Search for August ‘Gus’ Lamont near Yunta in Outback SA ends
Four-year-old Gus Lamont remains missing three weeks after disappearing from his family’s remote SA homestead, leaving a devastated community and unanswered questions.
As the sun sank towards its hazy horizon, little Gus Lamont played all alone on a mound of dirt in the low-lying scrub outside his family’s remote homestead.
It was 5pm, with just over an hour left of light at Oak Park Station in South Australia’s northern pastoral districts.
Temperatures had soared into the high 20s during the day, but with the setting sun they would start to rapidly chill.
Gus’s grandmother Shannon was inside the homestead, 43km south of Yunta, looking after his one-year-old brother, Ronnie. She was taking care of the boys while their mother, Jessica, and another grandparent, Josie, tended to sheep on the family’s station.
The sight – at 5pm on September 27 – of the blonde-haired, cherub-faced four-year-old amusing himself in his dusty playground was the last to ever be glimpsed of the youngster.
Thirty minutes later, Shannon emerged from the homestead to call him inside.
But she discovered an empty, barren landscape.
“A four-year-old doesn’t just disappear into thin air – they have to be somewhere…” SA Police officer-in-charge of Yorke Mid North superintendent Mark Syrus said just days after Gus vanished.
But where the little boy is remains a mystery – and may forever be unknown as a second ground search for Gus came to an end on Friday.
Despite one of the largest and most intensive search operations in the state’s history ¬– involving SA Police, Australian Defence Force personnel, SES volunteers, trackers and local property owners, no physical evidence connected to Gus’ disappearance has been uncovered in the three weeks since he went missing.
Tracker and former policeman Aaron Stuart said it was “highly unusual” that a child had disappeared seemingly without a trace.
Mr Stuart urged the community and authorities to maintain their efforts and drive to find Gus.
“Don’t let this turn into a Beaumont case or a…Chamberlain case,” he said, referring to the 1966 disappearance of siblings Jane, 9, Arnna, 7, and Grant Beaumont, who vanished from Glenelg Beach in 1966, and the case of Azaria Chamberlain who disappeared from a campsite near Uluru in 1980.
“We don’t give up on the young fella - Keep trying and keep looking and keep all avenues open.
“He’s out there somewhere.”
Peterborough Home Hardware co-owner Connie Srour said the wider community remained devastated for Gus and his family.
“It’s just very sad, sad thing to happen,” she said.
“Everyone is really upset.”
Police said the renewed search for Gus had concluded about lunchtime on Friday – after no sign of the little boy was found.
Police on Thursday told The Advertiser the harsh terrain of the region may have hampered efforts to uncover evidence in the heartbreaking case.
“The fact Gus is a small child, the terrain is extremely rugged, harsh and subject to changing weather conditions has made the search difficult and more challenging for those involved,” a spokesperson said.
“Each of these factors may have contributed to the lack of evidence discovered.
“The location also presents less opportunities for police searching for a missing person, compared with an urban environment.”
Police have conducted two extensive searches since Gus vanished – The first launched after family reported Gus missing on September 27.
This was suspended on Friday, October 3.
However, on the following Tuesday police announced the search for Gus would resume, in an area outside of the original search zone.
The renewed search, which took place over four days, covered an area that extended to a 5.5km radius from the Oak Park Station homestead.
The original search area covered about 470sq km.
As well as significant numbers of ground searchers, the operation also included the use of Polair, drones, infra-red technology and satellite technology in an effort to find Gus and bring closure to his grieving family.
Sadly, no further clues as to the whereabouts of Gus were found and searchers began packing up about midday on Friday.
Police officers involved in the operation were due to return to Adelaide later in the day while ADF members were expected to stay in Peterborough, where they had been based during the search, on Friday night as part of their fatigue management plan.
Despite winding up the operation, police have not ruled out further searches in the future.
“Police have been making every effort to return Gus to his family through detailed, meticulous and protracted searching of the property and this remains a priority,” police said in a statement on Friday.
“The family of Gus Lamont have continued to cooperate fully with police and are being supported by a victim contact officer.”
Police stressed that “no evidence of foul play has been discovered during the investigation”.
