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

[Old Soul]

It seems to be a similar area to the farm/station in the 2017 Tanja Ebert case:

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts/police-ses-search-for-young-mum-tanja-ebert-near-roseworthy-north-of-adelaide/news-story/1080077ca4a191332ddb5a4c8a72c5a2

There is a websleuths thread for Tanja Ebert but I don’t yet know how to link a different thread in my post.

I wonder if the grandmother or someone related to the missing child is from the same family?
Maybe that is why not much has been revealed about their names. Just speculating.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1972967688897982881

 

[ScottToorak]

I hope they have thoroughly checked the homestead and all shedding inside out. We do not want a repeat of the case in Geelong. link to geelong missing person caseGeelong Missing Person Case

 

[Hexe]

I've been scratching my head a bit. The terrain looks relatively flat, the vegetation sparse, so... How long was this kid alone that he managed to walk out of Granma's sight? That cobalt blue shirt should have made him visible from a lot of distance.

 

[TMich6811]

ok now I can picture it thank you
I wasn't sure if a sandpit was some naturally occurring phenomenon in the outbacks of Australia or just kid's play equipment in the backyard

I’m not sure what a sand pit means, I feel like that could mean a play box with sand or a naturally occurring pit. Hard to tell with that term. Was just a thought if it’s a natural sand pit

 

[Sazza]

The homestead looks to be @ Oak Flat.

 

[Megnut]

I've been scratching my head a bit. The terrain looks relatively flat, the vegetation sparse, so... How long was this kid alone that he managed to walk out of Granma's sight? That cobalt blue shirt should have made him visible from a lot of distance.

It's been described as "undulating" which is an odd word to describe flats but I think that's just it. Thinks waves on an ocean that looks calm from above.

He's little. The land isn't flat-flat. It rises and falls, for as far as the eye can see.

JMO

 

[Megnut]

LE seems to be treating this, straight up, as not foul play. He could have wandered off and continued wandering off, even as his family began to search for him. Invisible because of the "undulating" lay of the land, a sort of optical obstacle.

Beyond that, what are we looking at for wildlife? Land and sky birds of prey? Dingoes, for real? How far would an opportunistic animal conceivably take him?

The sand he was playing in, how deep? How stable?

Gus, where are you?????

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

Do we know if anyone was with him around the time he went missing? Or perhaps security camera footage?

According to 7NEWS, police are focusing on "A remote area which is home to only 60 people"
Assuming the remote area must be close to where the child was last seen, and how curious a kid of that age would be. He very well could have wandered to a nearby home or building. It seems likely that someone either saw a kid who matches the description, or one of the homes has security footage that could have caught a glimpse?

 

[MrJ]

yeah. this story is confusing to me. but also on a human level I’m sure the grandma has a lot of guilt. children wander out of sight of adults all the time. it’s not her fault. it is concerning though that Gus is still missing. Hope he is found soon!

 

[CredibleSauce]

Do we know if anyone was with him around the time he went missing? Or perhaps security camera footage?

According to 7NEWS, police are focusing on "A remote area which is home to only 60 people"
Assuming the remote area must be close to where the child was last seen, and how curious a kid of that age would be. He very well could have wandered to a nearby home or building. It seems likely that someone either saw a kid who matches the description, or one of the homes has security footage that could have caught a glimpse?

The area home to 60 people is 40km (approx 25 miles) north of where this little boy went missing.
Unless the station buildings (homestead and sheds) had security cameras of their own, there is no CCTV.
At a push there could possibly have been game cameras on the property, if the pastoral board were doing surveying or something but that’d be a long shot and if so would have been checked days ago.

I’m very familiar with properties like these, have lived on multiple and it’s unfortunately very possible for a little one to wander off and go unseen. As a teenager I had a younger sibling go missing, Mum had gone for a walk, Dad thought I was watching the little ones and I thought Dad was watching the little ones. Mum returned home, the 2 year old was missing. We searched for 45 minutes around dusk. Our property had a creek at one end, a dirt road at another leading to a heavily used but remote highway.
We found the two year old nearly 3kms from where they’d left (within the 45 minute timeframe we realised they were missing, might have been gone 60 minutes at the most) walking parallel to, but 100 metres off the road in the bush. They were barefoot, wearing only a striped T shirt, no shoes, pants or nappy. Not crying out or distressed or even appearing to be searching around, just wandering.
They’d crossed a dip in the road with 20cm of water sitting in it, and had walked uphill, quite steep, for at least 800m. We could not believe they’d made it that far (which is why we hadn’t searched that far in the first place, not expecting them to have crossed a wash out in the road, let alone trekked uphill for as far as they’d gone).

Such a horrific feeling. This poor family and that poor kid. I’m hoping for a Cleo Smith-esque miracle but it would be so hard to stay positive in the family and search teams’ shoes.

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

The area home to 60 people is 40km (approx 25 miles) north of where this little boy went missing.
Unless the station buildings (homestead and sheds) had security cameras of their own, there is no CCTV.
At a push there could possibly have been game cameras on the property, if the pastoral board were doing surveying or something but that’d be a long shot and if so would have been checked days ago.

I’m very familiar with properties like these, have lived on multiple and it’s unfortunately very possible for a little one to wander off and go unseen. As a teenager I had a younger sibling go missing, Mum had gone for a walk, Dad thought I was watching the little ones and I thought Dad was watching the little ones. Mum returned home, the 2 year old was missing. We searched for 45 minutes around dusk. Our property had a creek at one end, a dirt road at another leading to a heavily used but remote highway.
We found the two year old nearly 3kms from where they’d left (within the 45 minute timeframe we realised they were missing, might have been gone 60 minutes at the most) walking parallel to, but 100 metres off the road in the bush. They were barefoot, wearing only a striped T shirt, no shoes, pants or nappy. Not crying out or distressed or even appearing to be searching around, just wandering.
They’d crossed a dip in the road with 20cm of water sitting in it, and had walked uphill, quite steep, for at least 800m. We could not believe they’d made it that far (which is why we hadn’t searched that far in the first place, not expecting them to have crossed a wash out in the road, let alone trekked uphill for as far as they’d gone).

Such a horrific feeling. This poor family and that poor kid. I’m hoping for a Cleo Smith-esque miracle but it would be so hard to stay positive in the family and search teams’ shoes.

If that is the case, then I'd say an outside source would be highly unlikely.

While it is possible the boy most likely wandered away from home. I think there is a small chance that past family affairs could have played a role in his disappearance, such as an argument between the parents or a stalking Ex Husband/Wife

In any case, it'd be smart for the police to run a background check on the couple or get information from possible neighbors. As any serious arguments between the parents such as threatening to take custody of the child could be a possible motive for kidnapping.

It's definitely a long shot, but I'd think the police would want to rule out any and all possible explanations. So if they conclude that family affairs had no impact on the boy going missing, it would most likely be that the child wandered away.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Reminds me of Serenity Dennard or Barbara Thomas- Only had a few minutes head start and completely vanished.

It seems so unlikely but it happens all the time. Someone is missing in an area where you would swear it is impossible for a person to be without being seen.

 

[musicaljoke]

If that is the case, then I'd say an outside source would be highly unlikely.

While it is possible the boy most likely wandered away from home. I think there is a small chance that past family affairs could have played a role in his disappearance, such as an argument between the parents or a stalking Ex Husband/Wife

In any case, it'd be smart for the police to run a background check on the couple or get information from possible neighbors. As any serious arguments between the parents such as threatening to take custody of the child could be a possible motive for kidnapping.

It's definitely a long shot, but I'd think the police would want to rule out any and all possible explanations. So if they conclude that family affairs had no impact on the boy going missing, it would most likely be that the child wandered away.

Don't you think that investigating the parents is in the normal operational playbook and that police start concurrent investigations as soon as a child is reported missing. I really don't see that Australia police would ever neglect something so basic.

 

[tedtink]

Search enters fourth day for missing four-year-old boy Gus in remote SA

The search for a four-year-old boy who went missing in South Australia's mid-north has entered its fourth day. August, who goes by 'Gus' was last seen on Saturday evening, playing outside on his family's remote sheep property about 40 kilometres south of Yunta.

www.sbs.com.au

 

[jypsijemini]

SAPOL Update Sept 30 @ 2.45pm

Police have conducted extensive ground searches with assistance of SES volunteers and utilising trailbikes, ATVs, dogs and a drone.

PolAir have continued aerial searches throughout the night.

Water Operations Police and Mounted Operations Unit joined the search yesterday (Monday) to commence a search of dams and tanks on the property and assist in the ground search.


Gus' family have released the following statement via police today, Tuesday 30 September:

We are devastated by the disappearance of our beloved Gus on Saturday afternoon. This has come as a shock to our family and friends, and we are struggling to comprehend what has happened.

Gus ‘s absence is felt in all of us, and we miss him more than words can express. Our hearts are aching, and we are holding onto hope that he will be found and returned to us safely.

We are incredibly grateful to the South Australia Police, emergency services and the many organisations and community members, neighbours and friends who have come together to help find Gus.

At this time, we kindly ask for privacy as we focus all our energy on supporting the search and working closely with the police.

We are deeply distressed and ask that the media please refrain from contacting us directly. Thank you for respecting our wishes and for continuing to keep Gus in your thoughts.

 

[SouthAussie]

I've been scratching my head a bit. The terrain looks relatively flat, the vegetation sparse, so... How long was this kid alone that he managed to walk out of Granma's sight? That cobalt blue shirt should have made him visible from a lot of distance.

It "looks" flat, but it is not flat. I grew up in a similar landscape in the same state. Once your feet are on the ground and you are walking the outback, there are gullies, rocky outcrops, sometimes there are caves. You just don't see them until you are walking through the terrain.

It is like that because everything is of the same colours, so it all blends together to the naked eye - until you are almost on top of the gullies, outcrops and caves.

imo

 

[confused.mp3]

Such a horrible situation and I am hoping for a miracle for this little boy and his family. Does anyone know if the state police bring in professional psychologists or such to support the family as the search continues? it’s impossible to imagine the heartache so i’m wondering how the mental health aspect is supported by resources. I was also wondering in situations like this what happens with the daily farming tasks?

 

[Sazza]

BREAKING

Police reveal footprint found in search for Gus and family has been prepared for other potential outcomes​

The discovery of a footprint has renewed hope in the search for missing four-year-old Gus, but police warn time is running out after 86 hours without food or water.

A footprint has been found in the search for missing four-year-old boy, Gus, as 40 police cadets travel from Adelaide to join the search as it enters its fifth day.
Superintendent Mark Syrus, officer in charge of the Yorke and Mid North region, told 5AA the footprint was found on Tuesday night and “we’re buoyed by that fact”.

“We had a bit of a breakthrough … we found a footprint, which we’ve identified as similar to a boot that Gus was wearing when he was last seen,” Supt Syrus said.

He said police yesterday called in the support of a specialist tracker with a connection to the country and who would be back in the field today.

The footprint was found about 500m from where Gus was last seen playing outside his family’s homestead on their remote sheep station, about 40km south of Yunta, about 5pm on Saturday.

However, Supt Syrus said police had last night spoken with the family to prepare them for other potential outcomes.

“Our priority has always been and remains to always to find Gus alive,” he said.

“Last night we had a discussion with the family to prepare them with the fact that Gus has been gone for five days – 86 hours – so the reality of Gus being found alive because he hasn’t had any water, food or shelter … the chance of finding him alive is really diminishing every minute.

“We always remain hopeful that Gus is a tough little country lad an curled up under a bush somewhere and we’re find him today.”

 

[swanniee11]

Praying for Little Gus. I agree it seems you would beable to see him for quite the distance but that's just in the pictures. He was reported to have had a gray sun hat on, I haven't read if that was located yet. I know they're looking into water areas but I would think that would stand out either in water or laying on the ground somewhere. IDK. so flipping sad.