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

[TMich6811]

Hmmm....

Wasn't it reported
the boy used a little shovel to play in the sand?

So...
I guess,
at least SOME traces should be left there.

Or is this pile of sand as hard as a rock???

JMO

I agree. All (3?) of the piles we’ve seen are not so compacted imo that they wouldn’t leave indication of a child there

 

[Dotta]

Besides...

When a person is missing,
Police check the family, friends, and acquaintances,
and may contact health and social professionals to gather information for a risk assessment
and to inform the investigation.

They will gather details like the person's habits, recent state of mind,
and last known whereabouts!!

These are PROCEDURES.
Police Investigation's ABC.

Everybody in recent contact with a missing person must be checked thoroughly.

(In all missing wives' cases I read about
Police "x-ray" husbands.)

We may like it or not,
families are the first to be investigated.

There is no privacy.
Families' dramas, conflicts, etc. are examined looking for clues.
Everything matters.
Even the tiniest detail.

This is reality of Police's work.
Nothing personal, mind you,
but this job must be done.
That's life.
And investgators' task.

These are just MY GENERAL observations
following many missing people cases
both in my country and on WS.

JMO

 

[PezCandy]

Agreed.
There are too many self proclaimed 'experts' all over YT & SM, body language, so called statement analysts, amateur investigators, all getting paid for clicks on different platforms with their "bombshells" and "exclusives". Who'd want to be ripped apart by a huge number of individuals of mainly opposing and often biased opinions.

I completely agree, these YTubers & TTrs are getting completely ridiculous & out of hand. While I completely feel sympathetic for this family wholeheartedly, this is a lost/missing child, not just a lost pet. I understand being a private/reclusive person but when a child is missing it should be looked at in different angles, example: they haven't found a trace of him on that property, if LE feels that the property has been exhausted the search should expand beyond the property (I'm not talking worldwide) I'm talking further surrounding areas. Maybe he wandered or was carried/dragged by an animal to a distant neighbors property who have been away for awhile, idk the possibilities are endless when there is no trace of a child, sometimes you have to think outside the box. I really hope this family gets closure. What a terribly sad situation to ever have to be in.

 

[jessicalouise]

Finally getting around to listening to the podcast with reporter Karleigh Smith and she mentioned that the police warned them about brown snakes in the area even to the point where if thet got bitten they could come up to the homestead where an ambulance could treat them.

Judging by the property and landscape there would be LOTS of areas for snakes to hide and i imagine they wouldn't appreciate being disturbed.

<modsnip: Image removed due to no link to source>

Not only that but some of those places could easily conceal a young child's small body.

 

[PezCandy]

Besides...

When a person is missing,
Police check the family, friends, and acquaintances,
and may contact health and social professionals to gather information for a risk assessment
and to inform the investigation.

They will gather details like the person's habits, recent state of mind,
and last known whereabouts!!

These are PROCEDURES.
Police Investigation's ABC.

Everybody in recent contact with a missing person must be checked thoroughly.

(In all missing wives' cases I read about
Police "x-ray" husbands.)

We may like it or not,
families are the first to be investigated.

There is no privacy.
Families' dramas, conflicts, etc. are examined looking for clues.
Everything matters.
Even the tiniest detail.

This is reality of Police's work.
Nothing personal, mind you,
but this job must be done.
That's life.
And investgators' task.

These are just MY GENERAL observations
following many missing people cases
both in my country and on WS.

JMO

They do it like this in the USA too, maybe in Australia they do it very differently. But everyone here gets looked at & it's nothing personal, it's procedure.

 

[Dotta]

They do it like this in the USA too, maybe in Australia they do it very differently. But everyone here gets looked at & it's nothing personal, it's procedure.

Of course.

"Business is business" as some say.
Job must be done.

After all,
nobody, even neighbours,
really know what is happening behind closed doors of others.

NOT alluding anything here
just stating the obvious general fact.

JMO

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I completely agree, these YTubers & TTrs are getting completely ridiculous & out of hand. While I completely feel sympathetic for this family wholeheartedly, this is a lost/missing child, not just a lost pet. I understand being a private/reclusive person but when a child is missing it should be looked at in different angles, example: they haven't found a trace of him on that property, if LE feels that the property has been exhausted the search should expand beyond the property (I'm not talking worldwide) I'm talking further surrounding areas.

The problem with endlessly increasing the radius of the search area from the station house is that each increase leads to an exponential increase in the area to be covered. This purely a matter of geometry.

A circle with a radius of 3.2km (2 miles) has an area of 32 square km. Increase the radius to 6.4km (4 miles) and the area becomes almost 130 square km. Increase it again to 9.6km (6 miles) and it becomes 290 square km. Etc.

Ultimately there has to be a limit to how far a 4 year old, even a healthy and fit one, can walk without food and especially water.

Maybe he wandered or was carried/dragged by an animal to a distant neighbors property who have been away for awhile, idk the possibilities are endless when there is no trace of a child, sometimes you have to think outside the box. I really hope this family gets closure. What a terribly sad situation to ever have to be in.

This is a property spreading over many, many square kilometers. NO animal is going to have dragged him onto a neighbouring property, or been able to do so.

 

[PezCandy]

The problem with endlessly increasing the radius of the search area from the station house is that each increase leads to an exponential increase in the area to be covered. This purely a matter of geometry.

A circle with a radius of 3.2km (2 miles) has an area of 32 square km. Increase the radius to 6.4km (4 miles) and the area becomes almost 130 square km. Increase it again to 9.6km (6 miles) and it becomes 290 square km. Etc.

Ultimately there has to be a limit to how far a 4 year old, even a healthy and fit one, can walk without food and especially water.

This is a property spreading over many, many square kilometers. NO animal is going to have dragged him onto a neighbouring property, or been able to do so.

Thanks for the info!
Could a larger bird of prey move him further possibly? I know it's been discussed but I've seen birds of prey take wild boars & lambs before with the remains being found pretty far, or left in a tree, so I know it's possible but I'm not sure the types of birds of prey over there. Is there vultures?

 

[Hexe]

Ultimately there has to be a limit to how far a 4 year old, even a healthy and fit one, can walk without food and especially water.

Also in the dark. The sun was setting when August went missing and the nights there are really, really dark.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Thanks for the info!
Could a larger bird of prey move him further possibly? I know it's been discussed but I've seen birds of prey take wild boars & lambs before with the remains being found pretty far, or left in a tree, so I know it's possible but I'm not sure the types of birds of prey over there. Is there vultures?

The bird of prey question was discussed much earlier in this thread. A typical 4 year old weighs between 30lb and 40lb, which is above the lifting capacity of any bird of prey.

I believe someone said earlier that there are no vultures in Australia, but in any event vultures consume carrion on the ground rather than carrying it off.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Also in the dark. The sun was setting when August went missing and the nights there are really, really dark.

And cold. Temperatures drop rapidly after dark in desert and semi-desert environments. Gus was reported to be wearing a blue top which wouldn't have been much protection against night time chill.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

If he wandered there would’ve been evidence- he would’ve gone to the toilet and the hat would’ve been found.
Also the infra red would’ve found him

You would think these things would be true, but in reality, these things aren't 100% true. It is a huge area being searched and there are plenty of places his hat, or he himself, could hide from view of searchers, drones, or infrared. IMO.

 

[jepop]

You would think these things would be true, but in reality, these things aren't 100% true. It is a huge area being searched and there are plenty of places his hat, or he himself, could hide from view of searchers, drones, or infrared. IMO.

Yes the most likely scenario imo and based on police statements is that Gus is out there, but has not yet been found/has been missed. There have been enough posts on how such a scenario is entirely possible already so I'm not inclined to repeat those informed opinions. Infra red is not infallible or the be all and end all.

I understand the recently formed task force is undertaking the ongoing investigation, including analysis of drone footage, and I expect searches will continue if Gus is not located.

Just bouncing off to expand on my earlier thoughts ..

There's no reason to believe the police are not continuing to do their job in this case within the framework now set by the task force, which would of course imo include the continued full cooperation from the family. However, the family are under no obligation to respond to any judgements in the public realm (ie SM and perhaps some msm insinuations and headlines)ie that they should make public appeals ( for what?). They have lost their child, are cooperating with police, are not under arrest and have the right to avoid the media and be left alone (by the public) to grieve and try to get through this terrible situation sans negative judgements from strangers. The wisest thing they could do is ignore social media and seek out the genuine support of those who care about them IRL. Jmo

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

There have previously been posts removed due to creating drama over the image of Gus and yet we have another uptick in that very same drama.

LE released the original image of Gus. We already know there were fake images circulating of Gus being taken by a stranger.

Unless there is information from a verified photographer or forensic specialist, stick with the original image that LE released and move on from discussing alterations, blurries, conspiracy theories, AI, etc.

 

[jessicalouise]

Finally getting around to listening to the podcast with reporter Karleigh Smith and she mentioned that the police warned them about brown snakes in the area even to the point where if thet got bitten they could come up to the homestead where an ambulance could treat them.

Judging by the property and landscape there would be LOTS of areas for snakes to hide and i imagine they wouldn't appreciate being disturbed.

<modsnip: Image removed due to no link to source>

Not only that but some of those places could easily conceal a young child's small body.

The link to snake habitat referencing places they go to hide is here: https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/84111/Eastern-Brown-Snake.pdf

 

[PNW]

The one time of day when we actually do keep careful track of time is when we are making dinner. We habitually start a a certain time, items need to thaw, warm, bake or cook for a certain number of minutes. The family will arrive in for dinner at a certain time. The timer is on, things are checked, the clock is watched. If Grandmother said she checked Gus at 5:00 and then at 5:30, that is likely precisely what she did.

Dinner is nothing like this in my family and I don’t think we know how it is done in Gus’.

 

[jessicalouise]

Dinner is nothing like this in my family and I don’t think we know how it is done in Gus’.

In my family Saturday dinners were very informal. Sundays were roast days and more elaborate.

 

[Absoluterubbish]

Exactly

The most important is Gus!!!

The little 4-year-old boy who vanished
while being AT HOME/home property
- the place which should be the most secure for children.

He is the one we all should focus upon.
And what happened to him.
People just don't vanish into thin air.

JMO

They absolutely don't vanish into thin air! But it seems there are a fair few of them out there at the moment. It's so sad.

 

[JLZ]

The problem with endlessly increasing the radius of the search area from the station house is that each increase leads to an exponential increase in the area to be covered. This purely a matter of geometry.

A circle with a radius of 3.2km (2 miles) has an area of 32 square km. Increase the radius to 6.4km (4 miles) and the area becomes almost 130 square km. Increase it again to 9.6km (6 miles) and it becomes 290 square km. Etc.

Ultimately there has to be a limit to how far a 4 year old, even a healthy and fit one, can walk without food and especially water.

This is a property spreading over many, many square kilometers. NO animal is going to have dragged him onto a neighbouring property, or been able to do so.

While "radius" implies a circle, from my reading of other cases I believe police tend to use the word very loosely. If they search an area 5km from the base, and the zone in between of whatever breadth, they'll say they've searched to a radius of 5km. I suspect they draw up a grid and identify priority searching zones; it might be reasonable for a range of reasons to search further in certain directions, and even to leave gaps between the base and a search area.

 

[Bigditch]

Thanks for the info!
Could a larger bird of prey move him further possibly? I know it's been discussed but I've seen birds of prey take wild boars & lambs before with the remains being found pretty far, or left in a tree, so I know it's possible but I'm not sure the types of birds of prey over there. Is there vultures?

How much do wild boars and lambs weigh?