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

[HoneyBunOne]

I looked up several incidents of children wandering off or getting lost on large farming station properties in Australia. It seems like the considerable portion of them were located within 1km of the where they went missing from. But not always of course, so it truly could result in any outcome.

That's so tragic, given that's so close to home. I sure hope the stats indicate most children are found safe and unharmed.

 

[SouthAussie]

He was reportedly home with his grandmother, and playing outside for half an hour before she checked on him. That seems like a really long time to not check on a 4 year old.

I had been wondering if she was making dinner. Seems it would have been around dinner time. Gus may have wandered off without anything substantial in his tummy.

I have also noticed that the little 4-year old in my family is in the midst of wanting to play hide and seek quite a bit. Either hiding a toy or themselves and we come looking.

 

[Serononin]

I also thought of little Cleo. People had written her off but she was found alive after 18 days. You would definitely think by now something would have turned up, but if there's mines (like has been mentioned) then it could just be a tragic accident. I can't help feeling like maybe he's close to home and somewhere that wasn't searched thoroughly enough.

How I wish every case could have a happy ending like Cleo's!

I do think there's a good chance that when/if Gus is found, he'll be closer to home than expected

 

[Rocket333]

Four year olds are so young. They are still emotionally tethered and instinctively drawn to their safe person when startled or unsure. If something spooked Gus, the typical response would be to cry out or run toward safety, not away from it. The idea of him wandering far, silently, and without leaving a trace, just feels
perplexing. Not impossible but atypical. Especially in open terrain, with no clear attraction or distraction.

If he was playing in the sand for a bit and then took off (all within a 30 minute window) he surely wouldn’t be too far away on foot.

There’s a stack of outbuildings around the home too. The fact that they have found so little, despite that level of effort, is intriguing. It doesn’t mean something was missed but it could mean that something might not be there to find.

<modsnip: Image removed due to no link provided>

 

[ScottToorak]

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I once showed 13 kids around 190 acres. The ages of the children ranged from 5 to 16. We were in the far back corner of the 190 acres and I said "why don't you all have a race back to the bus". The 5 year old won and did not stop once all the way back and looked like he could have kept running without a problem. I do wonder if Gus has tremendous endurance and made it outside the search zone.

 

[Mauig’ma]

Reading back through all the info they’ve provided and I am totally stumped. A child doesn’t just disappear into thin air. These cases of children disappearing without a trace of any clues is frustrating and scary to say the least. Please pray they find him. Moo God Speed lil guy

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

Some people had pointed this out, including me.

Do we know if the police have released a statement regarding the surrounding homes/buildings?

Children can be very curious, if Gus wandered from home, he could've gone to one of the other buildings thinking it was his home.

If he was playing in the sand for a bit and then took off (all within a 30 minute window) he surely wouldn’t be too far away on foot.

Exactly, here's my theory...

Since we know that sunset happened about an hour after he went missing, (Sunset was around 6:00 PM) He easily could've gotten lost in the dark, after wandering for a bit, he could've came across one of these other buildings under the impression it was his home.

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

I also managed to come across a police statement released earlier today...

"Four-year-old Gus Lamont wandered off from the Oak Park Station homestead, approximately 43 kms south of the Yunta township on Saturday, 27 September."

"Gus was seen outside at 5pm on Saturday playing on a mound of dirt by his grandmother. At 5.30pm she has gone outside to call him in, only to find him missing. According to a family member, he is a shy but adventurous child. While a good walker, he has never left the family property previously."

"Considerable police resources were committed to the initial search for Gus once we were alerted on Saturday evening. This included a Polair helicopter using infrared technology and initial ground searches around the homestead."

"From early Sunday morning resources were increased considerably as the search intensified. This commitment has steadily increased since Sunday."

"The search for Gus has been one of the largest, most intensive and most protracted searches ever undertaken by SAPOL."

"The determination of every individual involved to find Gus has never wavered. Like every member of the community who has been following this sad event, they too have been very much affected by what has happened. They are all mothers, fathers or have young siblings and share the anguish and despair that Gus’ family have been going through since last Saturday night."

"On Tuesday night senior police spoke to Gus’ family and prepared them for the fact that Gus may not have survived due to the passage of time, his age and the nature of the terrain he is missing in. This assessment was based on medical evidence from a doctor who is recognised by the Australian rescue authorities as an expert opinion on time frame for survival."

"While those involved in the search have been hoping for a miracle, over the past 48 hours the search has shifted to a recovery operation."

"At this point, no trace of Gus has been located. No tangible pieces of evidence, such as footprints, a hat or clothing, have been located to identify any direction of travel to assist searchers."

"We are confident that we have done all we can to locate Gus within the search area. Despite our very best efforts to find Gus we have determined that the search will be scaled back from this afternoon."

"The investigation will now be managed by the Missing Persons Investigation Section. This is where all longt erm cases such as this are managed and investigated and is standard practice. In addition to the search activity there have been concurrent inquiries undertaken as a matter of course when a 4-year-old child goes missing. These inquiries are continuing."

"We are investigating and looking to rule out every option at this stage. SAPOL would like to thank everyone involved in the search for Gus. The SES volunteers – an average of 30 per day - worked tirelessly and thought nothing of volunteering their time. Likewise, the ADF did not hesitate to provide 50 personnel for two days to assist."

The Police Statement: Police statement regarding Yunta search

Edit: Somebody already mentioned this earlier, I didn't notice

 

[BreakingNews]

I’ve been following this case and I keep coming back to how unusual it is. A week in and still no trace of Gus.

The landscape around the station is sparse, not thick bush. Open ground, scattered trees, a few gullies. In terrain like that, searchers with horses, drones and thermal imaging should have picked him up quickly if he was out in the open. Thermal works especially well in these conditions.

At four years old, kids usually stay close to where they were last seen. They hide, they crawl into sheds or vehicles, sometimes they go to water. They don’t usually trek kilometres into open country without leaving a trace. The only reported clue is a single footprint about 500m from the homestead, and even that may not be recent. No clothing, no trail.

Some people are throwing around wedge-tailed eagle or wild animal theories, but does that really hold up? These are powerful birds but they don’t carry off four-year-olds. And if it was a dingo or similar, there would be tracks, drag marks, clothing. None of that has been found.

What strikes me as stranger is the family photo only coming out after five or six days. In most missing child cases the picture is released within 24 hours. Why the delay?

Police keep framing this as a simple wandering off, but is that just the public line? After all this searching with nothing found, is it more likely that something happened very close to the homestead and has been missed, or that Gus was removed by someone who came through?

Would be interested in what others think is the most realistic scenario here.

You raise some good points. I'm thinking that in the terrain Gus should have been found before now. I'm interested in how well the pile of sand was searched. And now I am wondering about criminal intervention. Hope we don't have another William Tyrrell on our hands. MOO

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

You raise some good points. I'm thinking that in the terrain Gus should have been found before now. I'm interested in how well the pile of sand was searched. And now I am wondering about criminal intervention. Hope we don't have another William Tyrrell on our hands. MOO

If foul play or criminal intervention is the cause, i suspect it might have something to do with the parents, or perhaps a stalker of sorts

 

[ChatteringBirds]

do wonder if Gus has tremendous endurance and made it outside the search zone.

Admittedly I do not know all of the details of this case, but there are other cases where children were found outside of a search zone in a rural area. I think they should widen the search zone long before ending a search.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I'm interested in how well the pile of sand was searched.

I am also interested in how the grounds around the house were searched.

 

[TMich6811]

I hope if they are ending the search that family will allow or ask for other searches. I’m worried they won’t given the privacy/slow release of image etc

 

[twomoresmores]

New member, first time poster.....!
I've followed this case and the discussions about the sand 'pit'. In my opinion, this looks more like a huge pile of sand (maybe with some gravel in) that perhaps has been there for some time and has become compacted and hard. I've seen similar where you can almost walk up and over it or even ride a bike over it, it's that compacted. In my opinion, this would be hard to 'fall into' and any such action would likely leave clear signs.
This case is baffling. I'm pretty sure the police know more than they're letting on (rightly so). It's hard to imagine Gus has wandered when he's probably played outside numerous times and knows what to do/where to go as it becomes dark.
Just my opinion.

 

[Total_C]

Thanks for posting the transcript, it really helped me look at it more closely.

Going through the police statement line by line, there are a few things that really stand out.

The statement opens by saying Gus is shy but adventurous, a good walker but that he has never left the family property previously. Yet the very first sentence declares as fact that he wandered off. That is not evidence, it is an assumption that contradicts the child’s known behaviour.

They then note that despite one of the largest searches ever undertaken, there has been no trace of Gus at all. No tangible evidence has been located, not even footprints, clothing or a hat to suggest any direction of travel. This is extraordinary because in most lost child cases some sign is found even if the child is not immediately located.

The wording about being confident they have done everything they can to locate him “within the search area” feels very deliberate. It leaves open the possibility that Gus is not in the area at all rather than being missed by searchers.

The statement also shifts tone when they say the operation is now effectively a recovery. That is justified with medical expert advice, which makes sense in terms of survival time frames, but it is also a way to close down the active search without addressing why no evidence has been found to back up the wandered off theory.

Another important part is the line that concurrent inquiries have been undertaken as a matter of course and that police are looking to rule out every option at this stage. This shows they are already doing more than just searching paddocks. It also suggests they are aware the public narrative of wandering off does not explain the complete lack of evidence.

Put together, the statement is highly controlled. It repeats wandered off as fact while admitting there is no evidence. It prepares the public for no positive outcome by shifting to recovery. It hedges with the phrase “within the search area.” And it quietly acknowledges that every option is being investigated, not just the one explanation being pushed in public.

That combination makes it hard to believe police themselves truly think Gus simply wandered off. The wording sounds much more like narrative management while other possibilities are explored behind the scenes.

 

[BreakingNews]

So sad the search is scaling back. However I think he will be found/or something was amiss much closer to home. Does staff live on site is some of those sheds? Has that sand pile been thoroughly investigated? So many possibilities. Poor little Gus. Hope he doesn't become another William Tyrrell.

 

[SouthAussie]

I hope if they are ending the search that family will allow or ask for other searches. I’m worried they won’t given the privacy/slow release of image etc

I think that people are still searching. This Advertiser article says that today the SES were searching for Gus in a nearby scrapyard.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/search-for-missing-4yearold-boy-gus-lamont-near-yunta-in-outback-sa-scaled-back/news-story/12c43101ab44e0371728513b5be78cfc?amp

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Yes Police have said that the search is being scaled back, not that it has ended.

 

[TMich6811]

Oh good, I didn’t read just went by comments here that sounded that way

 

[BreakingNews]

Thanks for posting the transcript, it really helped me look at it more closely.

Going through the police statement line by line, there are a few things that really stand out.

The statement opens by saying Gus is shy but adventurous, a good walker but that he has never left the family property previously. Yet the very first sentence declares as fact that he wandered off. That is not evidence, it is an assumption that contradicts the child’s known behaviour.

They then note that despite one of the largest searches ever undertaken, there has been no trace of Gus at all. No tangible evidence has been located, not even footprints, clothing or a hat to suggest any direction of travel. This is extraordinary because in most lost child cases some sign is found even if the child is not immediately located.

The wording about being confident they have done everything they can to locate him “within the search area” feels very deliberate. It leaves open the possibility that Gus is not in the area at all rather than being missed by searchers.

The statement also shifts tone when they say the operation is now effectively a recovery. That is justified with medical expert advice, which makes sense in terms of survival time frames, but it is also a way to close down the active search without addressing why no evidence has been found to back up the wandered off theory.

Another important part is the line that concurrent inquiries have been undertaken as a matter of course and that police are looking to rule out every option at this stage. This shows they are already doing more than just searching paddocks. It also suggests they are aware the public narrative of wandering off does not explain the complete lack of evidence.

Put together, the statement is highly controlled. It repeats wandered off as fact while admitting there is no evidence. It prepares the public for no positive outcome by shifting to recovery. It hedges with the phrase “within the search area.” And it quietly acknowledges that every option is being investigated, not just the one explanation being pushed in public.

That combination makes it hard to believe police themselves truly think Gus simply wandered off. The wording sounds much more like narrative management while other possibilities are explored behind the scenes.

Great analysis. Agree that media focus initially been on search, but also behind the scenes other possibilities appear to have been followed up on. We want answers for little Gus.