Police announced they scaled back a search after receiving advice from medical experts for an Australian 4-year-old who has been missing for over a week.
South Australia Police (SAPOL) said Gus Lamont wandered off from the Oak Park Station homestead, approximately 27 miles south of Yunta, around 5 p.m. on September 27. He was last seen by his grandmother playing outside on a mound of dirt. When she returned 30 minutes later to call him inside, he was gone.
SAPOL Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams said medical experts advised that “there was little hope for us to find Gus alive.”
Williams said SAPOL continued searching through Friday, and the investigation is now being managed by the Missing Persons Section, which is part of the Major Crime Investigation Branch.
Why It Matters
SAPOL Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott described the search effort as “one of the largest, most intensive and most protracted searches ever undertaken by SAPOL.”
Police, volunteers and the Australian army searched nearly 150,000 acres by air and ground, 7NEWS reported. Officials also utilized a specialized drone with infrared technology and are awaiting results.
What To Know
A family member told police that Lamont was shy but adventurous and a good walker, but he had never left the family’s property before.
Parrott said no trace has been found of Lamont, including footprints, a hat or clothing. A small footprint located on Monday was found not to be related to the child.
Parrott said senior officials spoke to the family about the fact that Lamont may not have survived due to the amount of time that has passed since his disappearance, his age and the type of terrain he went missing in. The assessment was made by a doctor who authorities consider an expert in time frame for survival, Parrott said.
“While those involved in the search have been hoping for a miracle, over the past 48 hours the search has shifted to a recovery operation,” Parrott said.
Lamont is Caucasian with long blond curly hair, and he was last seen wearing a gray sun hat, a cobalt blue long-sleeve shirt with a yellow Minion character on the front, light gray pants, and boots, 7NEWS reported.
What People Are Saying
South Australia Police Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams, in a statement: “We will never give up hope of finding Gus. There are further lines of enquiry being undertaken and the family have continued to cooperate with fully with police.”
South Australia Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott, in a statement: “We are confident that we have done all we can to locate Gus within the search area. Despite our very best efforts to find Gus we have determined that the search will be scaled back from this afternoon.”
What Happens Next
The investigation is now being managed by the Missing Persons Section of the Major Crime Investigation Branch. SAPOL said it is still appealing to the public for any information about Lamont’s disappearance.