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

[Megnut]

Brainstorming --

Air tight feed barrel...

Unquestioned vehicle...

If he wasn't where she left him when she returned, he didn't go missing at 5:30. He was gone by then. He could have left one minute after she did.

Were any vehicles in play at 5 pm... or even in the 4 o'clock hour, since times might not be exact. Children seem drawn to cars.

Is there any way he crawled into a car or trailer, including any vehicle that was then used in a search for him, that could have accidently deposited him in a new lication for where he later got more lost?

Could he have gotten into a vehicle that was driven away and parked elsewhere, that driver then switching to maybe their own personal vehicle, one that just hasn't been in use since, like specialized equipment or an outfitted trailer that is only in use at intervals?

How easy one might innocently juxtaposed two events -- recall one thing as before another when it occurred opposite. Like a delivery truck, remembered as arriving much earlier, or friend or field hand leaving before...

Continuing to pick my own brain for possible explanations with no foul play involved...

JMO

 

[jessicalouise]

No it is definitely not strange for a family friend to to publicly defend them, this family is in enough pain with loss of a small child and they are being vilified for their family situation and suggestive conspiracy theories are also hurtful. They believe he has wandered off, not taken. This is their opinion, which they are entitled to. they may not be able to bring themselves to believe he was taken, which would be a far worse secnario than him wandering off.
What would be strange is if their friends did not publicly support them.

But she didn't defend them. She stated GL hadn't been taken by anyone. And considering they've found zero evidence whatsoever he's wandered off she's actually implicating them.

So between her saying that and police scaling back their search and following other lines of inquiry it can really only point in one direction and that's back to the homestead.

 

[tedtink]

But she didn't defend them. She stated GL hadn't been taken by anyone. And considering they've found zero evidence whatsoever he's wandered off she's actually implicating them.

So between her saying that and police scaling back their search and following other lines of inquiry it can really only point in one direction and that's back to the homestead.

She's not implicating them IMO.
An absence of evidence doesn't mean he didn't wander off.

 

[Sillybilly]

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[MelmothTheLost]

How many kilometers would he have had to walk to reach the dam? No formal statements have been made publicly by any of the four adult relatives, right?

I do wonder what Gus' family think happened, but I guess that's not our business.

If you mean Grampus West Dam, it looks about 2km or 1.6m to the NE. However, there's an unnamed cluster of four ponds or tanks about 400m to the south of the homestead.

 

[jessicalouise]

She's not implicating them IMO.
An absence of evidence doesn't mean he didn't wander off.

I think it was a strange thing to put out to the media and I dont understand why it was said. It doesn't do anyone any favours.

Anyway, looking back at the homestead itself it's not just a house but multiple buildings. There's also lots of stuff going on in the vicinity of the homestead. Lots of places for a little kid to explore and hide in, potentially get stuck/trapped in/crushed by. If he's never wandered off before I'm interested in why they thought he did that rather than stay closer to home.

I'm still so troubled by the trampoline. To have it set up in that area, without netting, without any padding on the springs in 2025, and to leave a 4 yo to play alone. It doesn't bode well. As a mother I get more bad vibes from around the homestead than I do from the scrubland he could have wandered off into.

Another question I have is he's 4 and probably hasn't completed toilet training yet. So he'd likely be in pull ups still or he would have wet/soiled his pants. Surely that would have attracted attention from dogs or birds especially if he'd discarded them. Between that and no missing hat ...

 

[jessicalouise]

OK i just watched another interview that same family friend gave to The Advertiser and she tells them on day 2 the police told her they've ruled out that he's been taken and they've ruled out any family harm.

TikTok - Make Your Day

Now, they may have told her that, but I find it very hard to believe they officially ruled those two things out on day 2.

 

[musicaljoke]

His hat. I can't get past the idea that if some bird of prey, or some animal, snatched this child, his hat would be found nearby. If a 4 legged beast, there'd likely be blood, or a sign of some sort, drag marks, etc. A bird of prey? I just think him to be too sizable for such a scenario.

Gus either was taken from this property, or is on the property. He may have been murdered and buried somewhere in the outback. Or he decided to explore, and found himself in a place where he couldn't escape.

No footprints or other evidence pointing to his departure from the reported sand pile where he was reported to have last been seen is suspicious imho.

Toddler and little kids sun hats often have chin straps.

 

[musicaljoke]

Assuming its true they're not separated, that removes 'custody' issues being at play. They just live separately.

But it doesn't compute to me that a dad who had concerns about the safety of his child living at the property, would then act by leaving said property, leaving his son at this apparently dangerous place, by choice. You would make a point of staying to ensure his safety. Makes me think that either him not living there wasn't actually his choice (and its unlikely to be his partner's choice either, given they're still together), or when he says he thinks its unsafe, he wasn't talking about the physical nature of the property or physical harm.

just random thoughts/MOO

Do we know if the dad claimed the property was too dangerous before his son disappeared, or after? I wonder if it was an "in hindsight" comment based on his son's disappearance, or if there was something else.

 

[jessicalouise]

Toddler and little kids sun hats often have chin straps.

Yeah they dont do much, if my past experience with toddlers and little kids are anything to go by. Even babies are able to take off their hats with chin straps.

 

[musicaljoke]

Can anyone clarify if Josie was making dinner at the time? I've seen it mentioned here twice but no links.

We don't know what she was doing, and it most likely doesn't matter anyway. We just know that whatever it was, it absorbed her attention for half an hour and during that time, she had not been out to check on Gus.

 

[tedtink]

Do we know if the dad claimed the property was too dangerous before his son disappeared, or after? I wonder if it was an "in hindsight" comment based on his son's disappearance, or if there was something else.

That's a valid point to say the comment could have been made in 'hindsight' -The article was published yesterday 9 Oct.

There was no direct quote from JL himself, only a statement/hearsay from a 'family friend'.

Josh doesn't think it's safe for the kids to be out there, it's dangerous,' a family friend revealed.

The DM - So make of it what you will.

Gus's 'furious' dad is seen for the first time after son disappeared

The little boy vanished almost two weeks ago after playing in the yard of remote Oak Park homestead in the harsh South Australian outback, 300km north of Adelaide .

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[musicaljoke]

Valid point.

There was no direct quote from JL himself, only a statement/hearsay from a 'family friend'.

Josh doesn't think it's safe for the kids to be out there, it's dangerous,' a family friend revealed.

The DM - So make of it what you will.

Gus's 'furious' dad is seen for the first time after son disappeared

The little boy vanished almost two weeks ago after playing in the yard of remote Oak Park homestead in the harsh South Australian outback, 300km north of Adelaide .

www.dailymail.co.uk

Awh, I see. I am going to assume that Gus' father said this to the "family friend" during the conversation he had when he said he was furious that his son was missing.

If so, it's a comment made in hindsight, and in hindsight, he was correct. But the father might not have believed it was a dangerous place otherwise.

The DM article says that the father lives 100kms away, or a two hours drive. Is there a local person who can comment about the two hour drive? It seems to me one might be able to clip along faster than that.

 

[tedtink]

Awh, I see. I am going to assume that Gus' father said this to the "family friend" during the conversation he had when he said he was furious that his son was missing.

If so, it's a comment made in hindsight, and in hindsight, he was correct. But the father might not have believed it was a dangerous place otherwise.

The DM article says that the father lives 100kms away, or a two hours drive. Is there a local person who can comment about the two hour drive? It seems to me one might be able to clip along faster than that.

Yes, I looked at the distance too and thought it might not take so long. Straight up the barrier highway, then onto dirt tracks, which would slow a driver down imo.

ETA Google Maps - Oak Park Station, Grampus SA 5440, Australia to Jamestown, South Australia 5491, Australia shows the distance at 172k at 2hr 6 min.

Agree, that was probs a hindsight comment by JL - Good thinking on your part.

 

[Dotta]

IMO
Father's remark was probably made before the boy vanished.
There seemed to be some alleged arguments going on between him and the in-laws.

Well,
that is my take on these matters based on MSM reports.

JMO

 

[packetgravy]

OK i just watched another interview that same family friend gave to The Advertiser and she tells them on day 2 the police told her they've ruled out that he's been taken and they've ruled out any family harm.

TikTok - Make Your Day

Now, they may have told her that, but I find it very hard to believe they officially ruled those two things out on day 2.

Haha, she got a little kick out of being privy to police line of inquiry.

IMO she has taken fragments of conversation/s with those involved and pieced that information together with her own experience. To be expected with family and friends.

This line stood out to me:

“Do you believe they are at all suspicious in Gus’s disappearance?”

“Look I can’t get into anyone’s heads.”


ETA: It would be interesting to see the original video without the editing. I believe the first 30 odd seconds was a snippet from the end of the interview when she’s feeling a bit more confident.
Her relationship with the family doesn’t quite line up with the impersonal way she refers to Gus as “the child.”

MOO

 

[jessicalouise]

IMO
Father's remark was probably made before the boy vanished.
There seemed to be some alleged arguments going on between him and the in-laws.

Well,
that is my take on these matters based on MSM reports.

JMO

This is the impression I got too.

 

[jessicalouise]

Haha, she got a little kick out of being privy to police line of inquiry.

IMO she has taken fragments of conversation/s with those involved and pieced that information together with her own experience. To be expected with family and friends.

This line stood out to me:

“Do you believe they are at all suspicious in Gus’s disappearance?”

“Look I can’t get into anyone’s heads.”


ETA: It would be interesting to see the original video without the editing. I believe the first 30 odd seconds was a snippet from the end of the interview when she’s feeling a bit more confident.

MOO

It's a pretty absurd thing to believe even if it was said. Especially to anyone who has watched a police show.

From interviews I've read people are verrry very protective of the family. I'm guessing these families go back generations and the mother's mother's side is especially well respected in the community. Everyone's really trying to control the narrative - even the police. They're deadset about him wandering off and its the only theory that's allowed to be entertained.

There have been cases where kids have crawled into a tight space or under the house, gotten stuck, or crawled into something and asphyxiated. Misadventure happens. Freak accidents occur.

 

[nao]

Moo...the mother has chosen to stay with her family and not her husband, I am sure there is a reason for that. The child has not wandered before but there is a lot of first times between 4 n 5 years old as they become more independent. My opinion is he close by in a building or something. I remember getting lost in a store when young. I was scared so I hide under a little table. Do not think they would of found me if I had stayed under there..moo

 

[packetgravy]

From interviews I've read people are verrry very protective of the family. I'm guessing these families go back generations and the mother's mother's side is especially well respected in the community. Everyone's really trying to control the narrative - even the police. They're deadset about him wandering off and its the only theory that's allowed to be entertained.

Yes, that’s all common behaviours in isolated/outback areas. In general they live in harmony “adjacent” to one another, they look out for their “neighbours” and tend to be fairly reclusively.

These stations are huge, the dirt roads and distances between homesteads allow solitary lifestyles.

ETA: Had she been asked to describe Gus, I suspect she could offer a rough physical description with no further insight.

MOO