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

[HoneyBunOne]

after three hours

What's the "appropriate" amount of time? Is there one?

The thing is, this is a country kid in the middle of nowhere. I've never lived that way, but I can imagine it's very different than if a 4 year old went missing in a country town, suburb or busy city.

In his situation, there's likely no thought of him being snatched, readily getting into a car with someone, wandering into another property, walking to the shops, following a lost dog etc like city people might immediately think. I'm sure your mind doesn't immediately go to dark places in this situation. You'd automatically assume he was hiding or had wandered off, nothing nefarious. MOO though.

Now we don't know how many people or adults were at the property when he went missing. Maybe it was just Grandma, maybe many. Either way, I'm sure they all started searching the standard places. Those places could be many just within the area around, and within, the home. Aerial shots show lots of structures and photos show bits and pieces around the yard and immediate surroundings. You'd probably start with a quick search, calling his name. Then when he wasn't found , you may check the same places but more thoroughly. You may even do it a third time, or have someone else search this same places really thoroughly, searching in every possible book and cranny that he might possibly in.

Then you need to search wider, maybe looking into water holes, under bushes etc. All this takes time, especially if Grandma was alone.

I don't think we can judge what we'd do in a similar situation, especially without experience having lived remotely. I think it's a whole different ball game to a child missing in an area that is built up and has a huge amount of foot traffic, not to mention vehicle traffic.

 

[nao]

Moo...the property is very remote. So they are not going to be wanting to make the police travel that far, until they had searched everywhere they could possibly think of..moo

 

[BreakingNews]

The police don't really specify about the road belonging to the property. "5-6 gates to the property". Are they calling the homestead the property? And are they meaning 5-6 gates to the homestead once you enter the property. Usually a homestead would not be on the edge of someone else's road. So we don't know if that road was part of the property or not.

 

[Absoluterubbish]

Oh how I wish they had called sooner.

Especially since it was dark.

 

[Marg944]

My thoughts are that seeing it is such a huge sheep station, they would have workers there on the property, surely?

Sheep shearing season is September through to February. And there are lambs being born during August through to October. The station would need workers for these chores. IMO.

 

[SouthAussie]

My thoughts are that seeing it is such a huge sheep station, they would have workers there on the property, surely?

Sheep shearing season is September through to February. And there are lambs being born during August through to October. The station would need workers for these chores. IMO.

Yes, it is a pretty big station. 3,000 sheep and a large area. I think they would have station hands, too.

Probably had a good handful of people searching prior to the police arriving at 9:30pm.

To me, that is pretty quick actioning - for a remote outback situation.

imo

 

[Marg944]

Police change focus in hunt for missing four-year old Gus who disappeared from his homestead at Yunta in SA’s Outback​

“Superintendent Mark Syrus, officer-in-charge of Yorke Mid North, said 48-defence force personnel would expand the foot search area, which had been focused on a 2.5km circumference from where Gus was last sighted.”

Paywalled

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=AAWEB_MRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.adelaidenow.com.au%2Ftruecrimeaustralia%2Fpolice-courts-sa%2Farmy-joins-desperate-hunt-for-missing-fouryear-old-gus-who-disappeared-from-his-homestead-at-yunta-in-sas-outback%2Fnews-story%2F081c3e3892dccc5b6ec4a6f7e210608f&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=ULTRALOW-Segment-2-SCORE

 

[Lisbeth_S]

A picture has been released to the media.

 

[kiwi50]

Police release first picture of Gus.

'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

 

[MrJ]

Also linking another photo source:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1973635011426578468

 

[musicaljoke]

Also linking another photo source:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1973635011426578468

Oh, what a precious, sweet little boy.

 

[SouthAussie]

Also linking another photo source:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1973635011426578468

Look at those curls! Gorgeous little tyke. There is a little 4-year old in my family - it is such a bright, inquisitive, active age.

 

[Absoluterubbish]

Look at those curls! Gorgeous little tyke. There is a little 4-year old in my family - it is such a bright, inquisitive, active age.

I have a 4 year old currently as my youngest child and I agree

 

[Marg944]

ADF to assist in search for missing boy Gus

Members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will join today's search for missing four-year-old August 'Gus' in the state's mid north.

www.police.sa.gov.au

 

[MrJ]

He's so cute which makes it so sad that he's missing. May he be found soon

 

[musicaljoke]

.dbm

 

[Mandi3020]

Gus is a beautiful child. I’m worried about him.

 

[MrJ]

Oh, I don't think so. He's lacking the typical facial features. He doesn't have a smooth Philtrum. And why are we even making such a suggestion?

Perhaps the parents didn't want to post his picture because they were afraid of random comments like this.

It just feels a bit uncomfortable to discuss a four year old missing child's appearance imo

Nothing being found after several days is concerning. And I feel particularly sad for the grandma as well. The guilt and trauma she must feel. Hope she and the rest of the family is getting the support she and they need

 

[inkpink]

If a snake and then animals are involved, you would think his hat would have turned up?

 

[iamshadow21]

Agreed. City folk would also be horrified to learn that kids in outback mining towns play in the mullock heaps around mine shafts.

City kid who regularly holidayed and played in a historic gold mining town... Stories of what we did around open derelict shafts would make your hair stand on end. And I was nowhere near a risk taker, nothing like my brother. We all survived, somehow.

MOO