We are not in a position to supply further specific details of today's operational activity at this time."
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Detectives said they "have been regularly undertaking a range of enquiries and small-scale searches as part of the current investigation" since Murphy went missing.
Samantha's family has also been advised of the search.
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