A mobile phone found during a new search for Samantha Murphy belongs to the missing Victorian mother, 7NEWS has been told.
On Wednesday, missing persons squad detectives searching near a dam in Buninyong, not far from Murphy’s Ballarat home, found a phone with a teal case.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Update on phone found in search for Samantha Murphy.
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After the discovery, police officers were seen hugging and patting the sniffer dog. Forensic testing of the phone and case is ongoing.
Murphy’s husband confirmed to 7NEWS that her credit cards, licence and iPhone were uncovered in mud at a dam.
Sources have told 7NEWS the phone is a significant clue that could provide location data of her final movements, should police be able to retrieve it.
It is not yet clear if police have managed to turn the device on or collect data from the SIM card.
The search of the dam involved police divers and metal detectors and aerial shots also showed an excavator ripping up chunks of dirt next to a road.
“Since February, police have regularly undertaken a range of inquiries and small-scale searches as part of the current investigation,” police said on Wednesday.
“Samantha’s family has also been advised of the search.”
Detectives zeroed in on nearby bushland south of Buninyong, about 18km from Murphy’s home and 2km from where her phone was found.
Murphy was last seen leaving her home on Eureka St, Ballarat, to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest on February 4.
In March, police searched extensively for the missing mother in the Buninyong area but could not find any trace of her.
There have also been extensive searches of the Canadian State Forest and Enfield State Park over the past few months.
Police allege 22-year-old Patrick Orren Stephenson murdered Murphy at nearby Mount Clear on the day she went missing.
The tradesman was arrested at the beginning of March and charged with murder and is due to return to court in August.
He is the son of former AFL player Orren Stephenson, who played 15 games for Geelong and Richmond between 2012 and 2014.