Cops have revealed they have discovered ‘anomalies’ in their search for Gus Lamont and that one of his grandparents remains a suspect as they offer a $1million reward to anyone with crucial information that could solve the mystery case one year on.
Gus was last seen playing near the remote homestead, 40km south of Yunta in South Australia, on September 27. Despite extensive land and air searches, the little boy has not been seen since.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said on Wednesday the case had ‘shocked our nation’, offering the huge reward for anyone who could help bring closure to Gus’s family.
‘If you know something, you’ve got to speak, you’ve got to let South Australian Police know what you know so they can do justice in the name of Gus,’ he said.
Gus’s parents Josh and Jess released a video statement, sharing their heartache that their little boy had still not been found, with the footage marking the first time Gus’s father had spoken publicly about the disappearance.
Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke revealed police had looked over aerial imagery of the search zone once again, and identified ‘some anomalies’.
He reiterated that one of Gus’s grandparents remained a suspect.
‘As you’re aware I’ve previously stated one of the grandparents is a suspect in our investigation,’ Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said.
A $1million reward has been offered to anyone who can provide information that leads to Gus Lamont being found almost one year on since he disappeared
Gus’s parents Josh and Jess released a video statement, sharing their heartache that their little boy had still not been found, with the footage marking the first time Gus’s father had spoken publicly about the disappearance
‘That has not changed but I’m not going today to make any more comment or elaborate any further about the suspect in this investigation.’
In the video statement, Jess said: ‘We love him more than words can convey and every single day without him has been incredibly difficult. Our heartache only grows as time passes and an entire year without any answers is upon us.’
Josh added: ‘We are desperate to have him return home to us and we are desperate for answers. We believe that someone knows something. Someone knows what happened to Gus and may even know where he is.’
Detective Superintendent Fielke said the $1million reward was in line with other missing children cases.
‘There is a reward now available of up to $1 million to be paid to anyone with information that leads to the conviction of… persons responsible for the disappearance of Gus and/or the location of his remains,’ he said.
‘$1 million is a life-changing amount of money for someone. Now is the time to come forward.
‘We’re grateful for [government] support and I can give them an undertaking then we’ll do everything, as we’ve continued to do, to locate Gus and reunite him with his family.’
Detective Superintendent Fielke urged people to only come forward if they had information, not to share conspiracy theories.
The four-year-old was last seen playing near the remote homestead, 40km south of Yunta, on September 27 (pictured, search teams looking for the missing boy last year)
‘When you want to speculate and you want to make stuff up, and you want to drive clicks, and inflate stories or convolute fact, it’s unhelpful,’ he said.
In February, police said they believed someone known to Gus may have killed him, deliberately or accidentally, before he was reported missing.
Police said the suspect lived at Oak Park Station, 300km north of Adelaide, and was known to the child.
They also said the person was not his mother, Jessica Murray, or his father, Joshua Lamont, who lived at Belalie North, a two-hour drive away.
As the one-year anniversary of his disappearance approaches, Gus’s grandmother, Josie Murray, said the family will search eagle nests on the outback property.
‘The eagle aspect should be looked at,’ she told 7News. ‘It’s highly unlikely, but it’s not impossible.’
It comes as Ms Murray revealed she believes Gus was abducted from the homestead because ‘nothing else makes sense.’
‘It brings me to tears that he’s not here… Just down here. And then that was the last he was seen, and after that he just disappeared,’ she said, directing TV cameras to the area where Gus was playing on the afternoon he disappeared.
Despite extensive land and air searches, the little boy has not been seen since
She also issued a plea for police not to treat her as a suspect.
‘For me to know they are wasting their time, and their time would be better spent trying to find out what did happen to him, is enormously frustrating,’ she said.
Gus’s grandparents both live at and own the station.
Josie later confirmed that police had told her she was the main suspect in the case. She has consistently maintained her innocence.
No charges have been laid and no arrests have been made.
