The man who lived with four-year-old Gus Lamont is now considered a suspect in his disappearance, South Australia The police declared the case as a major crime on Thursday.
Gus He disappeared from his family’s outhouse Four months ago, SA Police launched what they called “one of the biggest, most intense and longest searches” they had ever undertaken.
Mounted police, police divers, rescue and emergency services personnel, drones and trackers searched the 60,000-hectare Oak Park station near Uinta, about 300 kilometers inland from Adelaide.
Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke, the officer in charge of major crime, said police had effectively ruled out Gus being on the loose and Gus being abducted. He said they were now questioning someone in his household – but insisted the suspect was not one of his parents.
Fielke said police “found many inconsistencies and discrepancies” in the information received from family members.
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“As a result of these inconsistencies and the investigation into them, one resident of Oak Park Station has withdrawn his support for the police and is no longer cooperating with us,” he said.
“The person who withdrew their cooperation is now considered a suspect in Gus’s disappearance. However, I want to emphasize that Gus’ parents are not suspects in his disappearance.
“As you will appreciate at this time, as this is now a criminal investigation and a declared major crime, I cannot comment further on the suspect. However, what I can say is that we will continue to conduct a thorough and thorough investigation into Gus’s disappearance.”
He said that the family was shocked by this development.
Gus, described by a family friend as shy but adventurous, was playing outside the family sheep station on September 27 at 5pm.
A blond, curly-haired boy wearing a blue t-shirt with a yellow minion on the front, a gray sunhat, light-gray long pants, and boots.
When his grandmother went to call him half an hour later, he was gone, police said.
Police executed a search warrant at the property on January 14 and 15 and seized a vehicle, motorbike and electronic equipment.
On Thursday, police explained the challenges of investigating outside metropolitan areas, where CCTV, traffic cameras and witnesses can help. They also revealed extensive details of the search to explain why they ruled out Gus wandering or being abducted.
Fielke explained that eight separate ground searches covered 95 square kilometers around the property over 20 days.
“The community should take comfort that no stone is being left unturned in this investigation,” Feilke said.
Pollair used infrared thermal imaging in a 12km radius around the property. The drones covered the homestead, dams and nearby travel routes and covered 706 sq km with highly specialized camera equipment. Its images were processed using AI software and reviewed by Task Force Horizon researchers and are detailed enough to distinguish between sheep, goats, kangaroos and humans.
“Despite these extraordinary efforts, all combined searches have found no evidence, physical or otherwise, to indicate that Gus wandered,” Fielke said.
A second investigation looked into the possibility that Gus might have been abducted by an unknown person.
Fielke said neighbors, those who work at and near the station, and those who commute in the area have been identified and all have been given concessions. He said Crime Stoppers and other information reports had “no evidence to suggest that Gus was abducted from the property” and the station’s remoteness meant “the likelihood of someone abducting Gus was extremely low.”
“So that leaves us with the other part of the investigation and that is investigating whether people that Gus knew were involved in his disappearance.
“We will continue to investigate Gus’s disappearance thoroughly and meticulously. We are all focused and determined to locate Gus and return him to his parents.
“Nothing is off the table as we work towards that outcome.”
Anyone with information should get in touch Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 above.
