Police will begin searching a series of remote mine shafts in South Australia‘s mid-north as the hunt for missing four-year-old Gus Lamont continues, two months after he vanished without a trace.
The latest phase of the investigation is expected to run for up to three days and will see officers use specialised equipment to examine six uncovered, unfenced mine shafts located between 5.5km and 12km from the Oak Park homestead, located in remote South Australia.
Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams said the shafts were not previously identified, and are located outside the area already searched by crews on foot.
‘We are determined to explore every avenue in an effort to locate Gus Lamont and provide some closure for his family,’ she said.
‘These searches will either locate evidence or eliminate these locations from further investigation by the Task Force.’
Police say this stage is to make sure every possible location of interest around the homestead is checked thoroughly.
On 31 October, police drained a large dam on the property, ruling out concerns Gus may have drowned.
This came after extensive ground and aerial searches involving SA Police, ADF personnel, SES volunteers, Indigenous trackers and local landholders.
Police will return to Oak Park Station to continue the search for four-year-old Gus Lamont who was last seen on 27 September 2025
The boy was last seen by his grandmother playing on a mound of dirt outside in the early evening. When she returned 30 minutes later to call him inside, he had vanished
Earlier, on 17 October, police concluded a four-day search of Oak Park Station, building on an initial 10-day operation launched immediately after Gus disappeared.
The ground searching at Oak Park Station has now extended to 5.5km from the homestead.
Police said they continue to pursue multiple lines of inquiry, though investigators say nothing uncovered so far points to foul play.
Gus’s family remain fully cooperative with police and are being supported by a dedicated victim contact officer as the search for answers enters its third month.
Despite one of the largest search efforts in the country’s history, involving the Australian Defence Force, helicopters with thermal imaging and Aboriginal trackers – no trace of Gus has been found eight weeks after his disappearance.
The boy was last seen by his grandmother Shannon Murray playing on a mound of dirt outside in the early evening. When she returned 30 minutes later to call him inside, he had vanished.
Gus lived on the station with her, grandparent Josie Murray – a transgender woman, his mother Jessica and his younger brother Ronnie.
Gus Lamont’s grandmothers Josie (formerly Robert), left, and Shannon Murray, right,
Police divers searched dams in the early days of their frantic hunt for the missing boy
A local has shared an image of an abandoned well from years gone by which dot the region
It has been reported that Gus’ mum Jessica was with Josie looking for lost sheep about 10km from the homestead when Gus disappeared.
A close friend of Shannon’s suggested Gus could have simply wandered off to look for his mother.
‘It is very easy to get lost on a station that size,’ said the friend.
‘Shannon grew up out there and she almost got lost a few years ago.
‘Her and Josie were out on motorbikes sorting out the sheep one afternoon and they got separated for a while. She had to turn off her bike to listen out for Josie’s to find her way back.
‘He’s a happy little boy, happy to do his own thing. But when you address him, he gets shy and hides,’ they said.
Gus’ father Joshua Lamont was living in a ramshackle $80,000 farmhouse in Belalie North – a two-hour drive away from the Murray’s Outback sheep station – while still in a relationship with Jess.
Josh Lamont now appears to be living in Adelaide, more than 290km away from where his son was last seen.
Just five days into the search, a local told Daily Mail that locals had a theory that Gus may have fallen into the mines.
Yunta is a dusty dot on the South Australian map with a population of just 60
‘I would be more worried about the unmarked wells and mines he may have fallen into,’ he said. ‘That’s the talk among locals.’
‘Most aren’t on any maps. If Gus’ grandparents have owned that property for a while, they should know where they are – although I’m still finding new spots on my property,’ he said.
‘Most have different-coloured material around them from being dug out, but some are flush with the ground and have overgrowth all around them,’ he said.
‘Some are easy to see, some definitely not… but hopefully [Gus] is just lost… and not perished.’