Detectives have shared an update into the search for four-year-old Gus Lamont, who has been missing for eight months in the South Australian outback.
The latest search involving a specialised taskforce began on Tuesday and went on for three days, following a period of heavy rainfall.
Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke, from SA Police’s Major Crime Investigation Branch, shared that so far there is no evidence that the young boy was abducted.
“There has been a significant amount of work done in relation to identifying people who were in or around the area of Oak Park Station on the day that Gus disappeared,” he said at a press conference on Thursday.
“In excess of 500 people have been identified and task force members have been meticulously working through that list of people and have making individual contact with each and every one of those people.
“We are working through that list but all of the people we have contacted so far have been discounted from being involved in Gus’s disappearance.
“At this point in time there is no evidence to suggest that Gus has been abducted.”
He added that investigators were in “constant contact” with Gus’s parents and providing them updates.
Superintendent Fielke also confirmed that all the items seized from Oak Park Station in January have undergone “thorough forensic testing” and provided no new clues.
“I can also say these examination have not excluded anybody from the investigation either.”
He added that one of Gus’s grandparents “remains a suspect” and both of them continue to communicate with police through solicitors.
“At this time, no other suspects or persons of interest have been identified at this time of the investigation,” he concluded.
Theories that Gus wandered off have also been discredited as the searches had “extended well past” the distance a child can travel on foot.
“We have invested a lot of time and a lot of effort and emotional energy into this.
“It is disappointing we haven’t found anything but the environment here is not the city.
“We do not have CCTV, people walking past and lots of witnesses. We are dealing with a very unusual geographical environment.
“The reality is, the longer this goes on, the closer we get to not finding him. That is not going to stop our resolve or our determination, but it is a reality of what might happen.”
The detective confirmed the next steps will be to revisit an area 15km outside of the area using drones.
“This is a tough job – it is relentless, it is demoralising at times, but we are not going to let up,” he added.
He also shared the overwhelming amount of information police have received from the public over the last few months, with “836 separate pieces of information, 527 calls to Crimestoppers.”
“We thank the members of the public who provided this information to us. It has all been followed up.”
Image: Sky News/ SA Police
