Parents of missing four-year-old boy who vanished in Australian outback make emotional new appeal

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The parents of a four-year-old boy who went missing near his family home in South Australia a year ago have said they believe someone knows what happened to their son, in a tearful new appeal.

South Australia police are now offering a $1 million AUD (£530,000) reward for any information that could lead to the whereabouts of Gus Lamont.

Gus was last seen playing outside at his family’s rural homestead on September 27, 2025. When his grandmother Josie Murray called him in for dinner around half an hour after she last saw him the boy had vanished. A year later he has yet to be found.

“We believe that someone knows something,” said Gus’ father, Josh Lamont. “Someone knows what happened to Gus, and may even know where he is.

“We miss Gus more than we can describe. We are desperate to have him return home to us. And we are desperate for answers.”

The parents described their son as a “beautiful, sweet, and unique little boy.”

“The disappearance of our son Gus has been the most devastating and inexplicable event we have ever experienced,” the boy’s mother Jess Lamont added. “We love him more than words can convey.”

A year on and still without answers, Gus’ family are even turning to looking into whether he was taken by a wedge-tailed eagle, according to The Sun.

In 2016, a wedge-tailed eagle was filmed attempting to grab a young boy by his hoodie. The boy escaped with a cut to his face, the BBC reported.

“Gus was growing up in an amazing environment, one that I cherish as my childhood home,” his mother said. “He was learning so much and had such a bright future ahead of him. But all of this has now been taken away from him.

“During the time Gus has been missing he should have celebrated his fifth birthday, and his little brother’s first birthday with us,” said his mother.

“One of the most heartbreaking things is Gus and his little brother will not grow up and share their lives together. Gus was adored by his little brother.”

Police have said they do not believe Gus was taken by a stranger, and that the focus of the investigation “remains on a person known to Gus.”

Murray, 75, was named as a person of interest in the case earlier in 2026 but maintains her innocence.

According to Murray, she has been named as the current sole suspect. She told 7News: “For me to know they are wasting their time, and their time would be better spent trying to find out what did happen to him, is enormously frustrating.

“It brings me to tears that he is not here. As far as I’m concerned I still want to know the answer of what happened.”

The search for Gus has been extensive, including 11 individual ground searches over 30 days, with drones aircraft and specialised equipment all deployed.

Searchers even drained a nearby dam and looked into unfenced mine shafts to rule out the possibility the boy drowned or fell into a pit. Neither search yielded any result.

Major Crime Investigation Branch Officer in Charge Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said in a press release: “I would urge anyone with information that may help locate Gus or assist in the investigation into what happened to him to come forward.

“$1 million is a life changing amount of money for anyone who can assist in this investigation.

“Rewards such as this have been successful in assisting police in major investigations.’’

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas said in a statement posted on social media: “We will not tolerate as a state any circumstances where children go missing, are not able to be accounted for.

“We throw everything at it…we send a crystal clear message to anyone on the community that if you know something you’ve got to speak.”

Malinauskas went on the praise the police’s job in the search saying: “They’re outstanding human beings, dedicated to the service of others and we’re all better for it.

“They are of incredible character, in this role, there are no words I could say that would ever do justice to the thanks that the people of South Australia owe South Australian Police in efforts that are taking in cases such as this.”