A police source has disclosed the theory investigators are pursuing in the disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont in the South Australian outback.
Gus disappeared from his grandparents’ remote sheep station on September 27 last year. He was reportedly last seen at about 5pm, playing in the front yard of the homestead.
The source, who cannot be identified because of their proximity to the investigation, said the police theory matches comments Gus’ grandmother, Josie Murray, made to a current affairs program earlier this year.
In a June interview with 7News Spotlight, Josie said detectives believed she had buried Gus after he died in an accident.
She dismissed the allegation as “ludicrous” and strongly denied any involvement. The Daily Mail does not suggest that she was responsible.
According to the insider, police still believe Gus may have died accidentally and that his body was subsequently buried. However, investigators have been unable to prove the theory.
Police believe Gus’ remains could be somewhere across the vast, desolate plains of the pastoral district near Yunta, about 300km north of Adelaide.
“Police reckon they know exactly what happened to him,” the source said. “They just can’t prove it and they probably never will. The land out there is just too big.”
Gus Lamont disappeared in September 2025 and is presumed dead. He was four years old
Investigators have searched Oak Park Station and surrounding waterways 11 times
Gus’ grandmother Josie has previously said police suspect she was involved in his disappearance
South Australia Police have publicly said they are examining three possibilities: an accidental death, murder or abduction.
Investigators suspect a family member may have been involved, but have confirmed that Gus’ parents, Jessica Murray and Joshua Lamont, are not people of interest.
Gus’ grandparents, Josie and Shannon Murray, have reportedly stopped assisting with the investigation and have separately engaged prominent Adelaide lawyers.
The Daily Mail does not allege that either grandparent played a role in Gus’ disappearance. Josie has, however, confirmed publicly that detectives regard her as a suspect.
She has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The police source said “everyone” within SAPOL believes they understand what happened to Gus, adding that members of the family and residents of Yunta also think they have pieced together the mystery.
“They think it was an accident that has been covered up,” the source said, reflecting comments Josie made about the theory put to her by police.
“They’ve said that they don’t think I hurt him; they think that I buried him,” Josie said in June.
“That’s one of the theories they’re working on and, as I say, for so many reasons, it’s ludicrous. It just doesn’t make sense.
“Why would you do that to yourself when… if he’d had an accident you’d just go, ‘Well, as much as we hate it and everything, he’s had an accident, we’ve got to deal with it.’”
Gus’ parents are understood to share the police theory and hope a public appeal will encourage someone to provide information capable of confirming what happened.
In September, the intensely private former couple released a video through SAPOL asking the public for help.
“The disappearance of our son Gus has been the most devastating and inexplicable event we have ever experienced,” Ms Murray said. She is believed to have left Oak Park Station in January with her younger son, Ronnie.
“We love him more than words can convey and every single day without him has been incredibly difficult.
“Our heartache only grows and time passes and an entire year without any answers is upon us.”
Mr Lamont, visibly emotional, added: “We are desperate to have him returned home to us, and we are desperate for answers.
Distraught parents Jessica Murray and Joshua Lamont appealed publicly for help in September
Josh, Jess and grandmother Shannon Murray pictured with baby Gus at the Yunta Race Club
No trace of Gus has been found despite South Australia’s biggest-ever search operation
“We believe someone knows something. Someone knows what happened to Gus and may even know where he is.
“Even if you are feeling scared or unsure, if you know anything at all we are imploring you to help us. Even the smallest detail could be helpful.
“Please come forward and cooperate with police.”
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The Daily Mail does not claim that the police theory is correct. It remains one line of inquiry being pursued by investigators and is a theory Josie has acknowledged detectives presented to her.
On the day of the parents’ appeal, SAPOL announced a $1million reward for information “leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible and/or the recovery of his remains.”
On Monday, it emerged that Crime Stoppers had received 163 calls, 24 emails and three letters connected to Gus’ disappearance.
More than a year after Gus Lamont vanished, the case remains one of Australia’s most painful and enduring mysteries.
His grandmother Shannon was reportedly the last person to see him alive on September 27, AFL grand final day, as he played in the dirt outside the homestead that has belonged to her family for generations.
Josie told police she had been about 10km away with her daughter, working with sheep, at the time.
Shannon Murray was reportedly the last person to see Gus playing outside the homestead
A police insider says investigators believe Gus died in an accident
Josie Murray was seen assisting police during the first days of the search for Gus
When they returned, a desperate search began as darkness approached. The family later gathered in the kitchen and decided emergency services needed to be called.
In the weeks that followed, police, PolAir, the army, the SES, an Aboriginal tracker and teams of volunteers searched the property. Nothing belonging to the boy was found.
Task Force Horizon investigators led what became the largest search operation in South Australian history, covering an area by land and air roughly the size of Adelaide.
Search teams drained a dam, examined abandoned mine shafts and nearby properties, and used aircraft fitted with LiDar technology to survey the landscape.
Several people, including Josie, have suggested that an eagle could have taken Gus. Bird experts have repeatedly rejected the theory as highly unlikely.
“The eagle aspect should be looked at. It’s highly unlikely but not impossible,” Josie told 7News in September.
She said the family intended to search eagle nests on the property.
Josie has also considered the possibility that Gus was abducted, although that is viewed as unlikely because of Oak Park Station’s isolated position, 45km along a network of rough dirt roads south of the Barrier Highway at Yunta.
Gus lived at Oak Park Station with his grandparents, mother and baby brother Ronnie
Extensive searches by air, land and water have produced no clues
Police searched the numerous abandoned mines scattered around the Yunta region
“It brings me to tears that he is not here,” Josie said.
“As far as I’m concerned, I still want to know the answer of what happened.
“I think he has to have been taken – nothing else makes sense,” she said.
Gus’ disappearance appeared to fracture the once close-knit Murray family.
Neighbours told the Daily Mail earlier this year that Gus’ mother, who had separated from Mr Lamont before the disappearance, left the station in January. The property was where she had grown up and was expected to inherit one day.
She moved to the family’s Adelaide home around the time police seized a vehicle, motorbike and electronic devices for forensic examination.
In a separate matter, police arrested Josie for possessing a firearm silencer.
Jessica has left the homestead and now lives in Adelaide with baby Ronnie
Josie has spoken twice to 7NEWS and continues to insist she is innocent
She pleaded guilty in Adelaide Magistrates Court in June and was fined $10,000, despite prosecutors seeking a prison sentence.
As she left court, Josie appeared to collide with 7NEWS reporter Hannah Foord during a media scrum, knocking an ABC journalist to the ground.
Within hours, however, Josie agreed to an interview with Ms Foord. The conversation was later broadcast nationally on Spotlight, and the program went on to receive two South Australian Press Club Awards at the weekend.
Anyone with information about Gus’ disappearance is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.