Police have scaled back the search for missing four-year-old August Lamont, known as Gus, who disappeared from his family's sheep station near Yunta, about 300km north of Adelaide, on Saturday afternoon. Assistant police commissioner Ian Parrott said on Friday that the search had shifted to a recovery operation in the past 48 hours, with no trace of Gus found.
“At this point, no trace of Gus has been located. No tangible pieces of evidence, such as footprints, a hat or clothing, have been located to identify any direction of travel to assist searchers,” Parrott said. He added that the search was one of the largest and most intensive for a missing person in South Australia in recent times.
Police have asked the public not to call with opinions, as phone lines have been inundated with calls. Senior Constable Peter Williams urged people to only contact authorities with “actual information that may assist the investigation”. “We’re not after your opinions. We’re after help with the investigation,” he said.
Extensive searches have involved State Emergency Service volunteers on trail bikes, all-terrain vehicles, dogs, drones, helicopters, police divers, mounted officers, and almost 50 Australian Defence Force personnel. A tiny footprint was found 500 metres from the homestead on Tuesday night, but police cautioned it could have been there for a week.
Police do not believe the disappearance is suspicious. The family earlier said they were “struggling to comprehend what has happened”. The boy was last seen playing in sand near the homestead.
