A timeline of the Samantha Murphy case

Police said Ms Murphy can be seen leaving the property on foot.

Her family raised she was missing when she did not come home in time for an event.

It was a hot day on Sunday, with some parts of Ballarat reaching 36 degrees.

Via a press release in the morning police ask for anyone with information on Ms Murphy's location to come forward.

Police said in a statement they would be looking behind the Buninyong Golf Club.

Community members came to the Buninyong police station to ask if they could help with the search - the police directed them to walk along trails or in places they felt comfortable.

On Monday afternoon acting inspector Lisa McDougall spoke to the media.

She said there were no suspicious circumstances and the police were keeping an open mind.

Police at Buninyong Station set up a board with a search area for the public.

Mounted Police, bike squad, K9 units, SES and CFA all help with the ground search.

Items are found in the afternoon at the entrance to the Woowookarung Regional Park off Eureka Street.

Police cleared the area and looked into the items. Police later said these items were not connected to Samantha Murphy's case.

In the evening police released a second CCTV photo of a runner on Eureka Street, who they suspected was Samantha Murphy.

Another runner came forward to say it was them.

Husband Mick Murphy and oldest daughter Jess spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon.

They made an emotional plea for anyone with information to come forward and thanked the community for their support.

Police said they are keeping an open mind and investigating all avenues.

The missing person' squad took over the investigation.

They said this team would be looking into Ms Murphy's devices and movements before she went missing.

Volunteers from the SES and CFA stopped the ground search.

Police said they are continuing the investigation

Community members held a vigil at the Buninyong Anglican Church.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on a visit to Ballarat paid tribute to the hundreds of volunteers who have helped with the search.

Buninyong business owners told The Courier it has been a busy week with lots of unfamiliar faces in town.

Despite fewer people in Buninyong during the second week of searching, they said Ms Murphy was still on people's minds.

Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton answered questions about Ms Murphy's disappearance at a Melbourne press conference.

He said there were no further developments but a thorough investigation was continuing.

Additional help from the Crime Command had been given to the Missing Persons unit to help get through the hundred of information reports.

Chief Commissioner Patton said "there must be some suspicions because we haven't been able to locate her".

"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.

Victoria Police said in a statement the Missing persons Squad has been expanded with more experienced detectives from crime and counter terrorism units.

"Those highly skilled detectives have been selected for their experience in complex and protracted investigations," the spokesperson said.

"They have not been selected due to the crime theme they currently work in eg we have not taken Counter Terrorism detectives because we think her disappearance is terrorism related."

Ms Murphy's husband, Mick Murphy, spoke out thanking the public for their support.

In comments shared with The Courier, Mick Murphy said his family all missed her.

"I'm just blown away with the public support to keep on looking for Sam," he said.

"The amount of hours that people have given to the search is unbelievable."

"We as a family just want to see Sam back home and back in our lives again because she's the backbone of our family and we all miss her."

Community members also organised a search effort for Saturday, February 24.

Police arrest a 22 year-old Scotsburn man just after 6am over the disappearance of Ms Murphy.

Police confirm the man's arrest and subsequent charging of one count of Murder.

The accused appears in court, however a suppression order preventing the publication of his identity is issued.

Police prosecutor Steve Repac said police were seeking 20 weeks to compile a brief of evidence in the case.

The man will reappear in court on August 8

The man charged with one count of murder over the disappearance of Ms Murphy is revealed to be Patrick Orren Stephenson, after the suppression order preventing his identity was lifted.

Patrick Orren Stephenson will reappear in court on August 8, 2024.