Police have scaled back the search for missing four-year-old boy Gus after admitting they still have not found any trace of him.
August ‘Gus’ Lamont, vanished last Saturday afternoon from his grandparents’ remote homestead, about 40 kilometres south of Yunta, north-east of Adelaide.
Hours after a photo of Gus was released by the family, South Australian Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Parrott made the difficult call on Friday with the sad admission that it’s unlikely Gus will be found alive.
Despite a massive search effort – one of the biggest in the state’s history, police have no significant clues regarding where Gus’ whereabouts, apart from a footprint located 500m from the property.
‘While we’ve all been hoping for a miracle, that miracle was not eventuated,’ Commissioner Parrott said.
‘And in the last 48 hours, despite the professional advice it being unlikely that Gus would have survived, we have maintained and in fact increased the effort to try and locate him and bring him back to his family.’
The tough call was based on scientific and professional advice on how long a four-year-old could survive alone in remote terrain in freezing overnight temperatures in the clothing Gus was last seen wearing.
A photo of missing boy Gus was released by the family on Thursday
Gus was last seen near his homestead, roughly 40km south of Yunta
Police have cast doubt on the footprint found by searchers on Tuesday
‘We hold our hope that we may be able to find Gus and return to his family,’ Commissioner Parrott said.
‘We’re confident that we’ve done absolutely everything we can to locate Gus within the search area, but despite our best efforts, we have not been able to locate him, and unfortunately, we are now having to scale back this search for Gus.’
‘But clearly that is that potential is diminishing as days go by, we will now transition into an investigation focus.
‘We will now continue to pursue ongoing lines of inquiry, and we will not rest until we can try and find the answer to why Gus has gone missing, and hopefully, like I said, for the family, return him to them.’
Hundreds of searchers have scoured the red dust and scrub, but the only trace of Gus is a single footprint discovered about 500 metres from the property’s homestead.
Gus was last seen wearing a grey broad-brimmed hat, a blue long-sleeved shirt with a Minion picture from Despicable Me on the front, light grey pants, and boots.
Police do not believe Gus has been taken, as the only people who travel on the nearby road are station owners.
Yorke Mid North superintendent Mark Syrus said it was ‘unusual’ for Gus to wander as he ‘normally stays within the confines of the area’.
‘But, who knows what goes through a four-year-old’s mind?’ he said.
‘We understand he’s a pretty quiet sort of lad but he is, as you know, a country lad and he’s pretty adventurous as well.
‘But him moving out of the area is a little bit unusual.’
Gus was last seen at his home near Yunta
Police have not released an image of Gus, but said he was wearing a blue Minions shirt
One local told the Daily Mail little Gus may have fallen into a mine.
‘I would be more worried about the unmarked wells and mines he may have fallen into,’ he said. ‘That’s the talk [among locals].’
The state’s north-east pastoral district is dotted with mines and wells from a bygone era well over 100 years ago – and many of the region’s station owners are still stumbling across them to this day.
They were used as water sources for livestock and for those ‘chasing the gold dream’ back in the day, according to our source.
Many of these sinister holes are virtually invisible to an adult’s naked eye – much less a meandering child.
Family friend Bill Harbison issued a statement on the family’s behalf earlier in the week.
‘This has come as a shock to our family and friends, and we are struggling to comprehend what has happened,’ it read.
‘Gus’s absence is felt in all of us and we miss him more than words can express.
‘Our hearts are aching, and we are holding onto hope that he will be found and returned to us safely.
‘At this time, we kindly ask for privacy as we focus all our energy on supporting the search and working closely with the police.’