South Australian police will return to a remote sheep station near Yunta on Friday to drain a dam in the renewed search for four-year-old Gus, who went missing a month ago. The dam, located about 600 metres from the homestead, is four and a half metres deep and has already been searched by divers.
Police stated that draining the dam will allow for a comprehensive visual search, particularly in areas with underwater vegetation, to rule out the possibility that Gus may have drowned. The renewed search comes after extensive ground searches covering 95 square kilometres on foot and aerial imaging failed to locate the boy or provide evidence of his direction.
Investigators have concluded assessing drone imagery of the terrain surrounding the homestead, but no object of significance was identified. Further aerial imaging of an area up to 10 kilometres from the homestead is being conducted in stages and will take several weeks to complete.
Hundreds of people, including police, defence force members, SES volunteers, trackers, and local property owners, have been involved in two previous searches. The first covered more than 470 square kilometres, partly from the air, and the second extended to a 5.5-kilometre radius from the homestead.
Police said Task Force Horizon is conducting multiple lines of inquiry and has not uncovered any evidence of foul play. Premier Peter Malinauskas described the case as heartbreaking, stating that police are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to find Gus.
