Missing woman likely picked up by passer-by: police

Police have revealed an eerie detail in the search for a woman who vanished while attempting to hitchhike to Melbourne.

Officers were told Samantha, 33, was travelling on the Princes Highway at Tamboon on Victoria’s southeast coast when her grey Kia Sportage broke down shortly after 8am on Friday.

It’s believed a passer-by stopped to assist the Point Cook woman, and she has not been seen since.

In a statement, police said the woman’s family held concerns for her welfare due to a medical condition.

They also said her sudden disappearance was out of character.

In a further statement issued on Monday afternoon, police said they were continuing their investigation into Samantha’s disappearance.

Initially investigators believed she was travelling to Melbourne and possibly hitchhiking on the busy highway.

“Investigators now believe Samantha may have travelled on a train from Bairnsdale to Melbourne later that day on 26 April,” the second statement on Monday said.

“It is believed she may have been at a shopping centre on Centreway in Mount Waverley.”

She was last seen wearing a blue or grey fleece top, with jeans and runners on.

Anyone who sights Samantha is urged to contact Bairnsdale Police Station on (03) 5150 2600.