Fresh details have emerged about a man who vanished at the same time as missing South Australian boy Gus Lamont, after Google AI falsely confirmed claims he was linked to the little boy’s family.
Gus disappeared from his grandparents’ remote property near Yunta, 300km north of Adelaide, on September 27 while playing on a mound of dirt.
Despite extensive searches of the surrounding area, the boy has never been found and police declared his disappearance a major crime investigation in February.
At the time Gus first vanished, concerns were also raised about Benjamin Matthew Seneque, 40, who went missing on September 26, one day before Gus.
Seneque was last seen driving erratically on the Stuart Highway south of Glendambo, roughly a two-hour drive from Gus’s home.
Very little information about him was released by police at the time, with authorities declining to even reveal his full name or what had brought him to the area.
The lack of transparency soon fuelled speculation that the two disappearances were connected, although that link was dismissed by police.
Daily Mail can reveal Seneque has been mistakenly identified as a former bandmate of Gus’s father, Joshua Lamont, and the link is now being falsely confirmed and repeated by Google AI.
The claim first surfaced online over the weekend on a Gus Lamont Facebook page.
Gus disappeared from his grandparents’ remote property near Yunta in September
It was falsely claimed Seneque had been a member of the band The Cut Snakes
Benjamin Matthew Seneque went missing just one day before Gus vanished
A member of the page insisted that she had uncovered the connection between the pair.
‘Benjamin Seneque… has played extensively with Joshua Lamont,’ she wrote.
‘Once a case is declared a Major Crime, police often withhold specific details from the public to protect the integrity of the investigation, especially if they are monitoring persons of interest or specific leads.’
The post quickly triggered a flurry of shocked responses from followers of the case.
However the claim appears to have stemmed from a case of mistaken identity.
But Google online searches, which automatically generate AI summaries, now appear to continue to incorrectly link Seneque to the band, fuelling further confusion.
‘Benjamin Seneque is the bassist for the South Australian country rock band The Cut Snakes,’ the incorrect search results read.
‘The Cut Snakes are a country rock and roll group based in rural South Australia.
‘The band gained significant recognition in 2019, winning the ‘People’s Choice Country’ award at the region’s prestigious South Australian Music Awards.
Search results falsely claim Seneque played alongside Joshua Lamont
Despite extensive searches of the surrounding area, Gus has never been found
The Outback sheep station (pictured) is about 40km south of the town of Yunta
Police released minimal details on Seneque
‘The group performed extensively in bars and pubs across the region before appearing to split up during the COVID-19 pandemic,’ the AI generated summary claimed.
Seneque, who is originally from Western Australia, is still officially listed as a missing person.
There has been no recent update regarding the case.
His LinkedIn profile states that he worked as ‘shot crew’ for Redline Drill and Blast in Perth. His social media accounts also appear to have been largely inactive since 2023.
Seneque was travelling in a 2006 Hyundai Getz with Western Australia registration plates 1IGG659 on the day he disappeared.
His abandoned vehicle was found in dense scrub about 10km off the highway at Wirraminna on September 27, the same day Gus was reported missing.
Police conducted a widescale search involving SES volunteers, drones and local trackers, but no sign of him was found.
Officers have appealed for anyone who travelled the Stuart Highway between Port Augusta and Glendambo on the afternoon of September 26, particularly those with dashcam footage, to contact them.
Seneque was travelling in a 2006 Hyundai Getz with Western Australia registration plates
Authorities have conducted multiple searches for Gus at the Outback station where he disappeared but have found no sign of him
Several truck drivers reportedly raised concerns about the vehicle’s erratic driving that day.
The coincidences with little Gus’s case raised alarm bells among locals, with many questioning if they could be linked.
But South Australia Police told Daily Mail: ‘Police are not aware of or investigating any connection between missing person Benjamin and Gus.’
The day after police announced they were scaling back the search for Gus, they renewed their appeal for information to help locate Seneque, angering many online.
‘Where is Gus?’ one person commented under a post about Seneque’s appeal.
‘Scaling back a search for a child but wanting more information on this guy, sorry no disrespect to his family but don’t call off a search for a little boy,’ wrote another.
Police later resumed their search for Gus, which has since included draining lakes near the homestead and taking cadaver dogs to a nearby property.
Investigators have also revealed that while Gus’s parents Joshua and Jessica are assisting with ongoing enquiries, two other members of the household are no longer cooperating with police.
Gus’s grandmother Josie Murray was also arrested and charged with unconnected firearm offences, including allegedly possessing an unregistered silencer.
