Massive update in search for Gus Lamont: Cops to return to outback South Australian property and drain dam

The search for missing four-year-old boy Gus Lamont will resume, with police preparing to drain a dam.

South Australia Police released a statement on Thursday, revealing officers would search the family’s homestead, Oak Park Station – about 40km south of Yunta – on Friday.

‘The draining of the dam will enable a comprehensive visual search to be completed, particularly areas with underwater vegetation,’ it read.

‘The renewed search of the dam is being undertaken to rule out the possibility Gus may have drowned.

‘This follows extensive ground and air searches of the area surrounding the homestead since Gus disappeared.’

The dam is about 600m from the homestead and is about 4.5m deep.

It was previously searched by police divers in the initial days of the search for Gus.

Australian Defence Force personnel have also been called in to help.

+4
View gallery

The search for missing four-year-old boy Gus Lamont will be resumed, with cops preparing to drain a dam

+4
View gallery

A search party at the property on October 17

The little boy was last seen outside his grandparents’ house on September 27 at about 5pm.

He was under the care of his grandmother Shannon Murray while his mother Jessica and grandparent Josie tended to their herd of sheep 10km away.

Police stressed that to date investigations had not uncovered ‘any evidence of foul play’.

‘The family of Gus have continued to co-operate fully with police and are being supported by a victim contact officer,’ an SA Police spokesman said.

‘Further searches of the property will be considered in the future as Task Force Horizon investigations continue.’

There have been a number of theories as to where Gus may have gone.

An expert in human physiology from Flinders University offered an alarming theory that the search area may not have been big enough.

‘Over a three-day period we’re looking at potentially three to eight kilometres,’ Nina Siversten told 7NEWS.

+4
View gallery

Police search for Gus at the family’s homestead

+4
View gallery

SA Police, the Australian Army and SES crews searching for Gus at Oak Park Station on October 17

The initial search radius was originally 2km surrounding the homestead. The second effort extended to an extra 2.5km to 3km further into the scrub.

‘If the child could access some sort of moisture or dew or moist leaves, that could increase survival somewhat beyond the three days,’ Ms Siversten said.

‘I think that fear would be an absolute factor and that would impact on the ability to move, but also on finding shelter.’

Earlier this week, the Indigenous tracker who joined the search for Gus expressed quiet confidence that the child will eventually be found.

Ronald Boland, a Port Augusta–based Aboriginal tracker, told Daily Mail he remained certain the boy would be located.

‘That little boy deserves respect to go about it on all the right roads,’ he said.

‘Police will find him, they will. They do what they do best, I do what I do best. One day I will tell the story (about Gus).’