‘Devastated’: Gus’ grandparents break silence after bombshell police update

The grandparents of missing four-year-old Gus Lamont have broken their silence after police said they had identified a suspect in the toddler’s disappearance.

Gus disappeared from his family’s farm in Oak Park Station in the state’s North Central region on September 27, and his disappearance prompted several large-scale searches of the property.

His disappearance is now being investigated as a major crime, and police announced Thursday they had identified a suspect they believe the little boy knew.

Police did not file any charges or make any arrests.

Gus’ grandfather, Josie Murray, hired criminal attorney Andrew Ey, and his grandmother, Shannon Murray, is represented by defense attorney Casey Isaacs.

The legal team confirmed in a statement released Friday that they are representing Gus’ grandparents.

“Andrew Ey and Casey Isaacs can confirm that we are acting on behalf of Josie Murray and Shannon Murray respectively,” the attorneys said.

They said the grandparents would not comment further but wanted to make the following statement: “We are absolutely devastated by the media coverage of the SAPOL Major Crime.

“The family has cooperated fully with the investigation and wishes nothing more than to find Gus and reunite him with his mother and father.”

Mr Isaacs confirmed on Thursday that he was acting on behalf of Gus’s biological grandmother, Shannon.

“We are co-operating but will not comment,” 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’s disappearance.

Police identified the suspect

Speaking on Thursday afternoon, Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said there were “inconsistencies” and “inconsistencies” in the information provided by some of Gus’ family members.

“As a result of these discrepancies and related investigations, a resident of Oak Park Station has withdrawn his support of the police and is no longer cooperating with us,” he said.

Inspector Fielke said the suspect was not one of Gus’ parents.

“The person who withdrew his cooperation is now considered a suspect in Gus’s disappearance,” he said.

“However, I would like to emphasize that Gus’ parents are not suspects in his disappearance.

“I can’t give you any more information about the suspect, where he is and why he is a suspect.

“When we have a suspect in an investigation, he…may have his own challenges, so we work through those.”

“So when we compared the information we received from the family to what we were doing simultaneously regarding the search and the possibility of abduction, it took a while for all of that information to get here or to this point,” he said.

At Thursday’s press conference, Inspector Fielke compared the search area to the size of Adelaide.

Using a map of the search area overlaid on a map of Adelaide, he said the area covered the majority of Adelaide’s inner suburban metropolitan area.

“This is what it looks like if you put it in the CBD… you can see that five square kilometers covers the majority of Adelaide’s inner suburban metropolitan area,” he said.

“It is a significant distance to be searched on foot.

“This search was supervised by police forward commanders, experienced police forward commanders and highly experienced field search controllers.

“We have great confidence that the area has been thoroughly investigated.”

Investigators returned to the property on January 14 and 15 to conduct a forensic search, and detectives seized a vehicle, a motorcycle, and electronic devices for examination.

Police say these items will now be subjected to forensic testing.

Two theories rejected

Investigators have followed three primary theories so far in their search for Gus; two of these have now been rejected.

Inspector Fielke confirmed that investigators “no longer believe Gus is alive.”

“The search for Gus led to him leaving the Oak Park Station.

“He disappeared,” he said.

“This is one of three investigative options being explored by members affiliated with Taskforce Horizon.

“The other two investigative options focus on Gus’s abduction from the Oak Park Station (by an unknown person) or whether someone he knew was involved in his disappearance and suspicious death.”

Despite the searchers’ best efforts, he said, “no evidence, physical or otherwise, was found to indicate Gus had wandered away from the Park farm.”

Inspector Fielke said officers were speaking to anyone “who presented a risk profile of abduction or child abuse” as they investigated the possibility that Gus was abducted by an unknown person.

“We identified and spoke with neighbors and individuals who were or were working at Oak Park Station or neighboring properties around the time Gus went missing,” he said.

“We identified individuals and vehicles that were near or traveling in the area of ​​the Oak Park station at the time of Gus’ disappearance. All of these individuals were contacted and discounted.”

Police said the investigation is currently focusing on Gus’ possible involvement in his disappearance and those known to be involved in his suspicious death.

“As new information and intelligence becomes available, I anticipate further searches will be carried out at the Oak Park station and various areas in the neighboring national park to locate Gus,” Inspector Fielke said.

“The disappearance of any child is tragic and saddening, not only for Gus’s parents, but also for the entire community that shares their pain.

“Despite the complex and challenging nature of the investigation, I can reassure the community that Taskforce Horizon will continue to thoroughly and rigorously investigate Gus’s disappearance until we obtain a resolution.

“We are all focused on locating Gus and returning him to his family.”

Searches show ‘nothing’

Police maintained “no stone was left unturned” in the search for Gus, the largest and most intensive effort SA Police has ever undertaken in connection with a missing person.

163 SAPOL members and more than 200 additional resources including SES, Australian Defense Force, Indigenous scouts and community volunteers were involved in this project.

“Every police officer and civilian involved was focused on the search and had one focus: finding Gus and returning him to his family,” Inspector Fielke said.

“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we have yet to locate Gus.”

Eight separate searches were conducted at Oak Park Station, he said, and several more searches were completed within a 3.47-mile radius of the farm over the course of several days.

“’Why 5.47km?’ “You can ask,” he said.

“National search and rescue guidance tells us that, based on scientific and well-founded statistical data, 95 percent of the time children aged four to six are found within 3.47 miles of their last known location.”

Previous exploration at the site, located about 43km south of Yunta in the state’s North Central region, included six unsealed, unfenced mine shafts in November and a dam at a remote sheep station in October.

No trace of the little boy was found in either search.

Police officers, SES volunteers, the army, a scout and members of the public took part in large-scale searches in difficult terrain.

A single footprint was discovered about 500 meters from where Gus disappeared, but police denied it belonged to the boy.