Mystery deepens in the disappearance of little Gus as it is claimed his father moved out of the family home after ‘clashing’ with the boy’s transgender grandparent

The mystery of the disappearance of a four-year-old in the South Australian outback has deepened, after it was claimed that the boy’s father moved out of the family home following a clash with his child’s transgender grandparent.

August ‘Gus’ Lamont vanished almost two weeks ago after playing in the yard of remote Oak Park homestead in the harsh South Australian outback, nearly 200 miles north of Adelaide.

Huge air and land searches have failed to find any trace of him apart from a single footprint in the desert scrub since he disappeared on the evening of September 27.

Gus is understood to have been living at his grandparents’ homestead with his mother Jess and his one-year-old brother Ronnie.

Gus’s father, Joshua Lamont, lives two hours’ drive away, 100km to the west in Belalie North, near Jamestown.

The Daily Mail has been told that while Josh and Jess remained a couple, he does not live on the station because of family clashes with Jess’s transgender parent, Josie.

Joshua was spotted publicly for the first time since his son’s vanishing, seen in Adelaide, where he is staying with relatives, after he earlier joined the search for his son.

His brother Samuel insisted Mr Lamont – who was once a country music singer performing in SA pubs under the name, Billy Tea – was in ‘no state to talk to anyone’.

Mr Lamont was seen wearing a sweater emblazoned with the words A Red Dawn – a metal band which he played bass for in the early 2000s.

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Gus is pictured. His father lives two hours’ drive away, 100km to the west in Belalie North, near Jamestown

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The little boy vanished almost two weeks ago after playing in the yard of remote Oak Park homestead in the harsh South Australian outback, 300km north of Adelaide

Gus’ family said yesterday that they were still clinging onto the hope that he would be found safely.

Josie told the Daily Mail, while declining offers of assistance in the search effort: ‘We’re still looking for him’.

‘You can’t help. We are still dealing with this.’

Locals have now urged even well-meaning volunteers to stay away from the remote station as the grieving family grapples with their loss and contends with wild theories online.

‘I know this family very well and they don’t want people turning up and having to just deal with that,’ one neighbour told the Adelaide Advertiser.

‘Even if the people are well-meaning and sympathetic, they just want peace and quiet and to try and work out for themselves what’s actually happened.’

Gus was last seen playing in a mound of dirt about 5pm but had vanished when his grandmother went to call him inside half an hour later.

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Gus’s grandparent, Josie Murray – a transgender woman who locals say transitioned many years ago – told the Daily Mail the family had not lost hope

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Josh Lamont broke cover in Adelaide, where he is staying with relatives, after he earlier joined the search for his son

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The only trace of Gus found was a single footprint discovered about 500 metres from the homestead – and police have since cast doubt on that

The boy had been wearing a grey broad-brimmed hat, a distinctive blue long-sleeved shirt with a Minion picture from the movie Despicable Me on the front, with light grey pants and boots.

The boy had been wearing a grey broad-brimmed hat, a distinctive blue long-sleeved shirt with a Minion picture from the movie Despicable Me on the front, with light grey pants and boots.