Cops confirm grandparent of missing boy Gus Lamont STILL remains a suspect in his disappearance - as officers fail to find a single scrap of evidence after eight months and 11 searches: 'It's hard to explain'
Police still have no clues or evidence about the whereabouts of missing boy Gus Lamont following the latest of 11 searches launched in the past eight months.Gus was seen playing in a pile of sand outside Oak Park Station homestead, owned by his maternal grandparents Josie and Shannon Murray, near Yunta in South Australia on September 27.Major Crime Investigation Branch officer-in-charge Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke gave an update on the investigation at the property on Thursday after detectives and specialist STAR Group officers returned to Oak Park Station this week to scour new locations but found no evidence.Supt Fielke confirmed that one of Gus's grandparents remains a suspect.'Unfortunately, we have not uncovered any evidence that helps us locate Gus,' he said. 'They have walked and searched more than 30km of waterways.'He was asked whether it was unusual to not find any evidence after 11 extensive searches of the remote property over the last eight months.'It is hard to explain,' Supt Fielke said. Eight months on, there are still no clues as to how Gus Lamont vanished without a trace Police have spent the last three days scouring the sprawling property where Gus was last seen (pictured is an aerial view of officers during the search this week)'We have invested a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of emotional energy into this. We have not given up. 'It is disappointing that we have not found anything, but you have seen it yourself what the environment is like here. It is not the city.' A vehicle, motorcycle and electronic devices seized during a search warrant earlier this year have been forensically examined but provided no new lines of inquiry or advancement in the investigation.Taskforce Horizon officers will continue searching for evidence, with fresh aerial surveying to be conducted over a large area of the property.'We have previously conducted aerial searching out to a 15km radius from the homestead, including the use of drones. All of the captured footage has been the subject of AI analysis,' Supt Fielke said.'Much like this week's ground search given the recent weather event, we are taking the opportunity to search this area again using the aerial platforms.''This is to occur in the coming weeks and once again, we will take advantage of AI technology to analyse the captured footage.'If this analysis identifies new areas of interest, we will return to conduct further searching.' Major Crime Investigation Branch officer-in-charge Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke confirmed one of Gus's grandparents remains a suspect Up to 17 officers scoured the property this weekSupt Fielke thanked the public for the overwhelming support and information provided to Taskforce Horizon, which included 527 calls to Crime Stoppers, 65 emails and 202 phone calls to police with information. This week's search marked the first time police had returned to the property since March, where some locations were inaccessible due to flooding.Police had hoped that recent heavy rain may have shifted soil or exposed new ground to uncover potential evidence, including a large-brimmed hat and a Minions shirt that Gus was wearing when he vanished. Police have previously described the operation as the 'largest and most intensive' missing person search ever undertaken by the force.In February, authorities said they believed Gus was dead and declared his disappearance a major crime, adding they had identified a suspect within the family. They later confirmed they found 'inconsistencies' in statements and timelines provided by some family members.No arrests have been made or charges laid over Gus's disappearance.Police have repeatedly stressed that Gus's parents, Joshua Lamont and Jessica Murray, are not considered suspects in his disappearance. Police had hoped the heavy rain may uncover potential evidence, including the large-brimmed hat (pictured) that Gus was last seen wearing Police provided an update on the latest search at Oak Park Station, where Gus was last seen on September 27Read More Child sex offender 'involved' in Gus search - as boy's mum is seen for first time since the tragedy Gus’s grandparents, Shannon and Josie Murray - a transgender woman - have both enlisted high-profile Adelaide defence lawyers, a move that is not unusual in these circumstances. '(Shannon) is still supporting Josie, cooperating through her solicitors and hoping to find Gus, (and) hoping that some information comes to light soon,' her lawyer Andrew Ey said.Gus's parents, though separated, issued a united statement earlier this year describing how their lives had been shattered by their son's disappearance.'Every moment without him is unbearable,' the couple said. 'We know someone out there may have information.'If someone knows what happened, we are pleading with that person - or anyone who may have seen or heard anything - to please come forward. Even the smallest detail could give us the answers we so desperately need.'Gus’s mother was seen publicly for the first time since his disappearance earlier this month. She was on a suburban Adelaide street with her youngest child and politely declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail. Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
