Gus has been missing since September last year. Photo / SA Police
The grandparents of missing 4-year-old Gus Lamont have broken their silence after police revealed they had identified a suspect in the little boy’s disappearance.
Gus vanished from his family’s homestead on Oak Park Station in the state’s Mid North on September 27, with his disappearance sparking numerous large-scale searches across the property.
His disappearance is now being investigated as a major crime, with police revealing on Thursday that they had identified a suspect who they believe was known to the little boy.
Police have not laid any charges, or made any arrests.
Gus’ grandparent Josie Murray has hired criminal lawyer Andrew Ey, and his grandmother Shannon Murray is being represented by defence lawyer Casey Isaacs.
The legal team confirmed they were representing Gus’ grandparents in a statement released on Friday.
“Andrew Ey and Casey Isaacs can confirm that we act for Josie Murray and Shannon Murray respectively,” the lawyers said.
They said the grandparents would not be making any further comment but wished to issue the following statement: “We are absolutely devastated by the media release of SAPOL Major Crime.
“The family has co-operated fully with the investigation and want nothing more than to find Gus and reunite him with his mum and dad.”
Isaacs confirmed on Thursday he was acting for Gus’ biological grandmother Shannon.
“We have been co-operating but we won’t be commenting,” he told the Adelaide Advertiser on Thursday.
It is not unusual for potential witnesses to seek legal advice.
There is no suggestion that Josie or Shannon Murray were involved in Gus’ disappearance.
Speaking on Thursday afternoon, Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said there had been “discrepancies” and “inconsistencies” in the information provided by some of Gus’ family members.
“As a result of these inconsistencies, and investigations into them, a person who resides at Oak Park Station has withdrawn their support for the police and is no longer co-operating with us,” he said.
Superintendent Fielke said the suspect was not one of Gus’ parents.
“The person who has withdrawn their co-operation is now considered a suspect in the disappearance of Gus,” he said.
“I do want to stress, however, that Gus’ parents are not suspects in his disappearance.
“I can’t give you any more information about the suspect or where the suspect is and why that person is a suspect.
“When we have a suspect in an investigation, it can … have its own challenges, so we’re working through those.”
“So, when we line (up) the information that we received from the family, against what we’ve been doing concurrently in relation to searching and the abduction possibility – all of that information has taken some time to get here, or to get to this point,” he said.
During Thursday’s press conference, Superintendent Fielke compared the search area with the size of Adelaide.
Using a map of the search area overlaid on to a map of Adelaide, he said the area takes up the majority of the inner suburban metropolitan area of Adelaide.
“This is what it looks like if you overlaid that into the CBD … you can see that five square kilometres takes up the majority of the inner suburban metropolitan area of Adelaide,” he said.
“It’s a significant distance that’s all been searched on foot.
“That search has been overseen by police forward commanders, experienced police forward commanders and very experienced field search controllers.
“We have a large degree of confidence that area has been searched thoroughly.”
Investigators returned to the property on January 14 and 15, carrying out a forensic search in which detectives seized a vehicle, a motorcycle and electronic devices for examination.
Those items are now subject to forensic testing, police say.
Investigators have so far pursued three key theories in their search for Gus – two of which have now been ruled out.
Superintendent Fielke confirmed investigators “don’t believe, now, that Gus is alive”.
“The search for Gus was based on him walking off from Oak Park Station and becoming lost,” he said.
“This is one of three investigation options that have been explored by the members attached to Taskforce Horizon.
“The other two investigation options are focused on Gus being abducted (by an unknown person) from Oak Park Station, or whether someone known to him was involved in his disappearance and suspected death.”
He said despite all efforts from those searching, there was “no evidence, physical or otherwise, to suggest that Gus has merely wandered off from the Park homestead”.
In investigating the possibility Gus was abducted by an unknown person, officers spoke to all people who “present a risk profile associated with abduction or child offending”, Superintendent Fielke said.
“We have identified and spoken to neighbours and people who were or had been working on Oak Park Station or neighbouring properties at around the time of Gus’ disappearance,” he said.
“We have identified people and vehicles in the vicinity of or travelling around the area of Oak Park station at the time of Gus’ disappearance. All of those people have been contacted and discounted.”
Police say the investigation is now focusing on persons known to Gus possibly being involved in his disappearance and suspected death.
“I anticipate there will be further searches at Oak Park Station and at several sites on an adjacent national park to locate Gus as new information and intelligence comes to hand,” Fielke said.
“The disappearance of any child is tragic and distressing – not just for Gus’ parents, but also the entire community sharing their grief.
“I can reassure the community that despite the complex and challenging nature of the investigation, Taskforce Horizon will continue to thoroughly and meticulously investigate the disappearance of Gus until we get a resolution.
“We are all focused and determined to locate Gus and return him to his parents.”
Police have maintained “no stone has been left unturned” in the search for Gus, which has been the largest and most intensive effort undertaken by SA Police in regard to a missing person.
It has involved 163 SAPOL members and more than 200 additional resources including the SES, Australian Defence Force, an indigenous tracker and community volunteers.
“Every police officer and civilian involved was invested in the search and had only one focus – to find Gus and return him to his parents,” Superintendent Fielke said.
“Sadly, despite our efforts we have not yet been able to locate Gus.”
He said eight separate searches had been conducted at Oak Park Station, and several others had been completed in the 5.47km radius of the homestead across several days.
“You may ask ‘Why 5.47km?’” he said.
“The national search and rescue manual indicates to us, scientifically, soundly based statistical data that children 4 to 6 years of age are located 95% of the time within 5.47km of their last known place.”
Previous searches of the area – which is about 43km south of Yunta in the state’s Mid North – included six unsealed, unfenced mine shafts in November and a dam on the remote sheep station in October.
Neither search resulted in any trace of the little boy.
A single footprint was discovered about 500m from where Gus vanished, though police dismissed it as not being from the boy.
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.