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

[Andreee]

Seems alot are being gifted, I was too

Wow! Congrats! And I hadn't realized that is why some emoticons like the laugh one are blanked out unless one is a guardian!

 

[jepop]

Dunno if LE referred to it as that but I think I remember msm referring to it that way

Yes, though looks like this is likely a case of Daily Mail unpoetic license in reporting on Police statements. Playing in a pile of 'Red Dirt' as a phrase seems to be in a somewhat contemptuous tone Imo. Or at least that is the impression I get. Deliberately worded moo. The word 'dirt' most certainly evokes and connotes negative images and associations for most people Imo.

In any case, as pointed out already, it was described by Police as sand and was not red coloured from pictures I saw. Moo

 

[essareem]

Yes, though looks like this is likely a case of Daily Mail unpoetic license in reporting on Police statements. Playing in a pile of 'Red Dirt' as a phrase seems to be in a somewhat contemptuous tone Imo. Or at least that is the impression I get. Deliberately worded moo. The word 'dirt' most certainly evokes and connotes negative images and associations for most people Imo.

In any case, as pointed out already, it was described by Police as sand and was not red coloured from pictures I saw. Moo

I think we might be getting a bit too far into the semantics. I mean honestly, that's a bit of a reach.

As a country person myself I love a bit of dirt. Give me dirt over sand any day. Red dirt? Well, that's even better.

Dirt is not a dirty word.

Edit: I forgot, semantics was the whole point. Got carried away defending my dirt.

 

[jepop]

I think we might be getting a bit too far into the semantics. I mean honestly, that's a bit of a reach.

As a country person myself I love a bit of dirt. Give me dirt over sand any day. Red dirt? Well, that's even better.

Dirt is not a dirty word.

Sure, it varies from individual to individual, I just had in mind meta or popular cultural associations. That's jmo and I won't pursue the topic. I guess we can just note that for whatever reason/s, the Daily Mail took the liberty of inaccurately relaying the info. So be it. Moo

 

[sunspun]

looks red to me

this is from a post by @Marg944 from Oct 14, 2025 earlier in this thread. There was a discussion about which pile Gus had actually been playing in. Earliest posts may have been looking at the wrong pile, the one that is sandy-colored, not red, and right by the trampoline. Later reports specified he was playing in the pile of RED dirt, which is outside a different structure than where the sandpile is.

 

[jepop]

looks red to me

View attachment 623569

this is from a post by @Marg944 from Oct 14, 2025 earlier in this thread. There was a discussion about which pile Gus had actually been playing in. Earliest posts may have been looking at the wrong pile, the one that is sandy-colored, not red, and right by the trampoline. Later reports specified he was playing in the pile of RED dirt, which is outside a different structure than where the sandpile is.

Could you please link to the post ( this is a long thread) and other reports besides the Daily Mail. Thank you!

ETA links are important so also link for the photo would be appreciated.

 

[TMich6811]

Now that we are having this convo about dirt. I do feel like there was likely evidence of a child playing in the dirt/same or this may have been reported differently then as fact (that that’s where he was).

I dunno that that’s where he actually was or that it supports anything but just a thought

 

[sunspun]

This is from the same post by @Marg944 from Oct 14 earlier in this thread. I believe it shows both the red pile of dirt and the sand pile. And more than one report stated he was playing in the pile of red dirt. The post by @Marg944 on Oct 14 includes a video, and the poster said that the red dirt is pointed out at :50 in the video.

 

[sunspun]

Could you please link to the post ( this is a long thread) and other reports besides the Daily Mail. Thank you!

ETA links are important so also link for the photo would be appreciated.

I don't know how! That's why I told you the name of the poster and the date of the post and stated it was in this LONG thread.

 

[sunspun]

I don't know how! That's why I told you the name of the poster and the date of the post and stated it was in this LONG thread.

But the way I found it was by searching this thread only for the word "pile", and it came up in the second page of my search results.

 

[TMich6811]

These both say mound of dirt

What we know about search for missing boy on sheep station

Authorities are searching for a missing four-year-old boy on a sheep grazing station in the mid-north of South Australia. Here's what we know about the search so far.

www.abc.net.au

Police expand search for missing boy Gus in outback SA after advice from ‘survival specialists’

South Australian commissioner says police leaving ‘no stone unturned’ in effort to recover body of four-year-old who went missing in late September

www.theguardian.com

Is now to love an Australian msm? They said red pile of dirt but I don’t know what they are

 

[SouthAussie]

Later reports specified he was playing in the pile of RED dirt, which is outside a different structure than where the sandpile is.

The point was that the grandmother is not quoted as saying that. There has been no release of her statement. The police said Gus was playing in the sand. Whether it was red, white, purple, green, or whatever colour.

imo

 

[sunspun]

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

Oct 14, 2025

I know we've concentrated on one pile of sand since Gus went missing and although this will probably be of no significance now, in this vid, the Journo says he was playing in "the pile of red sand". ....
At 0:50 there's 2nd pile of sand in the footage, which looks to be outside a separate dwelling.

Good point! I hadn’t noticed that second pile of sand/dirt, nor got such a good look at the second dwelling.

218K views · 1.5K reactions | HAPPENING NOW: A new search for a four-year-old boy who vanished from his family's homestead in outback South Australia has resumed with the Major Crime squad taking charge. Police are searching a new area of the proper

HAPPENING NOW: A new search for a four-year-old boy who vanished from his family's homestead in outback South Australia has resumed with the Major Crime squad taking charge. Police are searching a...

www.facebook.com

• Marg944

• 

Is that how that's done?

 

[sunspun]

The point was that the grandmother is not quoted as saying that. There has been no release of her statement. The police said Gus was playing in the sand. Whether it was red, white, purple, green, or whatever colour.

imo

Ok, I'm just pointing out that the sandpile we first thought he had been playing in was not where he was playing. There's a different pile nearby as seen in these pics that is the one he was playing in, if we have it right. And it happens to be red looking. I think it's pretty important to get it correct where he was said to be last seen. And we still may not have it right!

 

[SouthAussie]

Is now to love an Australian msm?

Now to Love is a digital magazine (MSM) - affiliated with Womens Weekly/Womans Day magazines.

Eg:

Australian Women's Weekly Archives

www.nowtolove.com.au

 

[SouthAussie]

Ok, I'm just pointing out that the sandpile we first thought he had been playing in was not where he was playing. There's a different pile nearby as seen in these pics that is the one he was playing in, if we have it right. And it happens to be red looking. I think it's pretty important to get it correct where he was said to be last seen. And we still may not have it right!

I agree. No-one knows for sure. The police have never said. AFAIK

I tend to think the light coloured pile would be more pleasant to play in. The red sand is finer and tends to stain the clothes and skin if handling it a lot. (And when a red sandstorm suddenly blows through and you have your wet washing hanging on the line, it can stain the clothes.)
The red sand also doesn't pile up or make tunnels and roads very well - kids games - because it is so fine, it slips.

imo

 

[RedHaus]

Ok, I'm just pointing out that the sandpile we first thought he had been playing in was not where he was playing. There's a different pile nearby as seen in these pics that is the one he was playing in, if we have it right. And it happens to be red looking. I think it's pretty important to get it correct where he was said to be last seen. And we still may not have it right!

Those are very useful images - it was worth you tracking down @Marg944's post! From what I've come to learn and in the context of this recent discussion, I'd suggest three observations.

1. We really don't know in which pile Gus was playing - the red or grey/brown one.

2. We don't know from where (inside? outside? small dwelling? large dwelling?) Shannon last saw Gus at around 5:00pm.

3. The answers to the above can help affirm line of sight between Shannon and Gus, given the pile and building locations.

I bet LE knew these things over 5 weeks ago. So, this feels like sleuthing with a blindfold.

IMO.
ETA; "I bet" to start of last paragraph.

 

[kiwi50]

How long would an average four year old be content to play in a pile of dirt with just a spade?
It doesnt sound terribly interesting.

 

[TMich6811]

How long would an average four year old be content to play in a pile of dirt with just a spade?
It doesnt sound terribly interesting.

Hours for some kids - 0 for others

 

[sunspun]

Has anyone ever seen it reported what time Jess and Josie returned to the homestead that day, and if they saw Gus when they got back? Or maybe they were summoned back to the home when Shannon realized she didn't know where he was?