South Australia Police have declared the disappearance of four-year-old August "Gus" Lamont a major crime and named as a suspect a person who had been living at Oak Park Station, the remote outback property where Gus went missing on Sept. 27, 2025. Police executed a January search warrant, seizing vehicles and electronic devices, and have conducted extensive ground and aerial searches of dams, mine shafts and surrounding terrain. Investigators say Gus' parents are not suspects and that further searches will continue as new intelligence emerges.
Police Name Suspect in Disappearance of 4-Year-Old August "Gus" Lamont From Remote Outback Farm
August "Gus" LamontSouth Australia Police
South Australia Police (SAPOL) have identified a suspect in the disappearance of four-year-old August "Gus" Lamont, who vanished from his family’s remote Oak Park Station property on Sept. 27, 2025. Authorities have declared the case a major crime as investigators continue extensive searches and inquiries.
August "Gus" LamontSouth Australia Police
Investigation Update
On Feb. 5, 2026, Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke, officer-in-charge of the Major Crime Investigation Branch, told reporters that a person who had been living at Oak Park Station has withdrawn cooperation with police and is now regarded as a suspect. He emphasized repeatedly that Gus' parents are not suspects and have been cooperating with investigators.
Authorities have been searching for August "Gus" LamontSA Police
Police executed a search warrant at the property in January, seizing several items, including a vehicle, a motorcycle and multiple electronic devices, as part of evidence-gathering efforts. Investigators said they have identified inconsistencies and discrepancies in aspects of the inquiry and are following those lines of intelligence.
Authorities have been searching for August "Gus" LamontSA Police
"A person who resides at Oak Park Station has withdrawn their support for the police and is no longer cooperating with us," Fielke said. He added, "The person who has withdrawn their co-operation is now considered a suspect in the disappearance of Gus.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' parents are not suspects in his disappearance."
Search Effort
The search area around Oak Park Station included three dams and six mine shafts. Authorities carried out extensive aerial and ground searches across vast tracts of surrounding country. The combined effort involved 163 SAPOL members and 230 non-SAPOL resources, including the State Emergency Service (SES), the Australian Defence Force (ADF), an Indigenous tracker and community volunteers.
South Australia Police Major Crime Investigation Branch officer-in-charge Detective Superintendent Darren FielkeSA Police News/Youtube
Despite exhaustive searching, Task Force Horizon investigators have found no physical evidence to indicate Gus wandered off the property on his own. Police said they have been pursuing two parallel lines of inquiry: one considering abduction by an unknown person and another that someone known to Gus was involved and that his disappearance may be associated with his suspected death. To date, investigators say there is no evidence supporting an unknown-person abduction.
Fielke said further searches are expected at Oak Park Station and in several locations within an adjacent national park as new information and intelligence emerge. He acknowledged the profound distress the disappearance has caused Gus’ family and the local community and pledged to continue the investigation "thoroughly and meticulously" until a resolution is achieved.
Key facts: Gus disappeared on Sept. 27, 2025, from Oak Park Station, a sheep property about 25 miles from the South Australian town of Yunta. Task Force Horizon leads the inquiry and will conduct additional searches as new leads arise.
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