An expert criminologist shares her theory on what happened to the missing boy.

Gus Lamont was last seen on September 27. (Image: SA Police)

Nearly a month has passed since “shy but adventurous” Gus Lamont was last seen playing on a mound of red dirt on his family’s remote sheep station on the edge of South Australia’s Red Centre.

Dressed in a blue T-shirt with a yellow Minion on the front, and with his distinctive curly blonde hair, four-year-old Gus was outside the homestead on his grandparent’s 60,000 hectare sheep station at around 5pm when his grandmother went to check on him.

Thirty minutes later, she went to call him inside for dinner and he had vanished.

For the next three hours, as the light began to fade, the family frantically searched the Oak Park Station property for Gus, but there was no sign of him.

At 8.30pm on Saturday 27 September they called the police.

At the time of writing, South Australian Police, battling extreme heat and strong winds, had renewed their search with a dedicated task force, with police revealing it is “one of the largest, most intensive and most protracted searches” they have ever undertaken.

Eighteen police officers were joined by 82 Australian Defence Force members and seven SES volunteers, combing the outback for any signs of Gus.

“With temperatures of 36 degrees and strong northerly winds in the search area on day three, searching is expected to start at sunrise and conclude at midday,” a police spokesperson told media on October 15.

A PolAir helicopter with infrared technology was deployed and an area of 470 sq km of “unusual terrain” was searched.

Gus’ parents Jessica and Joshua. (Credit: Instagram)

WORST NIGHTMARE

As his heartbroken family cling onto hope that he will be found alive, some experts, like criminologist Xanthe Mallett, are concerned a third party is potentially behind Gus’ disappearance.

“In that kind of terrain, Gus should’ve been fairly easy to locate had he simply wandered off,” Xanthe tells Woman’s Day.

“But there’s been no sign of him, so you have to think, at this stage, that there’s been third-party intervention, sadly.”

An extremely private family, Gus’ mother Jessica, who was 10km away tending to the station’s sheep when Gus disappeared, was seen for the first time last week.

It’s believed she was living with Gus, his younger brother Robbie, one, and his grandparents Josie and Shannon Murray at the farm, while Gus’ father, Joshua Lamont, former frontman of The Cut Snakes, lives separately from the family.

“This has come as a shock to our family and friends and we are struggling to comprehend what has happened,” family friend Bill Harbison said on behalf of Gus’ family.

“Gus’ absence is felt in all of us, and we miss him more than words can express.

“Our hearts are aching and we are holding onto hope that he will be found and returned to us safely.”

Since Gus went missing, Joshua has been staying with relatives in Adelaide.

As wild theories about what might’ve happened to Gus abound, SA Police commissioner Grant Stevens said, “There is nothing to suggest foul play, our focus is largely on an exhaustive search of the property on the basis that Gus wandered off and we’re hopeful that we can find him and return him to his family.”

Previously, police discovered a “small” boot print in the dust near a dam on the property, but have since ruled it out.

Xanthe says, “In a missing child investigation, there’s only three options, including a child running away, getting lost or becoming involved in an accident, or there’s been third-party intervention.”

“Four-year-olds generally don’t run away. They might go and hide, but it’s very unlikely that would be the first option.”

Similarly, former homicide detective Gary Jubelin, the lead investigator in William Tyrrell’s disappearance for four years, believes “wildlife” could be behind Gus vanishing.

He also told News.com.au it was heartening to see SA Police conducting a criminal investigation alongside the search and rescue operation.

This AI-generated image went viral online. (Image: Facebook)

CONSPIRACY THEORIES

As the investigation continues, Gus’ devastated family have been subjected to shocking AI-generated images that have gone viral on social media.

One image shows Gus being carried into a car by an unknown man.

“We’re in a very strange place now where it’s possible to generate very life-like images but, in a forensic search for a missing child, it’s deeply inappropriate and irresponsible to be putting fake images out into the world,” says Xanthe.

“We’ve got a family who are desperately looking for their son, a community that’s been rocked, and the police are doing everything they can.”

Over 100 police, SES and ADF members searched for Gus. (Credit: SA Police)

HOPING FOR THE BEST

Amid the police investigation, many in the local community have been rallying around the Lamont family – offering them comforting words of support.

“Having young children myself, my biggest fear is what this family is going through,” mum-of-nine Rachael Manning told The Advertiser.

“We talk about it everyday and it’s affected us all. We just want to help and we hope for the best.”

Alex Thomas, a former neighbour of the Lamonts and who knows Gus’ family well, says they are hurting beyond belief.

“It’s painful because of the trauma the situation is inflicting on one of our own, alongside those who know the family and the wider community,” she shared with The Advertiser.

While Alex has not spoken to Jessica and her relatives since she left the Yunta area, she’s asked people following the case to show compassion and understanding for Gus’ “gentle and loving” family.

“Anyone who’s ever lived on the land is feeling this pain because it could have been any one of our children.”

Cre: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15200681/gus-lamont-missing-oak-park-yunta-latest-happened.html