‘Someone knows what happened to Gus’: Four-year-old’s parents make desperate plea

September 23, 2026 — 5:06pmOn his family’s sheep station in South Australia’s remote Mid North region, August Lamont was growing into a sweet and curious boy. The four-year-old, also known as Gus, loved music, stories and playing in nature.At Oak Park, about 350 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, Gus was growing up in the same rugged environment his mother, Jessica Murray, cherished as a child. As he explored the world around him, Gus’ parents envisioned a bright future for their oldest son. Instead, they have spent almost a year desperately searching for answers as they reconcile a life without Gus, who vanished from his family’s sprawling station on September 27 last year.The South Australia government has offered a $1 million reward to find Gus Lamont, who disappeared from his family’s sheep station in September last year.SA Police“During the time that Gus has been missing, he should have celebrated his fifth birthday, and his little brother’s first birthday with us,” Jessica Murray said in a pre-recorded statement played by SA Police on Wednesday. “One of the most heartbreaking things is that Gus and his little brother will not grow up together and spend their lives together. Gus was adored by his little brother.”“We miss Gus more than we can describe,” his father Joshua Lamont said. “We are desperate to have him return home to us, and we are desperate for answers. We believe that someone knows something. Someone knows what happened to Gus and may even know where he is.”After an unprecedented search to find the four-year-old, in which search parties scoured hundreds of square kilometres, the South Australian government on Wednesday offered a $1 million reward for information in a desperate bid to solve a mystery that has garnered national attention.Detectives are working under Task Force Horizon, the large-scale operation launched to find Gus. According to Gus’ family, the boy was last seen playing in the dirt near the Oak Park homestead.Initially, investigators were told Gus’ family believed he had wandered off and was feared to be lost somewhere on the property. In the months since, detectives have ruled out the theory, alongside the possibility that Gus was abducted from Oak Park, which is 45 kilometres from the nearest main road.“The focus of Task Force Horizon remains on the third scenario, and that is that someone known to Gus has been involved in his disappearance,” Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke, the officer in charge of SA Police’s Major Crime Investigation Branch, said on Wednesday.Police in February declared Gus’ disappearance a major crime. One of Gus’ grandparents remains a suspect, Fielke said. Josie Murray has publicly identified herself as the suspect during several media interviews. No charges have been laid, and his parents are not suspects.In a statement issued through her lawyer in February, Murray said she was devastated that the disappearance had been declared a major crime and that she had co-operated fully with the police investigation. Fielke at the time said that Murray had withdrawn her support and was no longer assisting investigators.On the eve of Wednesday’s announcement, Murray told the Seven Network that she believed an eagle may have snatched Gus – a theory detectives have explored and consider unlikely. “We’ve looked at crazy theories,” Fielke said. “We’ve discounted them all. We don’t discount them because it’s too hard … we discount them after hours of effort.”Combined search parties of almost 400, including police officers, State Emergency Service volunteers, Australian Defence Force personnel, members of the community and Indigenous trackers, have returned to Oak Park a collective 11 times since Gus’ disappearance.Buildings and disused mine shafts were searched, while police divers scoured several dams that have since been drained and rechecked. “We’ve gone back time and time again,” Fielke said.Josie Murray has criticised police efforts to find Gus.Seven NetworkHe said investigators’ priority was to provide Gus’ parents with closure. “Like us, they want nothing more than to be reunited with their son and know where their son is,” Fielke said, holding back tears. “They love him dearly, and they want answers as to where he is.”Fielke said a review of imagery captured during aerial searches of the 706-square-kilometre area around the Oak Park homestead had identified anomalies that would be re-examined.Wednesday’s reward matches previous incentives offered to solve cases involving missing children in South Australia.“This has been a case that hasn’t just shocked our state, it has shocked our nation because it affects a child, and there is nothing more disconcerting and heartbreaking in our community [than] when we see a disappearance of a child that is yet unexplained,” South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said. “The untold pain that this has had on family members is impossible to comprehend.”August “Gus” Lamont was last seen about 5pm on September 27.SA PoliceJessica Murray said her son’s disappearance had devastated Gus’ family. “We love him more than words can convey and every single day without him has been incredibly difficult,” she said. “Our heartache only grows as time passes.”Detectives have not ruled out returning to Oak Park to conduct further searches after an expected influx of information on the back of Wednesday’s announcement. Fielke hoped the reward would spark a breakthrough for frustrated investigators as they approach the first anniversary of Gus’ disappearance.“People don’t just disappear,” he said. “Someone knows something.”Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.From our partners