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

[Ruminations]

Unless you happen to be holding a loaded shotgun.

Again, yelling while holding a loaded shotgun brings it to a higher threat level. IMO

LE said that little guy did not wander off and was not abducted, according to their investigation. And they said there were inconsistencies in the stories from one [or both?] of the grandmothers, who were no longer fully cooperating.

Speaking 'through lawyers' is the bare minimum of cooperation, when police are trying to help you find your little grandson, imo.

I don't think the density should matter, when being asked to share photos to help find a missing child, IMO

We don't know if the family was asked to share photos with the public by LE, so we don't know if the family declined to do so for LE. We only know that parents could release photos of their own child if they wanted to, and LE could not compel them either way. Personally, I find it odd that the parents chose not to release photos, but there is no evidence they refused to, against LE request. Personally, I don't get a good feeling from their decision not to release photos, but there is no reason to think LE "asked" them to, and other reasonable people think it is not suspicious because of the geography.

Releasing photos only makes sense in a kidnapping scenario. If the police had ruled that out, I'm not sure why they would have an interest in the family releasing photos to the public, nor would they ask the family to do so.

Regarding a shot gun on one's own property behind fences, gates, and no trespassing signs? It was never pointed at at the intruders. The intruders went to the police who were untroubled by Josie's behavior, and pointed out that the reporters were the trespassers. In the US, Josie's behavior on private property would be vigorously defended.

I don't know if there is any information available about if the gun was loaded or not, btw. It wasn't fired. Or pointed. Or loaded on video.


MOO

 

[hoodunnit]

Regarding a shot gun on one's own property behind fences, gates, and no trespassing signs? It was never pointed at at the intruders. The intruders went to the police who were untroubled by Josie's behavior, and pointed out that the reporters were the trespassers. In the US, that behavior would be vigorously defended.

I don't know if there is any information available about if the gun was loaded or not, btw. It wasn't fired. Or pointed. Or loaded on video.


MOO

The gun incident has been debated many times here. Everyone has an opinion, but whichever way you lean, this is Australia, not U.S. What you might find acceptable in your country, is less tolerable in this.
MOO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think floor boards sounds more posh than concrete.
Ours was a concrete base, not a long drop.

The dunny man came regularly to take the pan away and replace it with an empty one

Ours had a door.

 

[Ruminations]

The gun incident has been debated many times here. Everyone has an opinion, but whichever way you lean, this is Australia, not U.S. What you might find acceptable in your country, is less tolerable in this.
MOO

The police in Australia found Josie's behavior legal, and the intruders' behavior illegal.


MOO

 

[LadyL]

Well, I'm not sure. I think I would be happier if LE did go back there and dug it all up. Otherwise they haven't really searched everywhere, have they.

I'm confused. Are you saying the farm where you grew up is the farm next to Oak Park?

 

[GracefulD1an]

I'm confused. Are you saying the farm where you grew up is the farm next to Oak Park?

I agree with you. It sounds like the person who mentioned their dad and the family farm is implying they are neighbors of Gus’ grandparents which if true…

 

[musicaljoke]

Hmm.

I wonder if police are leaning toward the accidental death -> panic -> concealment modal.

Panic behaviours following accidental death are often less about the cause of death and more about the irreversibility of the outcome and broader perceived responses.

The timeline discrepancies may hold the clue to potential panic behaviour expected in cases of accidental death (i.e delayed escalation, reconstruction of events, concealment.)

Moo.

I would hope that police are not leaning in any particular direction. Their job is to collect evidence without bias or preconceived notions of what may have happened.

 

[packetgravy]

Drop toilets because a deep hole was dug and it lasted the entire school year. We only had about 12 kids in the entire school. At home, the hole was never so deep.

Sorry I will rephrase.

What I meant was I hadn’t heard that expression before - “drop toilets.”

I’ve always known them as “long-drops” or “outhouses.”

 

[packetgravy]

I would hope that police are not leaning in any particular direction. Their job is to collect evidence without bias or preconceived notions of what may have happened.

In Australia, deaths are escalated to a homicide investigation when there are adequate circumstances to suggest this. Coronial guidance explains that a “suspicious” death is one where homicide is suspected or cannot be ruled out.

Investigative process includes theorising and testing various scenarios based on the evidence.

This case has been ruled as suspicious.
Discussing possibilities isn’t the same as deciding what happened.

The coronial process - CAA

A Grant is the official recognition by the Supreme Court of the document which constitutes the last Will and then also acknowledges the right of those named in the Will as executors to administer the estate.

www.courts.sa.gov.au

 

[hoodunnit]

The police in Australia found Josie's behavior legal, and the intruders' behavior illegal.


MOO

Questionable -IN MY OPINION
LE had more urgent priorities at that time. Charging anyone would only have inflamed an already tense situation and likely risked damaging family cooperation — which is exactly what happened after the later firearm charge; hence no charges were laid to either party. Again, MY OPINION.

The gun debacle has been discussed at length here. I'm not going to rehash it further.

 

[Kemug]

I'm confused. Are you saying the farm where you grew up is the farm next to Oak Park?

Not at all, about 300km away.

 

[Kemug]

Sorry I will rephrase.

What I meant was I hadn’t heard that expression before - “drop toilets.”

I’ve always known them as “long-drops” or “outhouses.”

Maybe sometimes known as "pit toilets". Maybe different families used different names.

 

[Morequestionsthananswers]

Does anybody know if the flood water has subsided enough for searching to begin?

 

[SouthAussie]

Does anybody know if the flood water has subsided enough for searching to begin?

The flood waters have subsided, but there is a lot of damage still out there. Although this article says that the Yunta to NSW part of the Barrier Highway has reopened.

I guess the police could helicopter in if the roads are inaccessible.

Eg: this is what was a dirt and gravel road.


This was a bitumen road.

Incredible photo of outback highway after record rainfall: 'Extremely dangerous'

Roads have been cut off by record rainfall in outback Australia.

au.news.yahoo.com

 

[packetgravy]

Questionable -IN MY OPINION
LE had more urgent priorities at that time. Charging anyone would only have inflamed an already tense situation and likely risked damaging family cooperation — which is exactly what happened after the later firearm charge; hence no charges were laid to either party. Again, MY OPINION.

The gun debacle has been discussed at length here. I'm not going to rehash it further.

Maybe.

Charging Josie may have actually worked to leverage the investigation.

In a missing child case, a firearms charge may potentially accelerate the process rather than inflame it.

As the investigation develops, it is not unusual to build the case incrementally while pursuing available charges/offences.

https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/investigative-strategies-building-a-criminal-case

 

[sapphire blue]

The gun incident has been debated many times here. Everyone has an opinion, but whichever way you lean, this is Australia, not U.S. What you might find acceptable in your country, is less tolerable in this.
MOO

It’s not less tolerable in Australia when people are trespassing on private property especially on large properties, mines and in the outback.

 

[rhino]

Move on from the Daily Mail discussion !!

It is distracting from discussion of what happened to Gus.

Thank you.

ADMIN NOTE:

This post lands at random.

It was one short week ago the following was posted:

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

Nov 16, 2025

Move on from the Daily Mail discussion !!

It is distracting from discussion of what happened to Gus.

Thank you.

• Sillybilly

• 
• 
• 

Is there something that is not clear in that instruction?

ADMIN NOTE:

Some posts have been removed.

The topic of this thread is not journalist integrity. It is about the disappearance of little Gus Lamont.

Posted many moons ago .. posting again for those who missed it:

Move on from the Daily Mail discussion !!

It is distracting from discussion of what happened to Gus.

Thank you.

Just bringing forward as we seem to be back in the DM cycle again.

 

[jepop]

<Respectfully Snipped for focus>
And one more in my opinion: I think it is suspicious that the family including both parents chose not to release a photo. IMO, even with knowing about the gates and the dust and the remoteness, I imagine if Gus had just disappeared and nobody knew where he was, especially after the infrared drone searches, I would think the adults would become convinced someone did somehow kidnap him. What else would they think, if they did not know or strongly suspect other family members were involved?

And at that point, I would think, they would have released photos in hopes someone saw the kidnapper with their child. Either parent could have authorized the publication, I imagine. If the police didn't want the photo, because they saw the gates, the remoteness and knew they would get only false leads from one, I would think a parent would have gone to the press/social media/taped up signed in town with a photo, out of desperation, if it seemed like the only possibility was kidnapping and the police didn't want to release a photo.

I understand that not everyone agrees failing to release a photo given the terrain and remoteness is suspicious. I live where it is more densely populated. That could be causing me to analyze this incorrectly.

MOO

RB&SBM for focus. Just in case you weren't aware, a photo was released through SAPOL on the afternoon of Thursday Oct 2, 2025, about 5 days after Gus went missing.

'They just don't disappear into thin air': Police release first image of missing boy

Police have released the first image of Gus since his disappearance, with almost 50 members of the Australian Defence Force joining the search for the four-year-old in mid-north South Australia.

www.abc.net.au