For five months, I have been covering the story of Gus Lamont, and during that entire time we’ve waited for something of the missing boy beyond that single photo of him in the Peppa Pig T-shirt printed with the words ‘My Mummy’.
We got that last Tuesday when his parents, Joshua Lamont and Jessica Murray, shared a new image of Gus with a kelpie, as well as a video of him barefoot and riding a bike in the Oak Park homestead’s driveway as the sun set across the Outback.
The photo was front-page news – understandable, given that press handouts of the four-year-old have been limited to that now-haunting image distributed on October 2, six days after he was last seen, and after South Australia Police had already determined he was unlikely to have survived the harsh Outback conditions.
But as someone who has been following the case closely – speaking to locals and cops and researching the history of the Lamont-Murray family since day dot – the release of the new material suggests something else to me.
For months we heard nothing from Gus’ parents who were silent in their unfathomable grief. Indeed, it took weeks before we even saw a photo of Jessica.
Now, the release of the fresh images and an accompanying statement indicates that chapter is over. It strikes me as more than just a plea for public assistance.
In my view, it is the clearest sign yet that Joshua and Jessica, while separated, are united in their support for the Strike Force Horizon investigators trying to find their son.
It’s a stark contrast to two relatives previously involved in the inquiry who, according to South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens in a statement on February 18, are no longer cooperating.
Gus Lamont’s parents release video to assist with investigations
A new picture of missing South Australian child Gus Lamont with his dog was released by his parents
Jessica Murray and Joshua Lamont have released their only statement via SAPOL
The new imagery of Gus was shared, along with heart-rending words from Gus’ parents, via SAPOL’s media division – a department I have been dealing with now, not always harmoniously, for over 20 weeks.
Jessica and Joshua, who police previously confirmed were not suspects, spoke of their lives being shattered by their child going missing.
‘Every moment without him is unbearable,’ they 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.
‘We also want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone involved in the search for Gus. The tireless efforts of police, emergency services, ADF personnel, volunteers, and specialists have meant more to us than we can ever say.
‘To the friends, family and supporters who have shown such compassion, concern, and assistance during this heartbreaking time: thank you.
‘Your kindness has helped carry us through the darkest days of our lives. All we want is to bring Gus home and understand what happened to our beautiful boy.’
Police believe Gus is dead, and have revised their earlier theory that he had simply wandered off while playing in the sand outside his grandparents’ homestead south of Yunta, in the South Australian Outback.
During a February 5 press conference, police declared his disappearance a major crime, and said he was likely killed, accidentally or deliberately, by someone known to him.
Shortly afterwards, Gus’ maternal grandparents Josie and Shannon Murray retained the services of separate Adelaide lawyers and released a joint statement at the time saying: ‘The family has cooperated fully with the investigation and want nothing more than to find Gus and reunite him with his mum and dad.’
No arrests have been made and no charges have been laid.
Gus’s parents’ statement twice states they are ‘united’ as parents, without mentioning any other family members by name.
They spoke out just weeks after a close family friend told the Mail that the couple had split after their youngest son, Ronnie, was born, but before Gus had disappeared.
In the months since Gus went missing, multiple sources spoke of discord within the family before the boy vanished, namely between Joshua and Josie.
Gus vanished from his grandparents’ remote Outback station in September
Joshua Lamont has been staying in Adelaide and leaning on his brother, Sam
A family friend also revealed Joshua and Josie had a verbal altercation 48 hours after Gus disappeared, as volunteers around them scoured the saltbush and outbuildings at Oak Park.
In the months that followed, his devastated mother Jessica remained at Oak Park with her parents and one-year-old Ronnie.
But a source recently told the Mail that Jessica, 39, left the property days before the February 5 presser – a decision that, to me, suggests she may believe aligning with the father of her children is her best chance of getting answers.
No one has been charged or arrested in connection with Gus’ disappearance.
Joshua, a handyman who was the lead singer of Adelaide country music band The Cut Snakes, bought a farmhouse in Belalie North in 2021.
It is a two-hour drive from Oak Park.
Until Tuesday, there had only been one image of Gus publicly released
Jessica is pictured as a student at Jamestown Community School
A neighbour of his revealed he wanted Gus to attend school in Peterborough in the coming years.
But since his son disappeared, Joshua fled Belalie North – leaving a close friend to clear away Gus’ bicycles on the front verandah in October.
It’s believed Joshua was staying at a Murray-owned home in Croydon Park, but was largely leaning on his brother, who owns a home on the outskirts of Adelaide.
Earlier this month, a local revealed he hadn’t seen Joshua in three weeks – but a separate Croydon Park resident said Jessica had been staying at the home instead.
Jessica is understood to have now fled the city home and is staying with a friend, whose whereabouts are unknown.
Nappies drying at Oak Park in October suggested Jessica was there with her baby son
SAPOL commissioner Grant Stevens vowed to return to Oak Park Station
Days ago, a renewed search scoured the Outback property for clues on Gus’s whereabouts.
A cadaver dog, a police helicopter and Taskforce Horizon detectives converged on Bullyaninnie Station near Oodla Wirra on February 16.
The new search effort focused on an outhouse, an area of freshly poured concrete, and a ditch filled with abandoned cars.
The new police search did not yield any evidence relating to the missing child, but police have vowed to maintain a presence in the area.
They have also zeroed in on the Pualco Conservation Park, which borders Murray family land.
Gus was reportedly last seen by his grandmother Shannon Murray, playing in a sandpile at Oak Park around 5pm on AFL Grand Final day, but when she went to call him inside, he was gone.
It sparked the largest missing person search in South Australian history.
Police have also searched at Bullyaninnie Station
Police believe Gus is dead, possibly accidentally, but detectives say they have a suspect who may have been involved in his death.
However, detectives stressed they had completely ruled out Jessica and Joshua as possible suspects.
Last week, SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the investigation was far from over.
‘Adjoining properties, including the national park, will in all likelihood be a part of our investigations as we move forward,’ he said on Wednesday.
‘We’ll use every resource available to us if it will contribute to solving the disappearance of Gus Lamont.
‘I think it’s reasonably foreseeable that we will be visiting Oak Park quite frequently over the coming months as we continue our investigation, as well as visiting surrounding locations in the vicinity of the residence.’