Gus Lamont: Pheobe Bishop’s mother shares heartbreaking message to four-year-old Yunta boy’s family

In a heartfelt gesture, Kylie Johnson, the mother of allegedly murdered teen Pheobe Bishop, has written an emotional letter to the family of missing four-year-old Gus Lamont.

Little Gus vanished from his grandparents’ sheep station near Yunta in remote South Australia on September 27.

He was last seen playing on a mound of dirt at the Oak Park Station homestead, about 40km south of Yunta.

Despite an intensive search involving more than 100 highly trained police officers, SES volunteers and ADF personnel, no trace of the child has been found, or any evidence to spark hope of a recovery.

In a post shared on social media, Ms Johnson has offered heartfelt advice drawn from her own experience of losing her 17-year-old daughter, Pheobe, earlier this year.

“In the hope that Gus’s family sees this,” she began.

“My advice is that to protect your own mental health and ability to function. Stay off social media and the news. Keep looking and keeping your hopes alive.”

She encouraged Gus’ family to stay strong and lean on their loved ones.

“Keep your head high! Hold your loved ones closer than ever before and know that YOUR NOT ALONE!”

Pheobe, who was last seen alive on May 15, had been missing for weeks when Queensland Police discovered her body on June 6 in the Good Night Scrub National Park in Queensland.

She was meant to fly from Bundaberg, Queensland, to Western Australia to see her boyfriend. However, she never made it to the departure terminal.

She had been living in Gin Gin with two housemates, James Wood and Tanika Bromley, who were later arrested and charged with her murder and interfering with a corpse.

Ms Johnson warned Gus’ family that the “community will demand answers” and “complete strangers will make a judgement on your parenting and life choices”.

“Let them,” she said. “Hold your space and if you don’t want to talk to them you don’t have to!”

The letter concluded with Ms Johnson saying their porch light will be left on for the missing four-year-old in a symbolic gesture for missing persons to find their way home.

“Our porch light will be on for Gus and every other missing person for as long as we live. Sending love and healing from our Rural family to yours xx”

The search for Gus will enter its 19th day on Friday, as crews prepare to comb through the remote property in some of the most punishing conditions as temperatures soar to 36 degrees.

The search parties have been walking “20-25km a day in hot, harsh conditions” this week according to the latest police update released on Wednesday evening.

The search had to be cut short on Thursday due to the blistering heat and strong northerly winds.

“The third day of the continuing search for missing four-year-old Gus in the State’s Mid North has concluded with no evidence being found,” a statement from SA Police read.

“The search resumed in zones outside of the original search area at sunrise, but was concluded at midday because of extreme heat and windy conditions.

“It will resume on Friday 17 October when it is anticipated the searching of the remaining identified zones will be completed.”

More than 470sqkm has been searched, equivalent to the land area of 109 Adelaide CBDs.

“That is a massive search area and we’ve had intensive searches being conducted since Gus was reported missing, using police officers, ADF volunteers, SES, technology — we’ve been using infra-red drones, PolAir has been searching the property as well,” SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said.