What happened to missing boy Gus Lamont: Chilling theories

The soldiers’ faces said it all.

They had meticulously scoured 95 square kilometers of harsh outback terrain for missing South Australian four-year-old Gus Lamont since Tuesday morning… and abandoned the search at noon on Friday no closer to recovering the little boy.

More than 100 members of South Australia Police, the defence force, and the SES were ‘devastated’ that Gus, who vanished from his grandparents’ remote sheep farm south of Yunta on September 27, wasn’t found.

It is understood they exhausted all avenues – and now his whereabouts remains a tragic mystery.

The ADF returned to Adelaide on Friday afternoon.

Gus was playing in a mound of dirt at Oak Park station, under the care of his grandmother Shannon Murray as his mother Jessica and grandparent Josie were tending to their herd of sheep 10km away.

The failure to find any sign of Gus – or his remains – leaves more questions than answers.

Police conducted two separate searches, one straight after Gus disappeared, and then another last-ditch effort that was launched last Tuesday.

+14
View gallery

Gus Lamont, 4, remains missing in the Outback despite two exhaustive searches

+14
View gallery

Soldiers were grim-faced as they abandonded the search with no sign of the little boy

+14
View gallery

The ADF, police and SES abandoned their hunt for clues on Friday afternoon

Retired Victoria Police detective Charlie Bezzina said his condolences were with Gus’ family – which also includes his father Joshua Lamont – but added he was ‘confident police have done everything in their power’.

He conceded there were still many questions over Gus’ case – and, heartbreakingly, they may never be answered.

Daily Mail has spent many days at Oak Park station, and spoken to members of the Murray and Lamont families, as well as close associates, throughout South Australia.

Here are the key details – and questions that remain:

WHERE IS GUS?

Gus’ grandmother Shannon was the last person to see Gus, playing in the sand at 5pm.

It is understood Mrs Murray was inside the homestead looking after Gus’ one-year-old son Ronnie, who mother Jessica Murray shares with her partner Joshua Lamont.

Jessica lives on the property, but Joshua does not.

+14
View gallery

The Murray’s sprawling sheep property is in the middle of nowhere in outback South Australia

It has been reported that Jessica was with her father Josie Murray – a transgender woman who transitioned many years ago – looking for lost sheep about 10km from the homestead at the time Gus disappeared.

A close friend of Shannon and Josie’s this week told Daily Mail exclusively of her suspicions that Gus may have simply wandered off to look for his mum.

‘It is very easy to get lost on a station that size,’ said the friend.

‘Shannon grew up out there and she almost got lost a few years ago. Her and Josie were out on motorbikes sorting out the sheep one afternoon and they got separated for a while. She had to turn off her bike to listen out for Josie’s to find her way back.’

Indeed, Shannon inherited the sprawling ranch from her parents, WWII POW Vincent Pfeiffer and his wife, Clair.

The friend gave new insight into Gus, whose face has been plastered across news bulletins around the world.

‘He’s a happy little boy, happy to do his own thing. But when you address him, he gets shy and hides,’ said the source.

+14
View gallery

Gus’ grandparent Josie Murray was reportedly tending to her sheep when he vanished

+14
View gallery

Gus’ devastated dad Joshua briefly searched for his son, then fled to Adelaide

WHAT ARE THE THEORIES? 

Despite the sheer size of the Murray property, thousands of online commenters have questioned just how a little boy could simply vanish, especially after SAPOL threw every available resource at recovering him, alive or not.

This included an indigenous tracker, infrared drones, an AirPol chopper and sniffer dogs.

Still, the only sign of Gus was a single footprint in the dirt around 500m from the family homestead – and police have since said it may not be relevant to their investigation.

Police have insisted there was no sign of foul play, and that Gus’ devastated family has been assisting with their investigation.

‘I have said from the outset there is a possibility of him being taken by a feral animal,’ said Mr Bezzina.

‘You’ve got feral cats, wedge-tailed eagles and other scavengers of the desert.

‘And, it’s only a hypothesis, but a pack of dingoes could have carried him away. There are mine shafts out there… perhaps they pulled him into their den and that’s where he remains.

‘The main thing is if (police) are satisfied there was no third party involved… what is there to do?’

+14
View gallery

The search party traipsed through saltbush and scrub within a 5km radius of the homestead

Online speculation has suggested Gus may have been abducted, but given the property is 43km down a rough track from the Barrier Highway, the theory is unlikely.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH HIS PARENTS?

Gus is the eldest son of Joshua Lamont, a country music singer who toured South Australian pubs with his band The Cut Snakes.

He and Jessica are also parents to one-year-old son Ronnie – but multiple sources have confirmed the couple lives separately.

A close friend of Joshua’s told Daily Mail it was a ‘commuter relationship’, with Josh living in a ramshackle farmhouse in Belalie North, near Jamestown, while Jessica lives two hours’ drive away at family farm with her parents.

Gus and Ronnie lived with Jessica, Shannon and Josie.

Jessica was said to be introverted and shy, and rarely joined Joshua for his gigs.

Joshua is understood to have had big plans for his family’s future.

+14
View gallery

Jessica Murray and Joshua Lamont are parents to Gus and his little brother Ronnie

+14
View gallery

A source said Joshua hoped to move his family into his farmhouse in Belalie North

A friend revealed he had bought the rundown Belalie farmhouse and was renovating it in anticipation of moving Jessica, Gus and Ronnie in.

‘He was planning on putting Gus in school in Peterborough,’ said neighbour Tim Creek. ‘He’s been renovating the bathroom.’

A family source revealed Jessica as a ‘very clever’ woman who had skipped year 12 and gone straight to university in Adelaide. But it appears she returned to help on the family property.

Joshua is not employed full time, but does ‘odd jobs’ around the state.

Since Gus’ disappearance, Josh has stayed with family in Adelaide.

He was asleep when Gus vanished, and police woke him up to break the horrifying news several hours later.

Joshua briefly joined the search before decamping to Adelaide.

A source said he ‘clashed’ with Josie and wasn’t happy with his children being raised on the station.

+14
View gallery

An undated picture of Shannon Murray with baby Jessica was shared to Facebook recently

WHAT ABOUT HIS GRANDPARENTS? 

A unique twist in Gus’ case was the revelation that his biological grandfather Robert Murray – whose nickname was Snow – had transitioned to become a woman some years ago.

She is now known as Josie Murray, and is still married to wife Shannon.

A close family friend shared new details of their fascinating lives during an exclusive chat to Daily Mail on Thursday.

‘When Snow decided to make this change, she went door to door to the other stations out there and explained the choice to them. Some people were accepting, some were not,’ said the friend.

‘It even took me a while [to understand].’

The source revealed Josie has undergone several operations, and prefers to sew her own clothes due to feeling uncomfortable going into shops for women’s clothing.

‘She is very particular about her clothes,’ the friend said.

Shannon, meanwhile, has been heavily involved with pastoral landcare, and is a skilled handywoman.

Only one picture is publicly available of Shannon, who is seen holding baby Jessica in an undated photo shared to a local Facebook group.

+14
View gallery

Daily Mail approached the Murrays for comment – Josie said they were still looking

Daily Mail approached Josie for an interview recently, but she declined, only to emotionally explain that the family was ‘still looking for him… we’re dealing with this. You can’t help.’

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

The investigation into Gus’ disappearance has been referred to the Missing Persons Unit, and will remain open.

‘It’s very sad, given the passage of time,’ said Mr Bezzina.

‘It is a significant investigation and the police have walked away confident they have done everything humanly possible to find him.’

Now, the Murray and Lamont families face an unthinkable future without their adorable blond, curly haired boy.

With the ADF, police and SES rolling out on Friday afternoon, the bereft Murrays are left watching the dust settle, and the landscape go silent.

For sheep farmers in the outback, the work cannot stop even in the face of unthinkable pain.

Shannon, Josie and Jessica will still need to maintain their livestock and land, and every time they head out onto their land, they could be forgiven for wondering if today will be the day they come across their boy’s remains.

+14
View gallery

Cloth nappies were seen hanging from the homestead clothesline on Wednesday

+14
View gallery

Former detective Charlie Bezzina said police had run out of options for finding Gus

+14
View gallery

The Australian Defence Force headed back to Adelaide, their mission sadly incomplete

It is a horribly cruel reality.

Meanwhile, despite her grief, Jessica is still looking after her precious remaining son Ronnie.

Cloth nappies could be seen drying on the clothes line outside the homestead on Wednesday – proving that motherhood must go on.

It is not suggested that any members of Gus’ family had any involvement in his disappearance.