Tensions have escalated on the property of missing boy Gus Lamont, as police prepare to resume their search for the missing four-year-old boy.
Gus’ grandmother, Josie Murray waved a shotgun at a reporter who had arrived on the property to enquire about the missing boy.
“Get out! You are trespassing, get out, get out,” she reportedly yelled. “Are you deaf? Get out!”
The incident happened just a few hours before police announced they would start a third search for Gus on Friday, on his family’s sheep station around 40km South of Yunta in South Australia.
Police started draining a dam on the 60,000-hectare property, which is around 600 metres from the homestead where Gus disappeared, at 9.15am on Friday.
A total of 3.2 million litres of water was drained. Police divers searched the dam and cleared weed beds, but nothing of significance was found.
“The dam, which is approximately 4.5 metres deep, was previously searched by police divers in the initial days of the search for Gus,” SA Police wrote in a statement confirming the third search would focus on this specific body of water.
“The draining of the dam will enable a comprehensive visual search to be completed, particularly areas with underwater vegetation. The renewed search is being undertaken to rule out the possibility Gus may have drowned.”
Despite two previous large-scale searches involving South Australia Police, the SES and the Australian Defence Force, no trace of Gus has been found. Task Force Horizon investigators used a drone to assess the remote terrain, but it has not uncovered any evidence.
Gus was last seen playing on a dirt mound on the evening of September 27 by his other grandmother Shannon Murray.
The Director of the Australian Missing Persons Register, Nicole Morris previously told Woman’s Day that Gus could simply have wandered off.
“Not everybody who goes missing is the victim of foul play,” she said. “Sometimes children just wander off, especially on such a large property.”
She added, “A tracker that I have spoken to said it could have been a wombat hole – the area is not well known for them, but there are Wombats in South Australia. So Gus could have fallen into some sort of undetectable space.”
Gus’ family continues to fully cooperate with investigators. Read our full special report on Gus Lamont’s disappearance here.
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