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

[Ruminations]

For sure, although Imo it does need to be said it's just speculation that JL/JM took off at the crack of dawn to commence whatever it was they were doing on the station that day.

I think that for those who tend towards believing the basics represented in the police timeline back then are still considered to be solid by police now ( I lean that way at present), then all we can assume is that SM was alone with the children at the time she told police Gus went missing, and that JM/JL were out on the station.

For all anyone knows, JM could have gone out early and JL joined them after breakfast, or they both may have left after Gus was up. We don't have that level of detail available to us.

But if police are still working off the same time line that Gus disappeared that day ( ie not the day before for eg), then I think they must be quite certain that he was alive and well at the homestead that morning. If so, then Imo this will be because JL saw him before she left (whatever time that may have been,) and Police believe her. Jmo

Bouncing off to speculation as to what timeline police are working from * now*, below is something I picked up from the presser last week ( I made a post a ways back about it).

At about time stamp 32:36 the Supt. is asked:

"Does the time line from when he was last seen still stand?"

He replies "We are still working on that time line, yes".

I'd take that as a no, the timeline from when he was last seen apparently does not stand.

I feel like the Supt changed the question around to, "Might there be changes in the timeline in regards to when Gus was last seen?" And he answered yes.

MOO

 

[drsleuth]

To keep this short as it does not relate to our GL case study, GJ himself went off on a completely different tangent and lost focus on the WT case and wasted valuable time that pushed the suspected main perpetrators out of focus, and yes he was shafted very quickly for those actions.
Drawing a parallel between both cases: we want SAPOL to do their job right and not have to go back to a verandah and comb through the sand pit. But if we may for a moment draw parallels between both cases then let us do so because both cases share similarities.
1. A young boy goes missing without a trace.
2. There are inconsistencies between versions of events especially the timeline and period of time allowing for a cover-up if a cover-up exists??
3. We find out much later that in the former that CA occurred with the other child not knowing if it occurred in the primary but in our present case this has not and I stress has not occurred afawk. However police most wisely used listening devices to detect CA in the WT case and saved a victim. Thank you officiers.
4. Electronic devices are involved.
5. Variations of events and timelines are strongly being questioned and definitely questioned in the WT case.
6. Many parties involved costing an immeasurable amount of time and money and valuable resources that could be used elsewhere and costing that effects every Australian.
7. Members of the family are distanced away from the claimed crime scene.
And the list could go on.
MOOs'

William Tyrrrell's thread is here , currently up to thread # 79

Australia Thread 'Australia - William Tyrrell Disappeared While Playing in Yard - Kendall (NSW) 12 Sept 2014 #79'

Sep 11, 2016

William Tyrrell: ‘One million reasons’ to come forward over toddler’s abduction
7:29pm September 12, 2016

A $1 million reward, the largest in New South Wales history, has been announced for information that leads to the arrest of the person who abducted missing toddler William Tyrrell, or for the boy’s safe return or recovery.

William, then aged three, went...

• Coldpizza
• Replies: 1,706
• Forum: 2010's Missing

• 

NSWPF have never charged / arrested any person/s in relation to WT's disappearance , well over 4yrs after naming the FM as a suspect.

Time will tell if your above assertions turn out to be correct or not re WT. IMO

 

[gerardo20]

I feel like the Supt changed the question around to, "Might there be changes in the timeline in regards to when Gus was last seen?" And he answered yes.

Since granma Shannon has engaged a defense lawyer, there is a possibility her evidence and actions are seen as indirectly implicated in the major crime declared.
It remains to be seen whether her evidence that she saw Gus around 5pm that day stands up in any court case.

We have no timeline for when Gus was last seen by a "third party."
For all we know, family may have arranged for Gus to go into hiding.

There are networks of people in Australia who arrange for kids to go into hiding to avoid a parent having contact with them. One network was arranging for a yacht to sequester kids to New Zealand and beyond.

Abductions aided and abetted by these networks have succeeding in keeping kids in hiding for periods several years..... All it takes is a family friend sympathetic to one parent or grandparent. Australia has a high rate of these sorts of abductions.

Three women charged for assisting two mothers to abduct their children

Three more people have been charged over their alleged roles in parental abduction ring that stretched across Australia.

www.smh.com.au

Alleged mastermind of child-stealing syndicate granted bail

A 64-year-old doctor accused of financing a syndicate that allegedly helped mothers who committed parental abductions will be forced to wear a GPS tracker when he is released on bail.

www.abc.net.au

Men sentenced for helping parental abductions of children | Australian Federal Police

Two men have been sentenced after being prosecuted in a long-running AFP investigation into a group of people allegedly assisting the parental abduction of children across Australia.

www.afp.gov.au

It has been noted that it is unusual for a family to refuse publication of an image of their missing child.
If an abduction was arranged, those behind the abduction would certainly not want his photo published. This refusal was well before police ruled out abduction by a party unknown to the family, so abduction was a real possibility at that stage, and publishing a photo has often assisted police find abducted children....that's why the family were asked by police to publish a photo.

 

[wulfmoon]

William Tyrrrell's thread is here , currently up to thread # 79

Australia Thread 'Australia - William Tyrrell Disappeared While Playing in Yard - Kendall (NSW) 12 Sept 2014 #79'

Sep 11, 2016

William Tyrrell: ‘One million reasons’ to come forward over toddler’s abduction
7:29pm September 12, 2016

A $1 million reward, the largest in New South Wales history, has been announced for information that leads to the arrest of the person who abducted missing toddler William Tyrrell, or for the boy’s safe return or recovery.

William, then aged three, went...

• Coldpizza
• Replies: 1,706
• Forum: 2010's Missing

• 

NSWPF have never charged / arrested any person/s in relation to WT's disappearance , well over 4yrs after naming the FM as a suspect.

Time will tell if your above assertions turn out to be correct or not re WT. IMO

drsleuth,
Let us not close on this opportunity to draw on your experience on the WT case without putting your skills to use in this case we have at hand: the disappearance of Gus Lamont.
From your collective studies of the WT case are you able to provide us with any insight and direction in this case of GL that you believe we should be looking at given the pitfalls and failures in the WT case?

 

[jepop]

[Snipped by me for focus]

It has been noted that it is unusual for a family to refuse publication of an image of their missing child.
If an abduction was arranged, those behind the abduction would certainly not want his photo published. This refusal was well before police ruled out abduction by a party unknown to the family, so abduction was a real possibility at that stage, and publishing a photo has often assisted police find abducted children....that's why the family were asked by police to publish a photo.

RSBM for focus.

IMO. It's nothing but poster speculation that the anyone in this family "refused publication of a photo" A photo was published. As to the timing of it's release.

30th Sept 2025 (Commissioner Stevens)

"He said police believed Gus was still on the property, had not been taken and that releasing his image would serve no purpose in the search".

Emergency services and community members continue search for 4yo boy

Police are continuing to search for a four-year-old boy who vanished while playing in sand at his family's isolated sheep grazing property near Yunta in a remote part of South Australia's north.

www.abc.net.au

 

[jepop]

I'd take that as a no, the timeline from when he was last seen apparently does not stand.

I feel like the Supt changed the question around to, "Might there be changes in the timeline in regards to when Gus was last seen?" And he answered yes.

MOO

At the very least, I think it means police still believe Gus went missing that day and not some other day prior. Jmo

 

[gerardo20]

"He said police believed Gus was still on the property, had not been taken and that releasing his image would serve no purpose in the search".

Thanks for this....
This "belief" of the police was before the search turned up no expected sign of Gus wandering off or being taken by someone against the family's wishes, before the finding of inconsistencies from the family and before the declaration of a major crime investigation.
It also does not refute that the family did not want the photo published. It merely indicates the police sensitively supporting the decision for a photo not to be published as pointless in a search at a stage when the police had every reason to believe all members of the family.

I agree publishing a photo might serve no purpose. If Gus was abducted by one of these support networks, they are adept at disguising children, dye hair, etc.

No photo was published for a week.
If publishing a photo serves no purpose, why was one published at all??

 

[Bigditch]

Thanks for this....
This "belief" of the police was before the search turned up no expected sign of Gus wandering off or being taken by someone against the family's wishes, before the finding of inconsistencies from the family and before the declaration of a major crime investigation.
It also does not refute that the family did not want the photo published. It merely indicates the police sensitively supporting the decision for a photo not to be published as pointless in a search at a stage when the police had every reason to believe all members of the family.

I agree publishing a photo might serve no purpose. If Gus was abducted by one of these support networks, they are adept at disguising children, dye hair, etc.

No photo was published for a week.
If publishing a photo serves no purpose, why was one published at all??

I find the articles regarding support networks interesting (although one was paywalled). It appears to me that one is speaking to DV and SA, whereas the other article is about false abductions.

 

[jepop]

You are right wallyworld. I have already questioned this as I suspect that the use of it was questionable. Let's not talk about the DM.
But as I have already stated previously and as an emphatic question: why would you allow a child to play in the sand pit (dirt) when you have snakes outside? Unless you want the child to be bitten by a brownie! (A brown snake)
Nothing quite adds up, does it?

One snake on one day does not mean the place is constantly teeming with snakes IMO, even in their most active season.

Put generally, what's a parent to do? Is a child never to play in a sand pile outside without around the clock supervision incase a snake approaches and strikes them? I don't personally believe it's even likely a snake would approach a human unless to strike after being surprised.

For instance I grew up in the bush, from a young age, my parents educated me about snakes, I was allowed to play in front of my house in sand or whatever. I'm not the only one of course. Children do play outside their houses in rural areas in this country when there are snakes that live in the bush around them. Imo

Jmo, if there are no snakes where someone is playing when they start playing there (eg a sand pile in front of a homestead ) then from my understanding of snake behaviour in general (in Aust) the chance of a snake actually approaching a child at play and striking in broad daylight are low.

All we have re Gus is statements from police relaying what was assumedly told to them by SM. Gus was "playing in the sand as usual". Not commenting on the truthfulness or otherwise of that, just to point out that if he "usually" did play in that sand pile then how do we know that 1) it was not quickly checked for snakes before he began playing as a general thing, 2) Gus knew to back away and leave he ever saw a snake 3) risk was mitigated by Gus wearing appropriate footwear when playing outside? ( Most strikes IMO occur on ankles legs when a snake is surprised by a human).

Just some thoughts.

 

[kurtneverdied]

Thanks for this....
This "belief" of the police was before the search turned up no expected sign of Gus wandering off or being taken by someone against the family's wishes, before the finding of inconsistencies from the family and before the declaration of a major crime investigation.
It also does not refute that the family did not want the photo published. It merely indicates the police sensitively supporting the decision for a photo not to be published as pointless in a search at a stage when the police had every reason to believe all members of the family.

I agree publishing a photo might serve no purpose. If Gus was abducted by one of these support networks, they are adept at disguising children, dye hair, etc.

No photo was published for a week.
If publishing a photo serves no purpose, why was one published at all??

Plus plus said one of the 3 avenues they explored where wandering off, someone close(words to affect), or abduction.

 

[musicaljoke]

Since granma Shannon has engaged a defense lawyer, there is a possibility her evidence and actions are seen as indirectly implicated in the major crime declared.
It remains to be seen whether her evidence that she saw Gus around 5pm that day stands up in any court case.

We have no timeline for when Gus was last seen by a "third party."
For all we know, family may have arranged for Gus to go into hiding.

There are networks of people in Australia who arrange for kids to go into hiding to avoid a parent having contact with them. One network was arranging for a yacht to sequester kids to New Zealand and beyond.

Abductions aided and abetted by these networks have succeeding in keeping kids in hiding for periods several years..... All it takes is a family friend sympathetic to one parent or grandparent. Australia has a high rate of these sorts of abductions.

Three women charged for assisting two mothers to abduct their children

Three more people have been charged over their alleged roles in parental abduction ring that stretched across Australia.

www.smh.com.au

Alleged mastermind of child-stealing syndicate granted bail

A 64-year-old doctor accused of financing a syndicate that allegedly helped mothers who committed parental abductions will be forced to wear a GPS tracker when he is released on bail.

www.abc.net.au

Men sentenced for helping parental abductions of children | Australian Federal Police

Two men have been sentenced after being prosecuted in a long-running AFP investigation into a group of people allegedly assisting the parental abduction of children across Australia.

www.afp.gov.au

It has been noted that it is unusual for a family to refuse publication of an image of their missing child.
If an abduction was arranged, those behind the abduction would certainly not want his photo published. This refusal was well before police ruled out abduction by a party unknown to the family, so abduction was a real possibility at that stage, and publishing a photo has often assisted police find abducted children....that's why the family were asked by police to publish a photo.

As was stated above, "the family" doesn't authorize the use of a child's photo. Instead it is the parents who give consent.

 

[wulfmoon]

One snake on one day does not mean the place is constantly teeming with snakes IMO, even in their most active season.

Put generally, what's a parent to do? Is a child never to play in a sand pile outside without around the clock supervision incase a snake approaches and strikes them? I don't personally believe it's even likely a snake would approach a human unless to strike after being surprised.

For instance I grew up in the bush, from a young age, my parents educated me about snakes, I was allowed to play in front of my house in sand or whatever. I'm not the only one of course. Children do play outside their houses in rural areas in this country when there are snakes that live in the bush around them. Imo

Jmo, if there are no snakes where someone is playing when they start playing there (eg a sand pile in front of a homestead ) then from my understanding of snake behaviour in general (in Aust) the chance of a snake actually approaching a child at play and striking in broad daylight are low.

All we have re Gus is statements from police relaying what was assumedly told to them by SM. Gus was "playing in the sand as usual". Not commenting on the truthfulness or otherwise of that, just to point out that if he "usually" did play in that sand pile then how do we know that 1) it was not quickly checked for snakes before he began playing as a general thing, 2) Gus knew to back away and leave he ever saw a snake 3) risk was mitigated by Gus wearing appropriate footwear when playing outside? ( Most strikes IMO occur on ankles legs when a snake is surprised by a human).

Just some thoughts.

Hi jepop,
I enjoy reading your posts.
In-laws in QLD have a very large property. They have a grassed section for children and grandchildren and no sandpit because snakes are attracted to sandpits. On removing a sandpit in my last property we found a nest of baby brown snakes.
In this vicinity of GL snakes are everywhere and as I have earlier stated the active months. September. Tiger snakes and copperheads are attracted to sand particularly wet sand. Did GL have a bucket and spade and perhaps a hose to cool him down?
My points are very relevant to this case given that we have only been given few areas of point of contact and where individuals are placed.

 

[LookingForClues]

I hope we get another update from LE soon. It's so hard to know what to think right now. So often what we think we know turns out to be nowhere near the truth. One outsized persona can overshadow what's hidden beneath it all. Sometimes it's the quiet ones we should be watching.

 

[_sleuthdog_]

Re photo, I don’t see an issue with releasing just the one photo and also the hesitation to release one at all (if Gus was on or around the property). I wouldn’t want my child’s images, let alone my own, all over the internet. Just look at the shite some media outlets post about this case and the people around it, and the AI that is used to take advantage of even a single photo. That single photo of Gus is now out there and it can never be taken back.

 

[wulfmoon]

On a separate note. I have noted on several occasions, individuals either directly or indirectly use metaphors either symbolically or verbally or both when involved in a crime.

 

[kurtneverdied]

Re photo, I don’t see an issue with releasing just the one photo and also the hesitation to release one at all (if Gus was on or around the property). I wouldn’t want my child’s images, let alone my own, all over the internet. Just look at the shite some media outlets post about this case and the people around it, and the AI that is used to take advantage of even a single photo. That single photo of Gus is now out there and it can never be taken back.

I see your point. But it's natural to do whatever it takes to get your child back even if the odds are .0001% he was taken by a stranger. Like I said abduction was also a line of inquiry be LE.

 

[gerardo20]

Re photo, I don’t see an issue with releasing just the one photo and also the hesitation to release one at all (if Gus was on or around the property). I wouldn’t want my child’s images, let alone my own, all over the internet. Just look at the shite some media outlets post about this case and the people around it, and the AI that is used to take advantage of even a single photo. That single photo of Gus is now out there and it can never be taken back.

I agree a family would/should be ambivalent about publishing a photo, especially in a situation where there is an expectation the child would be found on an isolated property with no real prospect of outsiders contributing anything interesting. AI was used, for example to falsify an image of a man seeming to put Gus in a 4WD.

But with hindsight, in the context of a major crime investigation where the suspect has given inconsistent responses, the contrast with other situations where a photo is released immediately by parents/family takes on a different hue.

 

[jepop]

Hi jepop,
I enjoy reading your posts.
In-laws in QLD have a very large property. They have a grassed section for children and grandchildren and no sandpit because snakes are attracted to sandpits. On removing a sandpit in my last property we found a nest of baby brown snakes.
In this vicinity of GL snakes are everywhere and as I have earlier stated the active months. September. Tiger snakes and copperheads are attracted to sand particularly wet sand. Did GL have a bucket and spade and perhaps a hose to cool him down?
My points are very relevant to this case given that we have only been given few areas of point of contact and where individuals are placed.

No problem, I also enjoy reading many of your posts and as I understand it all opinions ( sans those breaking TOS) are welcome on this thread! I understand your speculation was a sort of what if? What if Gus was deliberately allowed to play in sand pile because someone wanted him bitten? Just personally I think that is a bit of a stretch and I'll leave it there. Moo

Just in regard to snakes and South Aust specifically, I found these, published by SA dept of environment. Posting it as general info for anyone interested.

Your guide to the snakes commonly found in South Australia

As we head into spring with warmer days and more sunshine, you’re more likely to encounter snakes. Learn more about the species of snakes commonly found…

www.environment.sa.gov.au

What to do if you see a snake in the wild

Make sure you know how to deal with snakes as they make their reappearance in the warmer months. Here's the basics.

www.environment.sa.gov.au

Department for Environment and Water - Snakes

Many of the world's most venomous snakes live in Australia.

www.environment.sa.gov.au

On the last link, the advice is that snakes might shelter in piles of rubbish, under corrugated iron and so forth. I do want to note that sand piles are not mentioned/singled out at all. Maybe that means it's not common in SA, idk. Please understand I'm not questioning or doubting your experience with snakes and sand piles. Moo