Augustus “Gus” Lamont was last seen on September 27, playing on a mound of dirt near his family’s sheep station, deep in the Australian Outback.

According to reports, the 4-year-old had been left alone for about half an hour before his grandmother went to call him inside — but he was gone.

Since then, a frantic search has gripped the nation, with all of Australia holding its breath as rescuers race against time to find the missing boy.

Locals fear

Four-year-old August “Gus” Lamont is still missing after he was last spotted playing outside his family’s Oak Park Station property, roughly 25 miles south of Yunta in South Australia, on September 27.

The search has become one of the largest in South Australia’s recent history – a desperate mission fueled by hope and heartbreak. Friends, family, and rescuers refuses to give up, believing the little boy may have wandered off in the cooler evening hours “because of the heat and flies” during the day.

Other locals fear that little Gus may have wandered into one of the area’s many hidden hazards — including old, unmarked mine shafts or wells.

Some of these century-old relics, left over from gold rushes and livestock operations, are nearly invisible amid the rough, rugged terrain, making the search even more desperate and dangerous.

On the day he disappeared, Gus’ family scoured their vast property for three agonizing hours before calling police. Within hours, state emergency crews, helicopters, and skilled Aboriginal trackers had descended on the 60,000-hectare station, combing every inch of the rugged terrain for 10 exhausting days.

“Children disappearing at that age is a rare event,” former homicide squad detective Gary Jubelin told Nine’s Today show on Wednesday.

”He’s not on that property”

Jason O’ConnellJason O’Connell, a former State Emergency Service volunteer who has spent over a decade assisting in searches across South Australia, said he and his partner had logged roughly 90 hours helping search Oak Park Station.

”With our lights, I’m surprised because we just didn’t find anything,” O’Connell told the Adelaide Advertiser.

”He’s not on that property.”

He added that the absence of birds of prey near the homestead suggested Gus was not there.

”If he was in a bad way or if he passed away, we’d listen for foxes, look for birds of prey,” he said. ”No birds of prey means he’s not there.”

O’Connell later echoed his assessment on social media: “I personally am very doubtful he is on the property.”

A single small footprint

Despite the enormous search effort, the only possible clue has been a single small footprint found about 500 meters from the homestead, one police later determined was likely unrelated. Last week, authorities made the gut-wrenching decision to move the operation from a rescue to a recovery mission.

“The search for 4-year-old Gus Lamont was scaled back following medical experts advice that there was little hope for us to find Gus alive,” Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams said in a statement.

Williams also announced that the investigation has now been handed over to the Missing Persons Section, part of the Major Crime Investigation Branch, which handles long-term cases like this.

”We will never give up hope of finding Gus,” she said. ”There are further lines of inquiry being undertaken and the family have continued to co-operate fully with police.”

“Online vitriol”

At the same time, friends of the Lamont family have spoken out about a wave of cruel “online vitriol” targeting them following the disappearance of 4-year-old.

Speaking to the Adelaide Advertiser, former neighbor and family friend Alex Thomas described the emotional toll the online attacks have had on the Lamonts.

”I really want to gently inform people about the realities of rural life and ask them for their compassion and understanding,” Thomas said. ”Because this family – this gentle and loving family – they’re not headlines, they are not a spectacle.”

He emphasized the human side of the tragedy.

”They are real people who are hurting beyond belief,” she added.

Another neighbor and friend added that an ongoing problem has been strangers showing up uninvited, offering help — something that has unsettled the family as they continue to grieve.

”I know this family very well and they don’t want people turning up and having to just deal with that,” she told the Adelaide Advertiser.

We can only hope for a miracle and that little Gus is found safe and returned to his family!

No family should have to endure gut-wrenching online harassment while facing such a terrifying ordeal, and right now, all our thoughts and support go out to them.