Gus has been missing since late September. Photo: SAPOL / SUPPLIED
South Australian police investigating the disappearance of four-year-old Gus in the state's mid-north are hoping the results of drone searches carried out at the weekend could reveal clues about his disappearance.
SA Police Acting Commissioner Linda Williams has revealed the searches were conducted on Friday and Saturday nights, and that the technology was the same used to look for the remains of alleged murder victim Julian Story at Port Lincoln.
Gus was last seen playing in sand at his family's vast and isolated homestead near Yunta about 5pm on Saturday, 27 September. He is yet to be found.
Acting Commissioner Williams said the discovery of a boot print had prompted a "significant search" of a dam on Monday, but that the "print was subsequently found not to be related to Gus".
"On Friday and Saturday night a contingent of police also conducted a significant aerial search of the property using a special drone with infrared capabilities," she said.
"This is the same technology that was used in the search in Port Lincoln for the remains of Julian Story.
"The results of that drone analysis are still being analysed. We hope to have those results in coming weeks. It's quite complex technology so it will take a little while for that to work through."
The revelations about the ongoing efforts to find Gus come after police scaled back the search on Friday afternoon.
"On Tuesday of last week, medical experts advised there was little hope then for us to find Gus alive but despite that we continued on for three more days with a significant search presence 'til Friday afternoon," the acting commissioner said.
She indicated that police activity in the area would continue "from time to time - for example, when the results of this search by the drone have been completed".
"If any information comes that directs us to conduct further searches in specific areas we will be doing that in the coming weeks," she said.
"We will never give up hope of finding Gus. There are further lines of enquiry being undertaken, and the family have continued to cooperate fully with police and have consented to every request that we have made of them thus far.
"This is just to emphasise to people in the community that we still have a public appeal for anyone who has any information about Gus."
- ABC
