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

[packetgravy]

I haven’t seen this shared yet, apologies if it has been.

https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/read-between-the-lines-grim-gus-theory-as-search-for-missing-4yo-in-remote-south-australia-drags-on/news-story/d08576d166ebc22377c970ce84a46a53

 

[Bigditch]

"It is understood Mr Lamont only found out his child was missing when police woke him up at his home, hours after Gus had vanished."

If this is true, as a dad this is horrifying. I can’t imagine being asleep while my four year old was missing and no one called me. It raises a million questions about the timeline for me. Who knew what, when, and why it took police knocking on the door for the father to find out.

 

[statt#1]

I haven’t seen this shared yet, apologies if it has been.

https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/read-between-the-lines-grim-gus-theory-as-search-for-missing-4yo-in-remote-south-australia-drags-on/news-story/d08576d166ebc22377c970ce84a46a53

From the article...

"Former homicide squad detective Gary Jubelin believes police are investigating the possibility of foul play in the disappearance of four-year-old Gus in remote South Australia."

 

[Toowong(s)]

For those pondering various abduction / accident / misadventure theories involving vehicles, I noticed what appears to be a private airstrip about 2km west of the homestead.

In my experience it is not uncommon for large sheep and cattle stations to have light aircraft on the property.

IMO

 

[packetgravy]

From the article...

"Former homicide squad detective Gary Jubelin believes police are investigating the possibility of foul play in the disappearance of four-year-old Gus in remote South Australia."

I believe the major crime unit response was in line with search and rescue protocol, particularly earlier in the investigation.

This would likely include initial risk assessment, gathering statements, filing reports for persons involved, record evidence and investigate reports relevant to the department.

MOO

 

[Eloise]

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.

Good question. We just don't know. Its all third-hand info, we don't have much 'straight from the horse's mouth' stuff to go on unfortunately

I mean absolutely no disrespect when I ask this but... what the devil do people do who live out there? Nothing is growing, there is little or no water, you are ten of km from the nearest rd!

Work! They're stations, ie ranches. They raise sheep.

eta: my dad lives remotely. They have starlink so they're set for all forms of entertainment delivered via the internet, and they socialise with their near neighbours and are involved with all the goings on in the nearest town - it being a couple hours drive away doesn't put anyone off out there

 

[whitelilac]

View attachment 619141


View attachment 619142



For those pondering various abduction / accident / misadventure theories involving vehicles, I noticed what appears to be a private airstrip about 2km west of the homestead.

In my experience it is not uncommon for large sheep and cattle stations to have light aircraft on the property.

IMO

Yes. When I was invited to stay at a schoolfriend's QLD cattle station (she was a boarder at my school), we flew there in a Cessna. All those outback stations had their own airstrips.

 

[Toowong(s)]

I mean absolutely no disrespect when I ask this but... what the devil do people do who live out there? Nothing is growing, there is little or no water, you are ten of km from the nearest rd!

This is a great question especially if you’ve never had the pleasure of visiting an Australian outback sheep or cattle station. They are mind blowing places, so isolated, vast and desolate.

But a property of 6000 hectares might hold 3000 to 6000 wool sheep, feeding on the natural outback vegetation. A good wool sheep might make about $40 each per year in wool production, so $120k to $240k revenue per year.

Australian conditions are great for wool production - we produce some of the best Marino wool in the world. And the people that run these stations are some of the hardest working down to earth people you will ever meet. Shearing time (now, before hot summer months) is a hive of activity usually with a crew of shearer’s and farm hands helping out for a few weeks to get through it. These contractors move from farm to farm for months and get paid well.

I’m not an expert in these areas and would love to get proper local insights about the Yunta area, but my understanding is based on family friends owning a sheep station further north of Yunta which I’ve visited a few times, it’s an amazing place of adventure as a child - including camping, motorbikes, horses, encounters with deadly snakes and regular control hunting of wild donkeys, goats, camels and pigs which run feral and destroy the pasture.

There is a drought in Australia and the farmers are doing it tough. I haven’t seen any sheep in news footage about Gus which is not unexpected given how vast the property is, but it is possible some farms have run down stock levels due to the drought (which reduces natural food in the outback, and farms cannot always afford to buy feed). Sheep may have been sold or temporarily relocated to somewhere faring better this season.

IMO only, just sharing some insights for those horrified at how desolate Oak Park looks. It looks like a typical Aussie sheep station to me, but drier that you’d like to see due to drought.

 

[PNW]

Quite. I would be surprised if this is not now part of the police's thinking.

This is a great question especially if you’ve never had the pleasure of visiting an Australian outback sheep or cattle station. They are mind blowing places, so isolated, vast and desolate.

But a property of 6000 hectares might hold 3000 to 6000 wool sheep, feeding on the natural outback vegetation. A good wool sheep might make about $40 each per year in wool production, so $120k to $240k revenue per year.

Australian conditions are great for wool production - we produce some of the best Marino wool in the world. And the people that run these stations are some of the hardest working down to earth people you will ever meet. Sheering time (now, before hot summer months) is a hive of activity usually with a crew of shearer’s and farm hands helping out for a few weeks to get through it. These contractors move from farm to farm for months and get paid well.

I’m not an expert in these areas and would love to get proper local insights about the Yunta area, but my understanding is based on family friends owning a sheep station further north of Yunta which I’ve visited a few times, it’s an amazing place of adventure as a child - including camping, motorbikes, horses, encounters with deadly snakes and regular control hunting of wild donkeys, goats, camels and pigs which run feral and destroy the pasture.

There is a drought in Australia and the farmers are doing it tough. I haven’t seen any sheep in news footage about Gus which is not unexpected given how vast the property is, but it is possible some farms have run down stock levels due to the drought (which reduces natural food in the outback, and farms cannot always afford to buy feed). Sheep may have been sold or temporarily relocated to somewhere faring better this season.

IMO only, just sharing some insights for those horrified at how desolate Oak Park looks. It looks like a typical Aussie sheep station to me, but drier that you’d like to see due to drought.

Sounds horrible to me lol.

So, to clarify, it hasn’t been announced when the last time someone, outside of family, has laid eyes on Gus?

 

[whitelilac]

Remembering....we used to have to wear steel lined boots back then, because of the death adders which were difficult to see as they were curled up and inconspicuous.
Are they present in SA? I imagine so. But it's doubtful little Gus would have been bitten by one since he would have been found.

 

[Toowong(s)]

Some more insights about farming in this area and the impact of the drought. It’s been a tough few years in this part of the world.

Orroroo is about an hour west of Yunta, and the town is about 10 times the size.

In one town, the impact of climate change is starkly felt by the next generation

The farming town of Orroroo, in South Australia's mid north, is a microcosm of the drought plaguing swathes of Australia. What is its future in a changing climate?

www.abc.net.au

 

[Springs4]

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

Was it Josie or Shannon (maternal grandparents) though that was checking on Gus?

 

[Springs4]

It is VERY strange to me, how Mom and Dad are still together and Dad seemed to have real issues with the property and people on it, and Mom stayed there with the kids. I absolutely could not imagine staying somewhere without my husband, especially if my husband was uncomfortable with where I was staying. Maybe I'm sheltered but I have never heard of that in my entire life, if they were divorced/broken up sure I get it, but together it's just odd.

Questioning whether mother & children lived in the same house as the maternal grandparents or another house on the property. Would have been difficult for dad to live under the same roof with someone he didn't get on with. Also, IF mother was an only child or the only child intereted in the property, she may have stayed to help keep it running (working) & for succession.

 

[SouthAussie]

Remembering....we used to have to wear steel lined boots back then, because of the death adders which were difficult to see as they were curled up and inconspicuous.
Are they present in SA? I imagine so. But it's doubtful little Gus would have been bitten by one since he would have been found.

When I was a child living in the South Australian outback, redback spiders and brown snakes were the deadlies that we were taught to stay away from.

Redback spiders were in darkened areas ... I have seen them in many places, like under rocks, under play equipment (easily distinguished by a distinct red mark on their backs).
Brown snakes are active in Spring (which it is now) as they come out of hibernation and look for food and start to mate.
They don't attack unless feeling threatened - we were taught to leave them alone.

imo

 

[Springs4]

A <modsnip> grandmother, a patriarch scarred by horrors of war, and two very unusual marriages: We reveal the deeply complicated world of Gus Lamont's Outback family​

Subscribers!

Inside the complicated and tragic world of missing Gus Lamont's family

Unearthed documents and local sources have revealed that the family of missing South Australian boy Gus Lamont has a complicated - and tragic - history.

www.dailymail.co.uk

(I reported my post to mods.)

Anyone been able to read this?

 

[Toowong(s)]

Just adding to above re drought - if there are wild animals around they would have become more and more desperate for food and brazen as the drought has worsened.

I think the animal theory is plausible but unlikely for various reasons - it’s possible Gus encountered a wild dog, pig, maybe dingo or a big fox. But I think Gus was a good age to run and climb or use his little shovel and put up a good fight, and being a country kid would have some resilience and smarts in this situation. And secondly, even if the animal got the upper hand there should be evidence of an attack or at the very least evidence of an animal living in the area (scat, tracks, etc) and previous attacks on livestock, so the family, searchers and locals would be all over this theory if it had any merit.

But there’s a slim chance gus wandered away a good distance from the house - he could get a few km away in 30 mins - before encountering an animal or a snake. Or maybe out of curiosity followed an animal a few km before it turned on him. And the incident happened so far away the probability of searches finding the attack site is low.

But I really can’t see this being missed especially with aircraft searches, and having some faith in the police and experienced searches to run a thorough grid.

IMO

 

[Ellery84]

Sounds horrible to me lol.

So, to clarify, it hasn’t been announced when the last time someone, outside of family, has laid eyes on Gus?

No, it has not been announced.

 

[Lady-J]

I would think so. But nothing was found to support any theory he wandered off the property. It is shearing season, so maybe there was more things for a little 4yo to investigate. MOO.

If it’s shearing season there would be shearers staying at the station and on nearby properties . One of them may be opportunistic and have taken Gus. No doubt this is being investigated by the police .

 

[Ellery84]

Anyone been able to read this?

Yes I've read it, but it's basically the Daily Mail sleuthing the family of Gus, so it would break the rules to discuss the content of the article.

 

[Lady-J]

Just adding to above re drought - if there are wild animals around they would have become more and more desperate for food and brazen as the drought has worsened.

I think the animal theory is plausible but unlikely for various reasons - it’s possible Gus encountered a wild dog, pig, maybe dingo or a big fox. But I think Gus was a good age to run and climb or use his little shovel and put up a good fight, and being a country kid would have some resilience and smarts in this situation. And secondly, even if the animal got the upper hand there should be evidence of an attack or at the very least evidence of an animal living in the area (scat, tracks, etc) and previous attacks on livestock, so the family, searchers and locals would be all over this theory if it had any merit.

But there’s a slim chance gus wandered away a good distance from the house - he could get a few km away in 30 mins - before encountering an animal or a snake. Or maybe out of curiosity followed an animal a few km before it turned on him. And the incident happened so far away the probability of searches finding the attack site is low.

But I really can’t see this being missed especially with aircraft searches, and having some faith in the police and experienced searches to run a thorough grid.

IMO

I’m sure there would be evidence left behind if an animal was involved in GL disappearance and this would’ve been found. Animals don’t eat boots