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In the most notorious case since William Tyrell in 2023, four-year-old Gus Lamont vanished from his family’s remote property in South Australia. So far, without a trace.
But not without a suspect.
His disappearance is now being investigated as a major crime, with police revealing on Thursday that they had identified a suspect who they believe was known to the little boy.
Police have not laid any charges, or made any arrests.
Well, not quite no arrests.
A 75-year-old has been arrested after the search for missing four-year-old Gus Lamont resumed on his family’s remote property in South Australia on Monday.
The boy’s grandparent Josie Murray, 75, was arrested and charged with firearm offences.
Here is where it all gets curiouser and curiouser.
Note, for a start, that the media carefully say “grandparent”, not “grandmother”. Josie’s real name is Robert. He ‘transitioned’ some years ago. In October last year, as media descended on the property, ‘Josie’ threatened them with a firearm. Police say the charges are not related to that incident.
But the charges will potentially allow them to collect fingerprint and DNA samples from the “grandparent”. South Australian law allows police to obtain DNA samples without consent where a person is suspected on reasonable grounds of having committed a serious offence.
And, as it happens, police have stated they have a suspect in little Gus’s disappearance. They’re being very careful, though, about what they say, exactly.
Speaking on Thursday afternoon, Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said there had been “discrepancies” and “inconsistencies” in the information provided by some of Gus’ family members.
“As a result of these inconsistencies, and investigations into them, a person who resides at Oak Park Station has withdrawn their support for the police and is no longer co-operating with us,” he said.
Superintendent Fielke said the suspect was not one of Gus’ parents.
“The person who has withdrawn their co-operation is now considered a suspect in the disappearance of Gus,” he said.
So, it’s someone who lives at the property, but isn’t one of the parents.
Gus’s grandparent Josie Murray is understood to have hired criminal lawyer Andrew Ey, while the youngster’s grandmother Shannon Murray is being represented by defence lawyer Casey Isaacs, the Courier Mail reports.
Shannon Murray’s lawyer has publicly stated that they are co-operating with police.
Investigators have so far pursued three key theories in their search for Gus – two of which have now been ruled out.
The two theories ruled out are that Gus simply wandered off and got lost, or that he was abducted by an unknown person. That leaves the theory that ‘someone known to him was involved in his disappearance and suspected death’.
It’s all a mystery…
