Police give chilling Gus Lamont update after 4-year-old vanishes from grandparents’ home

Gus Lamont, 4, vanished from his grandparents’ remote sheep station in the South Australian outback two months ago, with police now set to search a number of remote mine shafts

Police have delivered a chilling update on the hunt for missing four year old Gus Lamont who disappeared from his grandparents’ property in South Australia.

They revealed that several remote mine shafts will now be examined as they press on with their search for the little boy. The tot went missing two months ago from an isolated sheep station in the South Australian outback, sparking an enormous search operation involving police, soldiers, SES crews, divers, and locals.

The latest search mission could stretch up to three days and will involve specialist equipment to examine six uncovered mine shafts situated between 5.5km and 12km from the property where Gus was last spotted in Oak Park.

South Australia Police confirmed the shafts are positioned in areas not previously searched on foot by officers, and that police were unaware of these sites beforehand. “We are determined to explore every avenue in an effort to locate Gus Lamont and provide some closure for his family,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Linda Williams said.

“These searches will either locate evidence or eliminate these locations from further investigation by the Task Force,” reports the Mirror.

Officers confirmed this next stage of the investigation is being undertaken to ensure all locations of potential interest are examined in the bid to find Gus. Just days into the hunt, a local resident revealed how many in the community worried Gus had tumbled into one of numerous concealed shafts dotting the area.

“I would be more worried about the unmarked wells and mines he may have fallen into,” one resident told the Daily Mail. “That’s the talk among locals.

“Most aren’t on any maps. If Gus’ grandparents have owned that property for a while, they should know where they are – although I’m still finding new spots on my property. Most have different-coloured material around them from being dug out, but some are flush with the ground and have overgrowth all around them.”

He added: “Some are easy to see, some definitely not… but hopefully Gus is just lost… and not perished.”

On October 31, officers drained a massive dam on the property and eliminated the possibility that the tot might have drowned. This came after thorough ground and aerial searches of the region around the Oak Park Station homestead since Gus disappeared.

A fortnight before, police wrapped up a four-day ground search at Oak Park Station, following an initial 10-day hunt with both operations involving SA Police, ADF personnel, SES volunteers, trackers and local landowners.

“The ground searching at Oak Park Station has now extended to 5.5km from the homestead,” police said. “This equates to 95 sqkm searched on foot. The original search area extended well beyond this with the use of the mounted operations unit and Polair. This area has been estimated at 470 sqkm.”

The police have stated that they’re pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to find Gus, and that his family are receiving support from a victim contact office.