The record rainfall that hit South Australia in the past fortnight may help police find missing four-year-old Gus Lamont.
On Wednesday, South Australian Police returned to the remote Oak Valley Station to continue investigations into Gus’s disappearance.
Officers are set to resume work again this morning, more than 165 days after the toddler vanished.
Record rainfall has recently been recorded in parts of the state, which Acting Officer in Charge of Major Crime Inspector Andrew Macrae said could assist authorities in their search.
‘The recent significant weather event with the rain up there is leading to assessing what other new opportunities might exist in relation to searching, but the current searching was planned,’ Inspector Macrae said.
Despite all the efforts, no evidence of the young child’s whereabouts has been uncovered since he was last seen playing on a dirt mound at Oak Park Station.
Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said the operation has been the ‘largest and most intensive’ missing-person search ever undertaken by SA Police.
In February, police announced they believed Gus was dead, declared his disappearance a major crime, and revealed they had identified a suspect within his family.
Gus Lamont vanished on September 27 from a remote South Australia property
Police are searching several locations at Oak Park Station, in SA’s northeast
They later confirmed they found ‘inconsistencies’ in statement details and the timeline provided by some family members.
Detectives previously stressed that Gus’ parents had been completely ruled out as possible suspects in his disappearance and confirmed they were cooperating with the investigation.
Gus’ grandparents, Shannon and Josie Murray, later retained separate lawyers, which is not unusual in these circumstances.
The couple said they were ‘devastated’ by the police announcement and insisted they were still cooperating with the investigation.
No arrests have been made or charges laid over Gus’ disappearance.
In November, a search of six uncovered and unfenced mine shafts located between 5.5km and 12km from the homestead lasted three days.
‘The inspection of the mine shafts … did not locate any evidence to assist in the investigation into Gus’ disappearance,’ a police statement said.
‘Several of the shafts were relatively shallow and could be visually inspected but the remainder were up to 20 metres deep and specialised equipment was required to complete the searches.’
Before that, authorities drained a dam in late October, ruling out the possibility Gus had drowned.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15637477/gus-lamont-search.html
