Police have returned to a remote station in a renewed search for missing four‑year‑old August ‘Gus’ Lamont, who vanished eight months ago.
On Tuesday, South Australia police confirmed officers are back at Oak Park Station, with plans to search “numerous locations” over the next three days.
The renewed effort comes after recent heavy rain across the property — conditions police say may have created new opportunities to potentially locate evidence.
On March 1, Yunta and the outback region received 129mm of rain in a single day.
Major Crime detectives and specialist STAR Group officers are joining the three-day investigation.
Police are playing down the possibility of an imminent arrest as the search for Gus Lamont goes on.
Gus was last seen playing outside the homestead while his grandmother cared for his younger brother inside. Despite one of the largest land searches in South Australian history — involving drones, mounted officers, SES volunteers, police dogs and aircraft — the only trace ever found was a single small footprint about 500 metres from the house.
The case was later declared a major crime and indicated they had a suspect who resided at Oak Park station. Police Commissioner Grant Stevens previously said investigators had “ruled out Gus having wandered off”.
“There has not been one single piece of evidence that we have located during that searching exercise, the most extensive search, I think arguably in the history of South Australia, that has given us any indication that he did wander off,” he said.
Gus’s parents, Josh and Jess Lamont, who are not suspects, have continued to cooperate with investigators and have repeatedly appealed for information.
Two family members, Gus’s grandparents, Josie and Shannon Murray are cooperating “via their legal representatives”.
Task Force Horizon has since conducted extensive interviews, forensic examinations and multiple targeted searches across the rugged 24,000‑hectare station.
During a recent search a motorbike was seized for forensic examination.
Anyone with any information is urged to contact police.
