Australia AUSTRALIA - 4YO AUGUST (GUS) Missing from rural family home in Outback, Yunta, South Australia, 27th Sept 2025

[kurtneverdied]

I'm more interested if they ever saw family on the property as suspects. I hope they at least considered it but have my doubts.

If they aren't they wouldn't be doing there job. I'm sure, particularly of no evidence found at all yet, that they would at least be coming up with any possible theory that could fit timelines. Though there is every possibility that behind what the public and media know, they are fairly certain on what happened and have perhaps some evidence but not enough to charge yet.

 

[Ellery84]

I'm more interested if they ever saw family on the property as suspects. I hope they at least considered it but have my doubts.

There's a task force assigned to the case now, Taskforce Horizon I believe, and they will be drawing up a list of person's of interest.

Who's on that list: We don't know.

 

[BreakingNews]

I'm more interested if they ever saw family on the property as suspects. I hope they at least considered it but have my doubts.

I think that is Policing 101.

 

[musicaljoke]

I think that is Policing 101.

Indeed. Police don't have to rewrite the protocol manual each time there is a missing person.

 

[Ellery84]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed> ... SAPOL, the army and search teams have found nothing. The chances that Gus walked off are now looking highly unlikely.

There's no evidence that Gus wandered off. Not a shred of clothing, a shoe, no blood, no clues found by indigenous trackers, maybe one footprint.

Law enforcement have essentially gone back and ruled out really any possibility that Gus wandered off.

Now they are left with all of the other remaining possibilities.

Imo
<modsnip: Quoted post was removed> ... if they did approach it as if they are presuming dad is completely innocent, they're not doing their job properly. Their job is to investigate, to ask the tough questions. Not to just assume.

The cops need to go into every missing child's case with a very open mind and follow all lines of investigation. Imo

And I've no doubt they have approached this case with an open mind.

The family now have a victim support Officer (apologies - it might be police liaison officer?) which actually creates a professional separation between task force investigators and the family, which is completely appropriate.


<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

 

[MrJ]

What can LE do now other than searching the property? I haven't kept up with the news about this case. Are they going to search again soon or are they waiting for more topographic analysis?

 

[Lebowski]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed> ... SAPOL, the army and search teams have found nothing. The chances that Gus walked off are now looking highly unlikely.

There's no evidence that Gus wandered off. Not a shred of clothing, a shoe, no blood, no clues found by indigenous trackers, maybe one footprint.

Law enforcement have essentially gone back and ruled out really any possibility that Gus wandered off.

Now they are left with all of the other remaining possibilities.

Imo

...

(snipped by me)

i don't know much about this case, or necessarily disagree on other points, but in general i think "they searched and didn't find anything" is a statement people give too much weight to. it's so easy to miss a body, especially a little one, especially in wilderness.

 

[Lebowski]

forgive me if this is a dumb question, but are there dingoes in this area?

 

[Ellery84]

forgive me if this is a dumb question, but are there dingoes in this area?

No, not really and there was no sign he was taken by a wild pig either.

 

[Hexe]

(snipped by me)

i don't know much about this case, or necessarily disagree on other points, but in general i think "they searched and didn't find anything" is a statement people give too much weight to. it's so easy to miss a body, especially a little one, especially in wilderness.

It's not only about the body. Kids this age lose things pretty easily, especially while panicked and tired. Gus had boots, easy to shed, he had a hat and a shovel. None of these items were found.

 

[Andreee]

It's not only about the body. Kids this age lose things pretty easily, especially while panicked and tired. Gus had boots, easy to shed, he had a hat and a shovel. None of these items were found.

Actually, I hadn't even thought of the shovel! If he had been using one, you would think he would drop it nearby!

 

[musicaljoke]

(snipped by me)

i don't know much about this case, or necessarily disagree on other points, but in general i think "they searched and didn't find anything" is a statement people give too much weight to. it's so easy to miss a body, especially a little one, especially in wilderness.

Indeed. They searched and didn't find anything only means that they didn't find anything. It doesn't mean that little Gus is not there.

Yesterday, my DH looked in the fridge for some mayonnaise. He didn't find any and told me that there was no mayonnaise in the fridge, He ought to have said, instead, that he didn't find any mayonnaise in the fridge. He hadn't carefully looked "way at the back" where it was "hidden" behind the pickles.

Assuming that Gus is not out there simply because searchers didn't find him leaves no room for human error.

 

[tedtink]

Was the shovel actually missing?
I haven't seen that reported anywhere, only that he was last seen digging in the sand.

 

[tedtink]

Actually, I hadn't even thought of the shovel! If he had been using one, you would think he would drop it nearby!

It's probably been accounted for imo.

 

[Ellery84]

Indeed. They searched and didn't find anything only means that they didn't find anything. It doesn't mean that little Gus is not there.

Yesterday, my DH looked in the fridge for some mayonnaise. He didn't find any and told me that there was no mayonnaise in the fridge, He ought to have said, instead, that he didn't find any mayonnaise in the fridge. He hadn't carefully looked "way at the back" where it was "hidden" behind the pickles.

Assuming that Gus is not out there simply because searchers didn't find him leaves no room for human error.

Mayonnaise? Really?

 

[sapphire blue]

I'd say a search for missing child is far more thorough than search for a jar of mayo.

Unless searchers are very close together in line searches then it is easy to miss items and evidence.

 

[tedtink]

I'd say a search for missing child is far more thorough than search for a jar of mayo.

Mayonnaise? Really?

It's not about the 'mayo'.

The OP has provided an example of looking for something and not being able to find it in the first instance, which doesn't mean to say it's not there.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence

 

[Dotta]

It's not about the 'mayo'.

The OP has provided an example of looking for something and not being able to find it in the first instance, which doesn't mean to say it's not there.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence

So...

Should there be other searches
in case
earlier searchers missed Gus?

(As OP alludes)

Are such searches even contemplated?

 

[tedtink]

So...

Should there be other searches
in case
earlier searchers missed Gus?

(As OP alludes)

Are such searches even contemplated?

Authorities have to draw the line at some stage.
They can't search the outback forever.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

If it was sand he may have been digging using only his hands.