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

[Dotta]

The closest occupied homestead, in terms of travel time, is Tiverton. A young family lives there. The drive from there to Oak Park before all of the search activity (traffic) destroyed Oak Park Road would take less than 20 minutes. There are now multiple bulldust holes and badly corrugated sections, increasing this travel time.

The property at Spring Dam is closer, but is not permanently inhabited.

You can also get from the Panaramatee and Manunda homesteads to Oak Park quite quickly because most of the drive is on Sturt Vale Rd, which is very well maintained - you can safely drive it at around 90km/h.

There are minor station tracks from other properties like Bulyninnie that go straight to/through Oak Park, but they are slow going. On some of these tracks it can take you 30 minutes just to travel 10 kilometres and they're sometimes impassable after rain. There are so, so many minor station tracks out there - even the most detailed maps don't show them all.

Very interesting first post!

Welcome to Websleuths

 

[katydid23]

The closest occupied homestead, in terms of travel time, is Tiverton. A young family lives there. The drive from there to Oak Park before all of the search activity (traffic) destroyed Oak Park Road would take less than 20 minutes. There are now multiple bulldust holes and badly corrugated sections, increasing this travel time.

The property at Spring Dam is closer, but is not permanently inhabited.

You can also get from the Panaramatee and Manunda homesteads to Oak Park quite quickly because most of the drive is on Sturt Vale Rd, which is very well maintained - you can safely drive it at around 90km/h.

There are minor station tracks from other properties like Bulyninnie that go straight to/through Oak Park, but they are slow going. On some of these tracks it can take you 30 minutes just to travel 10 kilometres and they're sometimes impassable after rain. There are so, so many minor station tracks out there - even the most detailed maps don't show them all.

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like you are very familiar with that area.


What are your thoughts? What do you think happened?

If a 4 yr old wandered away, what would be the most likely result?

Any thoughts about why there has been no search results? Is that normal when a child gets lost in the outback?

 

[Ellery84]

The closest occupied homestead, in terms of travel time, is Tiverton. A young family lives there. The drive from there to Oak Park before all of the search activity (traffic) destroyed Oak Park Road would take less than 20 minutes. There are now multiple bulldust holes and badly corrugated sections, increasing this travel time.

The property at Spring Dam is closer, but is not permanently inhabited.

You can also get from the Panaramatee and Manunda homesteads to Oak Park quite quickly because most of the drive is on Sturt Vale Rd, which is very well maintained - you can safely drive it at around 90km/h.

There are minor station tracks from other properties like Bulyninnie that go straight to/through Oak Park, but they are slow going. On some of these tracks it can take you 30 minutes just to travel 10 kilometres and they're sometimes impassable after rain. There are so, so many minor station tracks out there - even the most detailed maps don't show them all.

Thank you and welcome!!!

Is Tiverton associated with the Tiver family?

 

[FromGermany1]

Yes, there was a photo of Jess & Josh, but I have no idea how old it was.

2019 JL got a music award. It might have been at that event, Idk. MOO

 

[elliefant]

Maybe it was the police who chose that photo, and from a few offered by the family. They would have welcomed one that was clear and showed his full face looking roughly towards the camera, and which looks as he looks now. Perhaps the published photo does that best. imo

 

[Greenestdays]

Maybe it was the police who chose that photo, and from a few offered by the family. They would have welcomed one that was clear and showed his full face looking roughly towards the camera, and which looks as he looks now. Perhaps the published photo does that best. imo

Plus it might simply be too painful for the family to have “everyday” photos of Gus playing etc plastered all over the web. So a “passport photo” was the most obvious and suitable choice.

And we have no idea whether it was taken 6 days or 6 months before he went missing - the DM article that stated it was taken during orientation was conjured up by two “journalists” most likely trespassing and peeking through windows. There is zero weight to their claims. And considering their behaviour, I’m not surprised they were greeted with a shotgun in hand when they last tried to approach the family.

 

[essareem]

The closest occupied homestead, in terms of travel time, is Tiverton. A young family lives there. The drive from there to Oak Park before all of the search activity (traffic) destroyed Oak Park Road would take less than 20 minutes. There are now multiple bulldust holes and badly corrugated sections, increasing this travel time.

The property at Spring Dam is closer, but is not permanently inhabited.

You can also get from the Panaramatee and Manunda homesteads to Oak Park quite quickly because most of the drive is on Sturt Vale Rd, which is very well maintained - you can safely drive it at around 90km/h.

There are minor station tracks from other properties like Bulyninnie that go straight to/through Oak Park, but they are slow going. On some of these tracks it can take you 30 minutes just to travel 10 kilometres and they're sometimes impassable after rain. There are so, so many minor station tracks out there - even the most detailed maps don't show them all.

Welcome to Websleuths

 

[Dotta]

Plus it might simply be too painful for the family to have “everyday” photos of Gus playing etc plastered all over the web. So a “passport photo” was the most obvious and suitable choice.

And we have no idea whether it was taken 6 days or 6 months before he went missing - the DM article that stated it was taken during orientation was conjured up by two “journalists” most likely trespassing and peeking through windows. There is zero weight to their claims. And considering their behaviour, I’m not surprised they were greeted with a shotgun in hand when they last tried to approach the family.

Hmmm....



The problem was
that the photo appeared a week after the child went missing.

Usually,
in cases concerning missing children Police publish photos immediately.

Well,
that is my general observation re such cases in my country.
Time is essential for potential witnesses.

Also
Police demand the most recent, actual photo of a missing child.

JMO

 

[zesszesszess]

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like you are very familiar with that area.


What are your thoughts? What do you think happened?

If a 4 yr old wandered away, what would be the most likely result?

Any thoughts about why there has been no search results? Is that normal when a child gets lost in the outback?

I am very familiar with the region. I'd been out there many times prior to - and twice following - the disappearance of little Gus. I knew of the Murray family, but I don't know them personally.

The lack of evidence in this case is... confounding...

I think that it is possible that Gus wandered away from the homestead, got lost and, very sadly, perished. There are recent, domestic examples of wide scale missing persons searches failing to find anything - only for the missing person to be found in or near the search area some time later, having been there the whole time (Tea Wright-Finger is the first that springs to mind). You could argue that the lack of evidence here is purely coincidental, and that the strange behaviours exhibited by the family are simply the reactions of private people who have been thrust into the spotlight - experiencing intense media scrutiny and intense grief, simultaneously.

<modsnip: No indications of foul play at this time and family are considered victims unless officially named POIs/suspects>

 

[zesszesszess]

Thank you and welcome!!!

Is Tiverton associated with the Tiver family?

Yes, that's correct. Tiverton was originally known as Pat's Well, before being acquired by the Tiver family.

 

[kurtneverdied]

Hmmm....



The problem was
that the photo appeared a week after the child went missing.

Usually,
in cases concerning missing children Police publish photos immediately.

Well,
that is my general observation re such cases in my country.
Time is essential for potential witnesses.

Also
Police demand the most recent, actual photo of a missing child.

JMO

Yes not a good look for the police now..

There's always one thing not to do in a case like this. Don't let emotions get in the way of results.

They likely folded to the families request of not releasing one who knows what else.
Massive failure from the start. They could never assume 100% Gus wandered off.
Cover all bases from the start. Now that week window is shut forever.
It's amateurish.
Don't stray from covering all bases because of feelings.
I'm concerned this is similar to the Lorrin Whitehead disappearance which I'm deeply into. Police convinced she ran away until about 10 years later when they finally take it seriously. Hardly anyone talks about that case anymore (please have a look!).
I don't mind the DM putting the pressure on and talking about anything, because all that matters is getting a result. The last thing we want is to still be talking about it decades in the future.

 

[rvlvr]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed due to random youtube not specifically related to this case> ... with respect no one in this thread knows what assumptions, if any, have been made; what beliefs police may or may not hold; and what they have or haven’t checked.

Gus is a missing person, his family have every right to maintain as much privacy over his life, and theirs, as they can. And police have every right to conduct their business quietly, without providing a running commentary to the media (who, to their credit and with perhaps one exception, have behaved admirably).

 

[Dotta]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed due to random youtube not specifically related to this case> ... with respect no one in this thread knows what assumptions, if any, have been made; what beliefs police may or may not hold; and what they have or haven’t checked.

Gus is a missing person, his family have every right to maintain as much privacy over his life, and theirs, as they can. And police have every right to conduct their business quietly, without providing a running commentary to the media (who, to their credit and with perhaps one exception, have behaved admirably).

Re "assumptions & beliefs"

AFAI remember reading the reports with links here:
Police stated
- there was no foul play,
- the boy wandered off
- after playing in a pile of dirt/sand.

Also the grandparent was carrying a gun to shoot a snake on the porch.

Am I missing anything?

JMO

 

[jepop]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed due to random youtube not specifically related to this case> ... with respect no one in this thread knows what assumptions, if any, have been made; what beliefs police may or may not hold; and what they have or haven’t checked.

Gus is a missing person, his family have every right to maintain as much privacy over his life, and theirs, as they can. And police have every right to conduct their business quietly, without providing a running commentary to the media (who, to their credit and with perhaps one exception, have behaved admirably).

DAily Mail reporting = Mission.accomplished. jmo

 

[kurtneverdied]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed due to random youtube not specifically related to this case> ... with respect no one in this thread knows what assumptions, if any, have been made; what beliefs police may or may not hold; and what they have or haven’t checked.

Gus is a missing person, his family have every right to maintain as much privacy over his life, and theirs, as they can. And police have every right to conduct their business quietly, without providing a running commentary to the media (who, to their credit and with perhaps one exception, have behaved admirably).

No we don't know what police think but there is no excuse for the photo not being released straight away. There was nothing to lose. <modsnip: Members don't KNOW why a photo was not released earlier> The police giving more regular information and updates would stop more speculation than fuel it.
The DM, you can view it as you like, but right now they seem the only media giving a rats about finding Gus. Of course they are getting clicks but go to newsdotcomdotau or most other news sites and tell me which is more trash. Asking the hard questions about a missing child or the $16 sex toy article.

 

[rvlvr]

Re "assumptions & beliefs"

AFAI remember reading the reports with links here:
Police stated
- there was no foul play,
- the boy wandered off
- after playing in a pile of dirt/sand.

Also the grandparent was carrying a gun to shoot a snake on the porch.

Am I missing anything?

JMO

I mean, on your first point alone you’re incorrect. Police haven’t stated “there was no foul play”.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said this week:

“There is no evidence of foul play at this time but, as I’ve said publicly before, we are still open to any possibilities that might have resulted in Gus having gone missing.”

Why it’s been so difficult to find any trace of missing outback boy

Four-year-old August Lamont hasn’t been seen since September 27.

7news.com.au

Having no evidence of ‘foul play’ doesn’t mean they’ve ruled it out.

 

[Serononin]

I don't know if I've got a warped perspective but I think most families are replete with hmmms. Mine certainly is.

Not necessarily. They may have had a few that were suitable, and consulted with police to choose the single best one. And arguably a single image makes a stronger impact, although generating fewer sales than an endless supply of pics "never seen before!"

Yeah, I recently had a look through my parents' photo album from when I was about Gus' age, and I noticed that the vast majority of the pictures of me are candids. There are only a handful where I'm actually looking at the camera, and in about half of those I have my eyes closed If I'd gone missing as a four-year-old, my (very loving and attentive) parents might have had to use a six-month-old photo of me, too

 

[rvlvr]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>


They’ve given regular updates and said plenty. I suspect some people just don’t like what police have and haven’t said, because they’ve made an assumption about what has happened here but aren’t being fed any information that might support that assumption. That must be frustrating but it isn’t the police’s job to pander to people with nothing better to do but speculate idly.

 

[statt#1]

Yes, that's correct. Tiverton was originally known as Pat's Well, before being acquired by the Tiver family.

Hey zesszesszess, how big is a Wombat, are there Wombat holes out on that ground, and could Gus fall down in to one, or crawl in one and be lost down under ground?

BTW, you being local could lend a huge and valuable amount of insight in to this case, good to have you here!

 

[Dotta]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>


My guess!!! is
the family didn't have any photos of Gus.
(Except maybe "baby" ones)

Then they remembered the Orientation Day at school
and probably contacted it to send the photo
as teachers usually take pictures of future pupils as souvenirs.

And it likely took time to get this particular photo.

Just Speculation on my part!!!

JMO