Jessica Murray, the heartbroken mother of missing four-year-old Gus Lamont, has left Adelaide to stay with a friend as police escalate their investigation into her son’s disappearance.

Her move comes after detectives revealed they believe Gus is dead, months after he vanished from his grandparents’ sheep station near Yunta in outback South Australia.

Ms Murray had already vacated the family homestead on the sprawling property before police announced the case was now being treated as a major crime.

Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said police had ruled out the possibility the child wandered off or was abducted, and now have a prime suspect within the Murray family.

Police say “a number of inconsistencies and discrepancies” in statements by family members triggered the investigation, which is now being treated as a “major crime”.

Det-Supt Fielke stressed Gus’s parents are not suspects in the disappearance of the four-year-old, who vanished from Oak Park Station, about 40km south of Yunta, in September last year.

Following the revelation, Ms Murray left the sheep station where she grew up and had been living with her parents, Shannon and her transgender father, Josie.

She had been staying at the property temporarily after splitting from Gus’s father, Joshua Lamont, before their son disappeared.

Ms Murray later moved into a family-owned home in Adelaide. However, the Daily Mail has reported she has since fled that city bolthole and is now staying with a friend.

On Monday, a neighbour confirmed to the Daily Mail that Ms Murray had left the Adelaide property over the weekend.

“Are you looking for Jess?” the neighbour said. “She’s not there. My husband saw her pack up and leave a few days ago.

“She’s gone to stay with a friend.”

Mr Lamont had also lived at the Adelaide home for a period after Gus vanished, but declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail there in November.

Another neighbour said they had not seen Mr Lamont for about three weeks, and it is believed he moved out around that time.

His departure coincided with a police raid at the Murray family farmhouse, where officers seized a vehicle, a motorbike and electronic equipment as the direction of the investigation shifted.

It is believed Mr Lamont may have vacated the Adelaide home to allow Ms Murray and the couple’s one-year-old son, Ronnie, to move in.

Gus Lamon’s grandparents issue statement

The grandparents of the missing four-year-old Gus Lamont issued a joint statement through their legal representatives, attempting to rebuke a key allegation made by police.

Josie Murray and Shannon Murray, who lived on the Oak Park Station in Yunta, South Australia, last week, engaged legal representatives.

Police revealed a member of Gus’ family who lived at the property, and who was not a parent, was no longer cooperating with officers and was now considered a suspect.

On Friday afternoon, the Murrays issued a joint statement through their respective legal teams.

“We are absolutely devastated by the media release of SAPOL Major Crime,” the statement began.

“The family has cooperated fully with the investigation and want nothing more than to find Gus and reunite him with his mum and dad.”

The lawyers representing Josie and Shannon stated that their clients would not be participating in interviews or commenting further.

The statement contradicts claims made by Det-Supt. Darren Fielke.

“A person who resides at Oak Park Station has withdrawn their support for police and is no longer cooperating with us,” he said on Thursday.

“The person who has withdrawn their co-operation is now considered a suspect in the disappearance of Gus.”

Hours after that announcement was made, it was revealed that both of Gus’ grandparents had engaged high-profile lawyers.

There is no suggestion that either Josie or Shannon Murray were involved in Gus’ disappearance.

Gus has not been seen since September 27, 2025.

On that day, he was last seen by his grandmother, Shannon Murray, according to police, before he vanished.

Initially, SAPOL said Gus had likely “wandered off”. However, months on, a major crime has been declared, and someone who lives at the property, who is not Gus’s parent, is now a suspect and is not cooperating with authorities.

Multiple, large-scale searches have been conducted involving hundreds from across SAPOL, the SES, the ADF, community volunteers and an Indigenous tracker.

Dams have been drained, mine shafts searched, and an “extensive” aerial search has been completed. Despite their best efforts, across 132 days, Gus has not been found.