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 disappeared last Saturday afternoon from his grandparents’ secluded property, located around 40 kilometers south of Yunta, north-east of Adelaide.
Just hours after Gus’s photo was shared by his family, South Australian Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Parrott made a difficult announcement on Friday, conceding with regret that it is unlikely Gus will be found alive.
Despite a massive search effort—one of the largest in the state’s history—police have no substantial leads regarding Gus’s location, with the only clue being a footprint discovered 500 meters from the homestead.
‘While we’ve all been hoping for a miracle, that miracle was not eventuated,’ Commissioner Parrott said.
‘And in the last 48 hours, following expert advice suggesting that Gus probably wouldn’t have survived, we have continued and even intensified our efforts to find him and reunite him with his family.’
‘We are confident that we have done everything possible to locate Gus within the search area, but despite giving it our all, we have not succeeded in finding him. Regrettably, we must now scale back the search for Gus.’
This tough decision was reached based on scientific and expert guidance on how long a four-year-old could survive alone in such remote terrain, with freezing night temperatures, in the clothes Gus was last seen wearing.
Police have scaled back the seven-day search for four-year-old Gus (pictured)
Gus was last seen near his homestead, roughly 40km south of Yunta
Police have cast doubt on the footprint found by searchers on Tuesday
Police still hold slim hope that they will find Gus alive and return him to his family.
‘But clearly that is that potential is diminishing as days go by, we will now transition into an investigation focus,’ Commissioner Parrott said.
‘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, for the family, return him to them.’
ADF personnel will be stood down from the search on Friday afternoon.
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 believe that Gus wandered off and has not been taken, as the only people who travel on the nearby road are station owners.
Yorke Mid North superintendent Mark Syrus previously 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.’
South Australian Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Parrott made the tough call to scale back the search on Friday
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.’
