{"id":189968,"date":"2025-10-04T17:32:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T17:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/189968\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T17:32:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T17:32:14","slug":"aboriginal-leaders-furious-message-for-south-australian-police-after-search-for-missing-boy-was-scaled-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/189968\/","title":{"rendered":"Aboriginal leader’s furious message for South Australian Police after search for missing boy was scaled back"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ZAK WHEELER, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA<\/a> and KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 00:03 EDT, 4 October 2025 | Updated: 01:41 EDT, 4 October 2025 <\/p>\n

An Aboriginal leader has launched a scathing attack on police after the search for missing four-year-old Gus Lamon was scaled back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Clinton Pryor, also known as Spirit Walker, demanded South Australian Police explain why they had ‘given up’ on Gus, who was last seen on September 27.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The little boy disappeared from\u00a0his grandparents’ remote homestead, about 40km south of Yunta, north-east of Adelaide<\/a> in the afternoon.<\/p>\n

On Friday, SAPOL Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Parrott said it was unlikely that Gus would be found alive and that search efforts would be scaled back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Police had gained no significant clues regarding Gus’s whereabouts, apart from a footprint located 500metres from the property.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Search teams will now focus their efforts closer to his grandparents’ homestead, where they believe the four-year-old is more likely to be found.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Mr\u00a0Pryor said any officers should be ‘ashamed’ of themselves in an expletive-laden Facebook post on Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘To everyone and to those who call off the search on little Gus, you need to have good f***ing look at this photo and tell me why you chose to give up,’ he began.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Clinton <\/p>\n

Clinton Pryor, also known as Spirit Walker, demanded South Australian Police explain why they had ‘given up’ on finding Gus, who was last seen on September 27\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Little <\/p>\n

Little Gus went missing from his grandparents’ homestead in the afternoon of September 27<\/p>\n

‘You are not calling off the search for cop killer Dezi Freeman [since] he killed two cops [and] that’s more important than trying to find a four-year-old child.<\/p>\n

‘You never call off the search on little Cleo Smith in WA years’ back.\u00a0The police went door to door smashing area down to the ground to find her and they did.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘So why the f*** you SA police force and those who call off the search on a four-year-old boy, just give up like that. You all f***ing a-hole need to be ashamed of yourself giving up on this little angel.<\/p>\n

‘He could of been still alive if we look longer, you didn’t even go knocking door to door asking people questions and start searching in another area or people house.<\/p>\n

‘You left him out there to die or didn’t take the next step on if he got kidnap.<\/p>\n

‘And you only search for him only one week f***ing disgrace the SA police force.<\/p>\n

‘I having my 2 cents and don’t care what you all think of me right now. I’m man that care that all. I been doing my part trying help find little Gus by creating awareness.<\/p>\n

‘I’m just piss[ed] of right now.’<\/p>\n

Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n

\"Gus <\/p>\n

Gus was last seen playing on a mound of dirt around 5pm before he suddenly vanished<\/p>\n

Cleo Smith vanished from a remote Blowholes camping site\u00a0on October 16, 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After an extensive search operation and investigation Cleo was found playing with toys in a house belonging to the man who had abducted her 18 days later<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Accused cop-killer Dezi Freeman vanished after allegedly shooting two police officers and then fleeing into\u00a0rugged mountainous terrain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ADF personnel were stood down from the search for Gus on Friday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The number of police vehicles surrounding the property was significantly reduced.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Commissioner Parrott said the decision was based on\u00a0scientific and professional advice on how long a four-year-old could survive alone in remote terrain in freezing overnight temperatures.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Officers still hold slim hope that they will find Gus alive and return him to his family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Police believe Gus wandered off and was not taken, as the only people who travel on the nearby road are station owners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n Aboriginal leader’s furious message for South Australian Police after search for missing boy was scaled back<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By ZAK WHEELER, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 00:03 EDT, 4…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189969,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3443,100,2456,43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-189968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-adelaide","tag-dailymail","tag-facebook","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}