Sad milestone reached in search for missing boy Gus Lamont three weeks after he first vanished without a trace

A renewed search effort for missing four-year-old August ‘Gus’ Lamont will be ‘completed’ three weeks after the little boy vanished without a trace.

The little boy was last seen playing on a mound of dirt on his grandparents’ remote property near Yunta, in South Australia‘s Mid-North, on September 27.

Police called off the exhaustive six-day search almost a week later over fears for the safety of on the advice of experts.

A second search involving police and ADF personnel resumed on Tuesday, with a specialist taskforce established to scour the remote bushland.

Search efforts were paused on Thursday as searing temperatures soared past 40C.

It resumed on Friday morning, but no trace of the four-year-old was found.

The search will be ‘completed’ at 12pm, police said in a statement on Thursday.

‘The search resumed in zones outside of the original search area at sunrise, but was concluded at midday because of extreme heat and windy conditions,’ it read.

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Gus Lamont disappeared from his grandparents’ homestead without a trace three weeks ago

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Search efforts were renewed earlier this week (pictured)

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The search for Gus is expected to be called off later on Friday

‘It will resume on Friday, when it is anticipated the searching of the remaining identified zones will be completed.’

The update comes as new details emerged about what Gus’ family were doing when the little boy vanished about 5pm on September 27.

It’s understood Gus was playing outside as his grandmother looked after his little brother Ronnie inside the house.

Gus’ mother Jess and his other grandparent were 10km away, tending to the station’s sheep, Seven News reported.

His father Josh was not at the property at the time as he lives two hours away.

The grandmother discovered Gus was missing when she went to call him inside for dinner about 5.30pm.

The family reported Gus’ disappearance to police three hours later.

Police gave a heartbreaking update on the renewed search on Wednesday that no evidence had been found.

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Police and ADF personnel (pictured on Friday) have spent the last three days searching for Gus

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Police returned to the outback property but have found no further clues of how Gus vanished

‘More than 100 search team members, including SA Police, ADF members and SES volunteers, have each been walking between 20 and 25km each day in hot, harsh conditions,’ a police statement read.

Speaking on radio station FIVEAA on Tuesday, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said Gus’ family have cooperated, adding the decision to resume the search was not due to any fresh leads.

‘This (extended search) is essentially just exploring every possibility, he said.

‘We have nothing to suggest foul play at this time, but we’re obligated to consider every possibility.

‘Our efforts are focused on comprehensively searching the property and we’re endeavouring to recover Gus for his family.

‘We’ve done everything we can, based on expert advice, in relation to where we should be searching, but this is making sure we leave no stone unturned.’

The search has already covered an estimated 470 square kilometres, with police comparing the effort to searching 100 city centres. The boy’s family said they remain ‘devastated’ and ‘deeply distressed’.

‘I would describe them as stoic,’ Commissioner Stevens added.

‘But you can imagine just how they are feeling, without having Gus and without having answers to exactly where Gus is and what’s happened to him.

‘This would be traumatic for any family.’

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Gus was last seen playing in a mound of dirt on his grandparents’ remote property near Yunta in South Australia’s Mid-North

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Gus was playing outside while his grandmother was inside looking after his little brother