Suspect identified in disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont in outback South Australia

"Someone who lived with four-year-old Gus Lamont is now considered a suspect in his disappearance, SA police said on Thursday as they declared the case a major crime. Four-year-old Gus Lamont disappeared from his family's outback home in South Australia more than four months ago, sparking what SA police called one of the largest, most intensive and most protracted searches they had ever undertaken."

"Detective superintendent Darren Fielke, the officer in charge of major crime, said police had effectively ruled out Gus wandering off and Gus being abducted. He said they were now investigating someone in his household but stressed the suspect was not one of his parents. Police had identified a number of inconsistencies and discrepancies in the information from the family members, Fielke said."

"As a result of these inconsistencies, and investigations into them, a person who resides at Oak Park station has withdrawn their support for the police and is no longer cooperating with us, he said. The person who has withdrawn their co-operation is now considered a suspect in the disappearance of Gus. I do want to stress, however, that Gus's parents are not suspects in his disappearance."

A person who lived with four-year-old Gus Lamont is now regarded as a suspect following the declaration of the disappearance as a major crime. Gus vanished from his family's outback sheep station at Oak Park near Yunta in South Australia more than four months ago while playing outside at about 5pm on 27 September. Large-scale searches across the 60,000-hectare property involved mounted police, divers, defence and emergency services, drones and trackers. Detectives have ruled out wandering and abduction, identified inconsistencies in family members' information, and noted a resident has withdrawn cooperation and is now treated as a suspect. Both parents are not considered suspects and investigations remain ongoing.

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