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

[Bats]

These last few updates have felt like SAPOL pointing everyone in a direction without naming names. They’re not saying it outright, but they’re giving enough detail that any adult can work out what they mean. Someone knows something. Someone has stopped cooperating. This is now a major crime. That isn’t “lost in the scrub” language.

Now we get this statement from the parents, plus a new photo and that short video of Gus just riding his bike in the dirt. Absolute gut punch.

And read the wording.

“answers about what happened”
“we know someone out there may have information”
“we are pleading with that person”
“even the smallest detail”

To me that’s pressure. It’s a permission slip. Not for vigilante nonsense. But for serious, persistent questioning. This is exactly the kind of moment where the polite silence brigade needs to sit down.

Which brings me to Jonica Bray. She went out there to ask questions and half this forum acted like she was the problem. Turns out she was early, not wrong. Some of you owe her an apology.

So where is the media now. If this is what the parents and police are signalling, why aren’t journalists hammering the timeline, the inconsistencies, the lack of cooperation, every single day until someone breaks. If you want truth, pressure is part of how you get it.

IMO,
Yes, using the media can work well when used strategically by investigators.

No doubt today's news is strategic and hopefully will serve its purpose.

In this case, i suspect the police's use of the media has a target audience of one or two people. That's it. Quite simply, the news today hasn't come from journalists "investigating" a crime, it has been because they were approached and "asked" to publish a statement and photos. The so called "pressure" is being applied by investigators and the media is their tool.

That's the way I see it.
IMO

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2026167053653319787

https://twitter.com/x/status/2026159150657392686

 

[Serononin]

Glad to see they have finally spoken out about their little boy by appealing for public assistance ( via a police released statement ) to help locate Gus.

Also that Josh & Jess also thanked the police etc

I wonder why now?, after nearly 5 months , and about 20 days after police declared a suspect.

What a little cutie Gus is, clearly a "farm" kid!

https://www.police.sa.gov.au/sa-police-news-assets/front-page-news/gus-lamont-parents-appeal-for-informationhttps://www.police.sa.gov.au/sa-police-news-assets/front-page-news/gus-lamont-parents-appeal-for-information

Gus Lamont parents appeal for information​

24 Feb 2026 2:49pm
The parents of four-year-old Gus Lamont, who disappeared from Oak Valley Station on 27 September 2025, have appealed for public assistance as police investigations continue.
Gus’s parents have also released video and another photograph of him to assist the investigation.

Task Force Horizon investigations are continuing.

"We are united in our grief, and we are united in our search for answers about what happened to our little boy, Gus, who means everything to us. Our lives have been shattered, and every moment without him is unbearable. We know someone out there may have information. If someone knows what happened, we are pleading with that person—or anyone who may have seen or heard anything—to please come forward. Even the smallest detail could give us the answers we so desperately need.


“We also want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone involved in the search for Gus. The tireless efforts of police, emergency services, ADF personnel, volunteers, and specialists have meant more to us than we can ever say. To the friends, family and supporters who have shown such compassion, concern, and assistance during this heartbreaking time: thank you. Your kindness has helped carry us through the darkest days of our lives.


“All we want is to bring Gus home and understand what happened to our beautiful boy”.

Josh and Jess

View attachment 647952

Such an adorable little lad Those curls!

 

[Orbweaver]

I have thought of Gus every day since October. It’s so nice to see another picture of that little sweetie. There’s nothing better than a couple of teeny tiny bare feet playing in the dirt.

 

[FromGermany1]

I have thought of Gus every day since October. It’s so nice to see another picture of that little sweetie. There’s nothing better than a couple of teeny tiny bare feet playing in the dirt.

I'm sorry for him with his little barefeet on that gravel.

 

[V347]

Been a silent observer on this case and along with everyone it has broken my heart. But reading the news article and the words that have been said by mum and dad broke it even more.

I really hope those new images forces someone who may have noticed something unusual locally or unsure if they should say anything comes forward.

Moo

 

[jepop]

The police also searched on 2nd February. They declared a major crime 3 days later.


On 2 February 2026 Task Force Horizon officers searched several locations around Oak Park Station for the remains of Gus.

https://www.police.sa.gov.au/sa-police-news-assets/add-to-all-lsas/disappearance-of-gus-lamont-declared-a-major-crime

I was trying to find the source for that. Thanks SA. Moo speculating Feb 2nd could have been the occasion during which the (future) suspect "withdrew their cooperation" with police and got legal rep. Withdrawing cooperation could mean a number of things, including telling police that they would co-operate but strictly through their attorney. Jmo

My conjecture; Following the Feb 5 Presser announcing major crime and a suspect, the other grandparent got their own legal rep that same day. This may have been perceived by SAPOL as "no longer cooperating"( ie directly) with police. Either that or Commissioner Stevens mis-spoke on Feb 17th. Jmo

 

[Skigh]

I'm sorry for him with his little barefeet on that gravel.

Especially in the heat as it would get hot and with there being a variety of snakes known to live in the environment.

 

[PolyDot]

Why do you think parents release statement & more photos of Gus now … ??is it to prompt tips about the case ? Can’t help thinking that police might not have any leads

 

[Ruminations]

It is beautiful and heartbreaking to see new photos and videos of Gus.

But there really isn't any information added.

If anything, it's muddled, because -why photos now? Photos are helpful if there is reason to believe somebody who did not know it was Gus saw Gus or might see Gus.

LE has been basically saying, "We have identified a grandparent as a suspect, but we won't tell you which one." I do not know enough about Australia to determine if the suspected grandparent knows they are the suspect, nor do I know the local laws and practices enough to know it means the suspect is suspected of doing a crime, or being a witness, etc. Does Australia use "suspect" like Americans use "Person of interest?" Or are they saying something more sinister? Do Australian LE officers have to charge someone identified as a suspect in a certain amount of time?

Then, the parents come out with photos and a message of limited unity.

It's not clarifying.

MOO

 

[PolyDot]

It is beautiful and heartbreaking to see new photos and videos of Gus.

But there really isn't any information added.

If anything, it's muddled, because -why photos now? Photos are helpful if there is reason to believe somebody who did not know it was Gus saw Gus or might see Gus.

LE has been basically saying, "We have identified a grandparent as a suspect, but we won't tell you which one." I do not know enough about Australia to determine if the suspected grandparent knows they are the suspect, nor do I know the local laws and practices enough to know it means the suspect is suspected of doing a crime, or being a witness, etc. Does Australia use "suspect" like Americans use "Person of interest?" Or are they saying something more sinister? Do Australian LE officers have to charge someone identified as a suspect in a certain amount of time?

Then, the parents come out with photos and a message of limited unity.

It's not clarifying.

MOO

I just don’t understand the release of photos and the public appeal for information. Gus went missing on a very isolated farm — who exactly are they appealing to that could possibly have seen or heard anything?

 

[ChatteringBirds]

All JMO:
The grandmothers could now lose not only one grandson but both grandsons and their daughter.

Or one of them could decide to go forward to authorities with information.

Or possibly someone did witness something but hasn't wanted to come forward, perhaps out of fear of what could happen next. If so, they might solve this by having the courage to come forward now.

 

[AmoryK]

I just don’t understand the release of photos and the public appeal for information. Gus went missing on a very isolated farm — who exactly are they appealing to that could possibly have seen or heard anything?

To appeal to one or both grandparents who might know what happened, and/or to tug on the conscious of a local person who saw or heard something, might have had vague suspicions but hasn’t come forward yet.

 

[Dotta]

Strange things are happening behind the scenes

That is one thing I can say with certainty,
everything else is a mystery.

But then,
this case was weird from the start

JMO

 

[linge]

I just don’t understand the release of photos and the public appeal for information. Gus went missing on a very isolated farm — who exactly are they appealing to that could possibly have seen or heard anything?

JMO, but it signals that they're aligned with the continuing investigation, not with the grandparents, who we've been told by SAPOL are no longer cooperating (what that means, if anything, is open to interpretation; my own interpretation is that it goes beyond simply 'lawyering up' and then continuing to provide them information through that lawyer). It reenforces the distinction (and possibly deepens a divide) between them that SAPOL has already taken pains to publicly emphasize, that the parents are not suspects and are still helping. And agree with other comments that it could well be about applying pressure to the non-suspect grandparent that if they 'pick the side' of the suspect, it's siding against their daughter and could cost them even more than they've already lost. Whatever family dynamics may be going on behind closed doors could impact how effective that is as leverage.

While it could be that they're running out of leads, it could also be that it would be easier going forward if 'the suspect' was standing alone, that getting the other grandparent to swing against 'the suspect' would help build a stronger case, that having the cooperation and permission of one of the two property-owners would open up more free range for searches (not sure what the laws are surrounding this), or additional considerations.

---

Also, again JMO, but while late this release just seems so much more normal than the initial 'family' statements coming out of Oak Park Station that it really underscores how abnormal those statements were. The emotions expressed, the gratitude to everyone trying to help, the appeals for anything anyone could offer to help solve this, are all in line with what we've come to expect from families of a missing child, rightly or wrongly. It's a far cry from "You can't help. We are still dealing with this," from a single picture for months, and from emphasizing the desire for privacy.

MOO.

 

[linge]

To appeal to one or both grandparents who might know what happened, and/or to tug on the conscious of a local person who saw or heard something, might have had vague suspicions but hasn’t come forward yet.

Think this is an important point. People have a hard time keeping secrets this big, they often tell someone, and that someone often ends up being the key to solving the crime.

Spoiler: Off topic personal experience with this

Years ago, a friend was hit by a car while bicycling home late at night and left for dead. Someone saw it happen and called an ambulance so she survived and eventually recovered (pretty miraculously, given the extent of her injuries), but the witness couldn't describe the vehicle, no video footage, nothing. When police said they weren't going to pursue it, we organized, put 'polite' pressure on them to rethink that, and brought the media into it. Months later, police got a tip from someone who had seen the news about it and couldn't hold it in any longer- a coworker of the father of the (drunk) driver. The driver had told the father, the father had to tell someone, and the media coverage made the victim real enough to get the coworker to do the right thing despite reluctance to get involved and betray a confidence. Without that tip, it would have been one more cold case gathering dust.

 

[AmoryK]

I remember too that early on in the investigation we were told that abduction wasn’t possible because of the isolation of the property - but also because any vehicle would create dust trails that could be seen from some distance.

A vehicle might have been used to move the body. It might have gone to places where vehicles don’t often go, or travelled at unusual times of day, or even made multiple trips. Maybe a neighbour noticed unusual dust trails and vehicle movement but was reassured or misled about the purpose of the travel, or perhaps had suspicions as time went on but pushed them to the back of their mind. With this appeal from the parents and those beautiful and heart-rending shots of Gus reminding them he was a living person not just a case, perhaps their conscious will be prodded and they’ll provide information now.

There might also be old friends of the grandparents who know where they liked to go, eg in the National park, or had heard them talk of hiding places or secret places.

 

[Athena Holmes]

I think the video of this beautiful alive little boy on his balance bike, is to pull on the heartstrings/emotions of the grandparent (in my view Shannon) who is covering (in my view) for Jose. They are "pleading" with her to do the right thing.

 

[nao]

I'm sorry for him with his little barefeet on that gravel.

Moo...being bare foot is normal in Australia for children and adults