The disappearance and likely death of a four-year-old boy has been declared a major crime with a person known to him declared a suspect.
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Gus Lamont was last seen by his grandmother playing on a mound of dirt at a sprawling sheep station in outback South Australia on September 27.
His disappearance from Oak Park Station sparked intensive searches spanning almost 500 sq km by hundreds of team members using aerial support and mounted units.
Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke on Thursday said Gus's disappearance had been declared a major crime.
"We don't believe now that Gus is alive," he told reporters.
He said a person known to Gus, who resides at Oak Park Station, had withdrawn their co-operation in the investigation after "a number of inconsistencies and discrepancies" were identified in the information they provided.
Det Supt Fielke confirmed the boy's grandmother, mother and younger brother had been on the property at the time Gus disappeared.
"I do want to stress, however, that Gus's parents are not suspects in his disappearance," he said.
Investigators searched the Oak Park Station homestead on January 14 and 15, seizing items including a vehicle, a motorcycle and electronic devices.
"All of these items are now subject to forensic testing," Det Supt Fielke said.
Investigators examined whether Gus had been abducted or had wandered off from Oak Park Station but no longer believed either possibilities were viable.
The initial 10-day air and ground search for Gus was one of the largest SA Police had undertaken.
In November, search teams focused on six mine shafts near property, 40km south of Yunta, using specialist officers, but found no trace of Gus.
A four-day search within a 5.5km radius of the homestead in early-October also concluded without any evidence.
The family previously expressed their devastation over the boy's disappearance in a September 30 statement.
"This has come as a shock to our family and friends, and we are struggling to comprehend what has happened," it said.
"Gus's absence is felt in all of us, and we miss him more than words can express.
"Our hearts are aching, and we are holding onto hope that he will be found and returned to us safely."
Australian Associated Press
