In March, police charged 23-year-old tradesman Patrick Orren Stephenson with Murphy’s murder.

The most recent search focused on the Enfield State Forest at Grenville.

The location is approximately a 15-minute drive from Buninyong, where Murphy’s phone was found buried in the mud on the edge of an agricultural dam in May.

“Police have concluded their current search of the Enfield State Forest and no items of interest were located,” a police spokesperson said.

“The investigation remains ongoing and is focused on locating Samantha’s body.

“We are not in a position to supply further specific details of operational activity at this time.”

Murphy’s disappearance led to an outpouring of grief in the Ballarat community and the nation, with an influx of volunteers joining multiple earlier searches.

Stephenson is due to next face court in November after prosecutors asked for a delay to go through an extensive evidence brief including reams of CCTV footage.

He is the son of Orren Stephenson, who played 15 AFL games for Geelong and Richmond between 2012 and 2014.