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

[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.

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

The fact that there is such little evidence leaves room for theories. The only information we have on this is what he was wearing. That he was last seen at 5:00, the grandmother came to call him in at 5:30 only to not find him. That he was playing around a sand pit with a toy shovel. A footprint located 500m away from the homestead, and 2 other buildings located SW of their house.

But some things mark me as intriguing...
- Where were the parents at the time?
- Did anyone enter/leave the house that day?
- Did the family have any affairs recently?
- Are there any friends of the family? If so, if any of them are aware of where the family lives and have a bad history with the family, such as an Ex or some stalker. Is it possible one of them could've taken Gus?

I wouldn't put it past the family to be keeping some of this information from the news and press, especially with how sensitive they seem to be about their privacy. But the lack of information released by the parents feels like it might hurt the investigation, that is if they haven't shared these details to the police.

 

[Karin1974]

IMO - I find it really unusual that no trace of little Gus can be found. Hats & 4 year olds are SO easily parted, as are shoes & 4 year olds. It’s SO perplexing. MOO

 

[Warshawski]

Police have cast doubt on the child's footprint found on Tuesday, 500m from the homestead.

'Now that we know that we can't find any other footprints around the place - that (footprint) could have been there a week,' Supt Syrus said.

Was the child walking there (now) 2 weeks ago, for them to think it’s possibly an old print ?
Walking by himself, 500 metres from the homestead ?
Did he regularly go off walking by himself ? and walking those distances ?
Did he go off late that afternoon looking for someone?
Was he in the habit of meeting someone at the end of the day / expecting someone to arrive who didn’t - so he went to find that person ?
I would expect that at that time of the day a 4 year old would be getting hungry - why would he head off AWAY from his dinner ?

Like others on here, I have a background in the Australian ‘bush’ / slang for rural Australia, in all its different forms.

And like others, I’m very confused as to why he hasn’t been found in country that would usually be considered ideal for ‘searching / tracking’.
That country is not heavy scrub / forestry / national park / rain forest / mountainous etc, .. . It’s pretty much salt bush plains.

Sadly, after almost of week of Nothing, this is starting to give me a very uneasy feeling.

Official update : Police statement regarding Yunta search.

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

Wait... Do we know when the police arrived to the homestead on the day of his disappearance?

 

[tedtink]

Not issuing a photograph, during the early stages was the right thing to do imo. It makes sense, in this vast area, if they had found a 4 yr old it was a very high probability it would have been Gus.
The last thing Police needed at the beginning of this operation was an influx of phone calls from members of the public with false sightings and speculation - albeit by concerned folk just wanting to help. This would have sucked up resources better spent on the search.

It seems he wandered off between 5 - 5.30pm, what drew him away from the homestead as the sun was setting? Did he see something and being an inquisitive, adventurous boy decide to follow it?

I'd like to know if there was a conversation between G'Ma and Gus at 5pm - for instance, did she say it's nearly time to come in? Nearly supper time?

Had Gus been pushing boundaries, which is completely normal for a child at that age in their development, decided he was having too much fun outside and adamantly, quietly just walked off, as some kids do? Boundary setting doesn't necessarily mean screaming, struggling, it can also be subtle in some children.
I'm sure the Police will have all this info and the direction of the investigation was based on it.

However, Police never just settle on one theory, this is evident in the presser today, which again is completely normal in investigations, otherwise LE wouldn't be worth their salt. But that doesn't mean they believe something else has happened to Gus.

What I find perplexing is - Would a 4 year old keep walking through the outback into the dark night and not stop? There's a lot of physical and emotional obstacles to overcome when it's pitch black and I can't see that he'd have got very far that first night, let alone keep going for a few days, especially if he were crying, hungry, tired and confused etc.

Personally I think he's still on the property, the search party, although thorough and highly professional have missed him so far.
It happens.

all jmo

 

[tedtink]

Wait... Do we know when the police arrived to the homestead on the day of his disappearance?

9.30pm

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Wait... Do we know when the police arrived to the homestead on the day of his disappearance?

A rough timeline:
Last seen at 5pm
Not outside at 5.30pm when Grandma checked
Family searched for roughly 3 hours before calling police
Police arrived 9-9.30pm

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

Something feels off...
So far, I don't believe that the grandmother noted any footprints nearby the homestead at 5:30... If he indeed did wander away from the house, depending on when he left the premises, wouldn't there be footprints nearby to indicate that?

but so far, the only footprint found was 500m away from the homestead, which police aren't even sure if it's Gus's.

Looking at this image posted on Page 13 of this thread, I can see what appears to be a path, if all the paths around the homestead are similar to this one. Then It could be possible Gus followed one of the paths, as they almost seem too sturdy to show footprints, similar to asphalt on roads.

 

[BreakingNews]

Fun fact: the name August has its origin in Latin. A popular Germanic name shortened to Gus or Augie. My Grandfather was named August and called Augie. He was a pioneer into Australia from Germany.

So little Gus with his cute blonde hair and fair skin seemed to fit in

August - Baby Name, Origin, Meaning, And Popularity | Parenting Patch August - Baby Name, Origin, Meaning, And Popularity | Parenting Patch

 

[Warshawski]

just watched today’s press conference and the messaging felt very unusual.

Thank you for your very well worded post.

I too felt it to be a carefully managed briefing - although I guess I understand that position, when they have nothing to report but have to say something & have to appear ‘in control’.

‘50 people on the ground’ is not what I would class as a large search contingent, but maybe there were another 50 on the bikes, and another 50 on horses and etc …

I was waiting for someone to ask about the searching of the immediate vicinity of the house as that is a veritable ‘village’ or whatever in itself. I could easily imagine a small child coming to grief amongst all that and not being found if incapable of calling out / answering a call.

My heart breaks. for all those who have loved having Gus around them, as sadly I think he has passed on to much lusher pastures.

I just hope that he is located, as there must be nothing worse than not knowing,

 

[Warshawski]

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

In the presser he said it would be called off & personnel removed from the property this afternoon.

Police will continue to follow leads & liaise with the family ( I wonder what he meant by following leads )

 

[tedtink]

In the presser he said it would be called off & personnel removed from the property this afternoon.

Police will continue to follow leads & liaise with the family ( I wonder what he meant by following leads )

Possibly if someone discovers an item or scrap of clothing on the property or if there is a credible sighting imo.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

The grandmother would not have been looking for footprints, she would have been looking for him

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

The grandmother would not have been looking for footprints, she would have been looking for him

she might not have been looking specifically FOR footprints, but you'd think she'd at least notice some indication of the boy walking around. Like if you are focused on a video and notice a tiny thing in the corner of the screen. It's not what you were looking at/for, but you noticed it regardless

 

[tedtink]

Something feels off...
So far, I don't believe that the grandmother noted any footprints nearby the homestead at 5:30... If he indeed did wander away from the house, depending on when he left the premises, wouldn't there be footprints nearby to indicate that?

but so far, the only footprint found was 500m away from the homestead, which police aren't even sure if it's Gus's.
View attachment 618024
Looking at this image posted on Page 13 of this thread, I can see what appears to be a path, if all the paths around the homestead are similar to this one. Then It could be possible Gus followed one of the paths, as they almost seem too sturdy to show footprints, similar to asphalt on roads.

I think the Police said the print they found 500m away was from the boot Gus was wearing but they couldn't be sure if it was from the day he went missing or another time. I'd imagine there would be other prints, but perhaps LE were mainly focused on any prints further afield to try and ascertain which direction he could have gone?
Also the fam were searching for him for 3 hours before LE arrived, so I guess other prints, closer to home, would have been walked over, or perhaps driven over?

 

[Itz_CrimsonYT]

Also the fam were searching for him for 3 hours before LE arrived, so I guess other prints, closer to home, would have been walked over, or perhaps driven over?

While that would be possible. It kinda shows that if the family have no recollection of seeing anything that proves he wandered away. Then it's impossible to say that he even wandered away in the first place. We are really just making an assumption based on a single footprint and his adventurous nature. Plus, the family stated that he had never left the premises before, so the fact that he went missing like he did doesn't really add up to that statement unless he saw something of interest.