The South Australia Police has officially scaled back the search for August 'Gus' Lamont, the four-year-old boy missing since last Saturday, and has transferred the investigation to the Missing Persons Unit, after finding no trace of his whereabouts.
Gus was last seen at his grandparents' remote property, located about 40 kilometers south of Yunta, in the northeast of Adelaide. Despite a search operation considered one of the most extensive in the state's history, authorities have only found a single clue, a child's footprint 500 meters from the house.
This Friday, Deputy Commissioner Ian Parrott announced the difficult decision to scale back the operation, publicly acknowledging that finding Gus alive is unlikely.
"Although we were all hoping for a miracle, that miracle did not happen," Parrott told the media. "Over the past 48 hours, despite professional recommendations indicating minimal chances of survival, we maintained and even intensified efforts to locate him and return him to his family."
Parrott stated that everything humanly possible has been done within the search perimeter, with no positive results.
"Every piece of data, every evidence analyzed so far indicates that Gus walked away from the property. Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate him," he added. "We will not stop. We will continue to investigate and explore all possible leads."
The family of the child posted a photo of Gus shortly after his disappearance, triggering an immediate mobilization of rescue teams, volunteers, and specialized personnel in rugged terrains.
Authorities have not ruled out any hypotheses, but the case now enters a new investigative phase focused on analyzing clues and testimonies that may provide information about the child's whereabouts.