The search for August ‘Gus’ Lamont continues after a dam on his family’s remote sheep station was drained and no trace of the four-year-old was found.
Gus Lamont was last seen playing in a mound of dirt near his grandparents’ homestead on a sheep station 40km south of Yunta, in eastern South Australia, at about 5pm on Saturday, September 27.
He had vanished by the time his grandmother went to call him in, some 30 minutes later.
Police began searching the 60,000ha property shortly after Gus disappeared but found no sign of the little boy.
The extensive land and air search for Gus was scaled back the search from a rescue to recovery on October 3, just hours after a photo of Gus was released by the family.
On Thursday, South Australia Police released a statement, revealing the search for Gus would resume, with officers draining the dam on the family’s homestead.
‘The renewed search of the dam is being undertaken to rule out the possibility Gus may have drowned,’ it read.
Four-year-old August ‘Gus’ Lamont (pictured) went missing on Saturday, September 27
The dam, which is located about 600 metres from the homestead and about 4.5 metres deep, was previously searched by divers.
Police explained draining the dam would allow for a ‘comprehensive visual search’ of the waterway and its vegetation.
The operation to drain the main dam and funnel the water into the southern dam started at 9.15am on Friday.
A total of 3.2million litres of water was pumped out of the dam at about 15,000 litres per minute.
Both the dam and the holding dam, including clearing of the weed beds were searched but police divers found no trace of the boy or anything of significance.
Many locals were holding out hope that today would bring closure for the close knit community who have been left devastated by the loss of one of their own.
One resident who has lived in town for almost 30 years told Daily Mail locals were waiting with bated breath.
‘You don’t want him to be found like that but at the same time at least we’d know what’s happened,’ they said.
‘It’s just not right. This whole thing makes no sense. I honestly hope that if someone does have him. Then they are kind to him.
‘To be honest the entire town and every farmer and neighbour told me he wasn’t in the dam and they won’t find him because he wasn’t there.’
The initial search involved hundreds of people scouring the surrounding area in the intervening days, including police, SES volunteers, and members of the Australian Defence Force.
The search also involved specialist divers who checked water tanks and dams, infrared cameras, tracking dogs, ATVs, and drones to locate the four-year-old.
Despite their best efforts, the only trace of Gus was a single footprint found about 500 metres from the homestead – which police have since cast doubt on.
However, police made the tough call to scale back the search based on scientific and professional advice on how long a four-year-old could survive alone in remote terrain in freezing overnight temperatures in the clothing Gus was last seen wearing.
Gus was last seen wearing a grey broad-brimmed hat, a blue long-sleeved shirt with a Minion picture from Despicable Me on the front, light grey pants, and boots.
South Australian Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Parrott said police believe Gus wandered off and was not taken, as the only people who travel on the nearby road are station owners.
‘Everything that we have found to date, every piece of information and evidence that we have explored to date, indicates that, as best as we know, Gus has wandered off from this property and we have not been able to locate him,’ Parrott said.
Anyone with information is being urged to contact police.
