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

[Dotta]

There's been no reports in the media about workers on the property. I find that to be curious since it is such a vast property and, from what we can assume, a working sheep station. Nothing's been mentioned about that, the only focus has been on the 3 family members living at the homestead.

Because if there were workers on the property it would be common for them to be coming and going, no?

You are right.

I have no idea to be honest.

I just assumed there are some workers.

But,
who knows???

 

[jessicalouise]

Unless it's an official Police search, wouldn't it be up to the family if they allow family or people they trust to try and have another look.

I doubt that the Police get final say if it's not a search organised by them.


Outside of the Police search I can understand not wanting strangers wandering around my property.

The family didn't want people helping from the get go. They wanted to deal with it themselves. So it was the police who were in charge of the search and, from what I gather from media reports, approved the volunteers searching. Even the guy who'd had 20 years SES experience had to get approval to search.

 

[jessicalouise]

You are right.

I have no idea to be honest.

I just assumed there are some workers.
But
who knows???

Its a fair assumption given the size of the place and time of year. Very curious why the media havent been clear on this.

Even small farms often have help even if its on a casual or as needed basis.

 

[Serein]

want to point out (idk if anyone has said it or if its helpful at all) that i find it strange that there are no footprints or tire tracks at all. in the outback all of that stuff is visable in the sand/dirt. i have only glanced at the case but it kind of stood out to me that they only have 1 footprint and its on its own and is a footprint in a shoe. It seems strange to me.

JMO

 

[MelmothTheLost]

There's been no reports in the media about workers on the property. I find that to be curious since it is such a vast property and, from what we can assume, a working sheep station. Nothing's been mentioned about that, the only focus has been on the 3 family members living at the homestead.

Because if there were workers on the property it would be common for them to be coming and going, no?

Are we sure this is a working station? It would be coming towards the of lambing season Down Under, wouldn't it?

 

[Serein]

Are we sure this is a working station? It would be coming towards the of lambing season Down Under, wouldn't it?

apparently (according to google) the lambing season here (AUS) is july - september with its peak in july/august

 

[jessicalouise]

want to point out (idk if anyone has said it or if its helpful at all) that i find it strange that there are no footprints or tire tracks at all. in the outback all of that stuff is visable in the sand/dirt. i have only glanced at the case but it kind of stood out to me that they only have 1 footprint and its on its own and is a footprint in a shoe. It seems strange to me.

JMO

It's not really sand or dirt. The terrain surface is more like gravel. It's rough. If you take a closer look at it it becomes very obvious why little footprints weren't left.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Seeing how big the property is I wouldn't be surprised if there are some people who sneaked onto the property to search, maybe even set up camp.

Away from the house area.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

apparently (according to google) the lambing season here (AUS) is july - september with its peak in july/august

Thanks. I know from my contact with sheep farmers in the UK, lambing season is pretty labour intensive (ha!) in human terms with someone on duty in the lambing sheds round the clock to help out any ewe or lamb that gets into difficulty. It would be pretty tough for the three known adults at the station to cover that for months so it seems likely that there were temporary workers on site for the season, and that these may have recently left it. Always assuming this is indeed a working sheep station.

 

[Warwick7]

The family didn't want people helping from the get go. They wanted to deal with it themselves. So it was the police who were in charge of the search and, from what I gather from media reports, approved the volunteers searching. Even the guy who'd had 20 years SES experience had to get approval to search.

This is what I understood also. LE are approving certain people. Yes, they are strangers, but they've been approved by LE. If a stranger showed up on my property that weren't LE approved, I wouldn't be irritated with them for being there I would be grateful, but I would tell them to go see law enforcement let them make the decision.

 

[rvlvr]

Normally I would feel the same way, but if my little kid went missing and the police had called off the search, I'd take anyone. I don't care. Come one, come all. Even if it had been too long for him to survive. I'd still have hope. I would be delusional.

We all deal with grief and tragedy differently and some people are capable of thinking clearly and sensibly even in their lowest moments. It certainly wouldn’t be sensible for random members of the public to show up in a place like that and start ‘searching’ for a child after police officers, soldiers, divers, sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters have all failed to locate him. It’s a bit bizarre imo that the family are being judged negatively for *not* being delusional and for making the correct call here.

Let’s just see how this plays out, typically Australian police don’t make a song and dance out of their investigations (thankfully), they’re not going to provide a running commentary or leak tidbits of information, and quotes from unnamed sources in the Daily Mail should generally be taken with a pinch of salt. All anyone with an interest in this case can do is wait.

 

[twomoresmores]

You are right.

I have no idea to be honest.

I just assumed there are some workers.

But,
who knows???

Perhaps fewer workers on a weekend when maybe the family shoulder the workload with the majority of jobs done during the week when workers are present?

 

[Dotta]

" 'No trace of Gus has been located'
– boy still missing in South Australia."

"No trace of Gus has been located" - boy still missing in South Australia

A baffling mystery continues to unfold on a remote property in rural South Australia. Police and search and rescue experts have unsuccessfully been working to locate a missing four-year-old boy who has somehow seemingly disappeared from his family’s farm. Augustus Lamont, who’s known as Gus, was...

www.times.co.nz

"Footprints, fake AI images and few clues:
Mystery over four year-old boy
who vanished in the Australian Outback."

Footprints, fake AI and few clues: Mystery over boy who vanished in the Outback

Four-year-old Gus Lamont went missing while playing in a sandpit in South Australia

www.independent.co.uk

 

[musicaljoke]

want to point out (idk if anyone has said it or if its helpful at all) that i find it strange that there are no footprints or tire tracks at all. in the outback all of that stuff is visable in the sand/dirt. i have only glanced at the case but it kind of stood out to me that they only have 1 footprint and its on its own and is a footprint in a shoe. It seems strange to me.

JMO

What do you find strange about this?

Sandy ground doesn't retain prints for very long. Grains of sand are constantly moving. A slight breeze brushes prints away. Neither does hard-packed ground show footprints. It would be like looking for footprints on a cement sidewalk. Unfortunately, many surfaces just don't show prints.

 

[PNW]

We all deal with grief and tragedy differently and some people are capable of thinking clearly and sensibly even in their lowest moments. It certainly wouldn’t be sensible for random members of the public to show up in a place like that and start ‘searching’ for a child after police officers, soldiers, divers, sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters have all failed to locate him. It’s a bit bizarre imo that the family are being judged negatively for *not* being delusional and for making the correct call here.

Let’s just see how this plays out, typically Australian police don’t make a song and dance out of their investigations (thankfully), they’re not going to provide a running commentary or leak tidbits of information, and quotes from unnamed sources in the Daily Mail should generally be taken with a pinch of salt. All anyone with an interest in this case can do is wait.

I mean, that’s your opinion, that they are making the correct call by not allowing searchers. Other people would argue that the more eyes, the better, and I don't think that’s a “delusional” position to take.