Gus Lamont: Heartbreaking update on search for four-year-old missing from Yunta home after police drain dam

Police have provided an update on their weeks-long search for missing four-year-old Gus Lamont after draining a dam at his family’s remote sheep station in Yunta on Friday.

The dam, 600m from the family home and about 4.5m deep, had previously been searched by police divers early on in the investigation but a decision was made this week to go a step further and drain it completely as the mystery surrounding the little boy’s disappearance continues.

Police hoped draining the dam would allow for a “comprehensive visual search”, particularly in areas obscured by underwater vegetation.

Little Gus vanished from his family’s Oak Park Station homestead on September 27, sparking one of the most intensive and protracted search efforts ever undertaken by South Australian police.

He was last seen by his grandmother in a blue Minions shirt playing outside on a mound of dirt about 5pm. When she went looking for him half an hour later he was gone.

In a statement on Friday, South Australia Police said it took about three and a half hours to pump out all the water, at a rate of 15,000 litres per minute.

A total of 3.2 million litres of water was removed from the dam but no clues were found and, heartbreakingly, it seems police are no closer to finding Gus.

“Police divers have thoroughly searched the main dam and the holding dam, including clearing of weed beds, however, there was nothing of significance found,” a police statement read.

“The 3.2 million litres of water was then pumped back into the dam, with very little loss of water in the process.

“Police thank SES for their invaluable assistance in this operation.”