'Grief, devastation': Hundreds gather at vigil to remember Samantha Murphy

Shocked community members attended the vigil organised by community group Find Samantha Murphy 2.0.

The community, who have spent weeks searching for Samantha, have been rocked by the news 22-year-old Patrick Stephenson has been accused of her murder.

Tori Baxter, a ground crew organiser, who assisted with the vigil, said they were feeling shocked.

"There's a lot of grief in the community right now ... there's a lot of devastation among people who've been out there searching," she said.

Ms Baxter said they wanted to show their respect and sympathy for the situation.

"It's an opportunity for people to debrief and feel supported," she said.

"This news was just absolutely horrific for everyone."

Ms Baxter said many were holding out for some kind of good news.

"I had a small glimmer of hope, thinking that maybe, just maybe we would find her alive," she said.

"There were a few other people like that praying for a miracle - this news is just crushing."

The Ballarat community has been involved with the search for Ms Murphy since she was announced missing by police on February 5.

Police are still looking for Ms Murphy's body and said their investigation is ongoing.

They continue to call on the public to pass forward any information that might be relevant to the case, particularly CCTV or dashcam footage from February 4.

In a press release, Samantha is described as Caucasian, about 173cm tall with a slim build and shoulder-length blonde hair.

She was last seen wearing black half-length leggings and a maroon/brown coloured singlet.

Anyone with any other information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers.com.au