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

[essareem]

It depends on the age of the grandparents, but there comes an age when they may start to develop cognitive issues such as dementia. The early stages will probably be almost unnoticeable but may be enough to make them less able to look after an active and curious child.

I haven't read all the sources for the case, but has there been any suggestion that Gus may be cognitively disabled or ND in some way? It seems to me strange that in an open and largely silent landscape he did not hear searchers calling him and return. It's possible that he was injured and unable to respond or that he managed to wander beyond hailing distance, but if he was cognitively disabled or ND he could have hunkered down or hidden somewhere and become trapped. From what I've seen, the homestead/station has a very small population so he should know everyone who would have gone out searching for him, at least in the early stages, and not therefore hidden from someone he didn't know.

Agreed, that's the first thing I thought - it's possible dementia played a role. Sufferers in the early stages are usually quite aware of their cognitive decline. Just so sad for everyone involved.

 

[Marg944]

I haven’t seen any reference to Gus’s parents, only to the Grandparents.

 

[BreakingNews]

Don't see any toys. What he was playing with?

Bush kids don't always need toys. They make their own fun.
I hope they have searched thoroughly under that sand.

 

[TMich6811]

Bush kids don't always need toys. They make their own fun.
I hope they have searched thoroughly under that sand.

Grandma said he had a shovel at least.

I agree about the sand though, I said that upthread. I hope that was checked

 

[BreakingNews]

Do we know how long he wasn’t supervised?

This is the Australia bush. My sister at aged 3 would disappear for hours at a time, but always with the dog. Everyone else was busy on the farm. Mum always had a vague idea where she was. Out dog was her best babysitter. City folk may not understand this.

 

[essareem]

This is the Australia bush. My sister at aged 3 would disappear for hours at a time, but always with the dog. Everyone else was busy on the farm. Mum always had a vague idea where she was. Out dog was her best babysitter. City folk may not understand this.

Same, actually I just remembered we were doing this even at Gus' age. Would disappear into the bush in the morning and come back when the sun was going down. Always something interesting / dangerous to do, didn't need toys. Nobody knew where we were. Those were the days.

 

[Marg944]

The “family” have requested that Gus’s picture is not released in this search for him. They have said there is no need, as he wouldn’t have been kidnapped.

Yet, the Police have released a picture of the tshirt Gus was wearing.

Police Comb Through Wilderness for Boy, 4, Last Seen Wearing Minions Shirt, Who Has Been Missing Since Saturday

Police are searching for missing 4-year-old boy August "Gus" Lamont, who went missing while wearing a Minions shirt from his family's home in the remote Australian outback. Gus was last seen on Saturday, Sept. 27.

people.com

“South Australia Police have not released photos of Gus, as per his family's wishes.”

“Police are still working on the theory that Gus likely wandered off.

They do not believe Gus has been taken, as the only people who would travel on the nearby road are station owners.”

Survival expert gives hope to family of boy missing in the Outback

Alone Australia Season one runner-up Michael Atkinson has explained why little Gus could still be alive.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[confused.mp3]

It is Spring here and the outback creatures will be mating and thriving. Some of them can be deadly to a little one ... like the redback spider or the brown snake. We are taught to stay away from them, but he is only 4 years old.

DBM

 

[jypsijemini]

ABC News Australia: Oct 2

Search for four-year-old Gus bolstered by ADF, but no 'other traces' of footprints

In short:
Police are entering the sixth day of searching for four-year-old Gus, who has been missing in South Australia's outback since Saturday night.

A missing persons expert says a trauma-informed response to the situation is needed.

What's next?
The search for Gus will continue, but police say it is moving into a "recovery" phase.

...Superintendent Mark Syrus, the officer in charge of the Yorke and Mid North region, said that despite the footprint clue, no "other evidence" was discovered on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately, in the searches yesterday, he [the tracker] couldn't find any other traces of any footprints in the area, which he said was really unusual," he told ABC Radio Adelaide.

"We keep on reviewing our search patterns, and we've actually gone back to the homestead and we've searched it again for a third time. We scoured this whole area again, just on the off-chance he's still within the 200 or 300 metres of the property here."

But police cautioned that there were no guarantees the footprint was even from Saturday.

"We've got to remember that he [Gus] actually lives on the property and that might have been a footprint that he might have left there a couple of days ago, even before he went missing," Superintendent Syrus said.

While the print was found near a road, Superintendent Syrus said he thought it was "highly unlikely" anyone else was involved in Gus's disappearance.

"That's another theory we do think about. At the start of any searches, we have an investigational component to it," he said.

"Yesterday, we had detectives up here speaking with people; they left yesterday. The road itself is not a public road — there's six gates to go through to actually get to the property.

"It's highly unlikely, but something the investigators are looking at."

(*underlines & colour emphasis mine)

 

[HoneyBunOne]

ABC News Australia: Oct 2

Search for four-year-old Gus bolstered by ADF, but no 'other traces' of footprints

In short:
Police are entering the sixth day of searching for four-year-old Gus, who has been missing in South Australia's outback since Saturday night.

A missing persons expert says a trauma-informed response to the situation is needed.

What's next?
The search for Gus will continue, but police say it is moving into a "recovery" phase.

...Superintendent Mark Syrus, the officer in charge of the Yorke and Mid North region, said that despite the footprint clue, no "other evidence" was discovered on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately, in the searches yesterday, he [the tracker] couldn't find any other traces of any footprints in the area, which he said was really unusual," he told ABC Radio Adelaide.

"We keep on reviewing our search patterns, and we've actually gone back to the homestead and we've searched it again for a third time. We scoured this whole area again, just on the off-chance he's still within the 200 or 300 metres of the property here."

But police cautioned that there were no guarantees the footprint was even from Saturday.

"We've got to remember that he [Gus] actually lives on the property and that might have been a footprint that he might have left there a couple of days ago, even before he went missing," Superintendent Syrus said.

While the print was found near a road, Superintendent Syrus said he thought it was "highly unlikely" anyone else was involved in Gus's disappearance.

"That's another theory we do think about. At the start of any searches, we have an investigational component to it," he said.

"Yesterday, we had detectives up here speaking with people; they left yesterday. The road itself is not a public road — there's six gates to go through to actually get to the property.

"It's highly unlikely, but something the investigators are looking at."

(*underlines & colour emphasis mine)

This article states the footprint was found about 500 metres (1640 feet) from the home, and that it was near a road. No mention of this being an internal road/track, but the Superintendent in charge says it's "highly unlikely" anyone else was involved in Gus' disappearance.

As much as it's likely to be a case of wandering from home, I think it has to be considered that he may have been picked up by someone travelling this road. I wonder where it goes, whether it's a dead end road or a thoroughfare between towns.

Having now seen the "sand" that he was playing in, I hope to God it has been carefully dug through to check for signs of little Gus. It's not just a little structured kids sand pit, it's a pile of sand/dirt that could quite easily swallow a 4 year old in the wrong conditions. MOO.

I'd really like to know the last time an adult had eyes on him.

 

[jypsijemini]

This article states the footprint was found about 500 metres (1640 feet) from the home, and that it was near a road. No mention of this being an internal road/track, but the Superintendent in charge says it's "highly unlikely" anyone else was involved in Gus' disappearance.

"The road itself is not a public road — there's six gates to go through to actually get to the property."

I may be interpreting the statement incorrectly, but I believe the road was on private property and therefore not easily or publicly accessible, as there's mention of half a dozen gates before reaching the property itself.

IIRC, statements indicated that the last time the grandmother saw Gus was at 5pm, however it's not exactly clear when she noticed he was missing, or when the police were alerted. They arrived at the property at 8.30pm Saturday night. It was also reported that the family looked for Gus for 3 hours before police arrived.

With that information, I believe that the grandmother noticed that Gus was missing at, or around 5.30pm. (MOO) However, I can't speculate as to when the family decided to call for help, nor how long it took LE to respond after receiving the call.

IMO, it could explain why the family may not have called for help immediately. If Gus had only been missing for half an hour, they likely thought they had a good chance at finding him rather quickly and probably thought he would still be within earshot. Again, JMHO.