Police have called off the search for a boy who went missing in the Australian outback

Australian police have called off the search for a four-year-old boy missing in the outback for almost three weeks after renewed efforts failed to find any trace of the child.

Gus Lamont was last seen playing outside his home on a remote sheep station near Younta, about 300km (186 miles) from Adelaide, on September 27.

His grandmother left him alone for about half an hour before checking on him, only to find the boy missing, sparking one of the biggest ground and air searches in South Australian history.

Police – who do not suspect foul play – say they will continue to investigate, but that the case has become a “recovery operation”.

Authorities briefly called off the search last week, only to resume it on Tuesday with 80 Australian Defense Force personnel.

Commissioner Grant Stevens said authorities were searching a wider area based on updated assessments from survival, medical and search specialists, not new information.

Police confirmed on Friday that the new search had turned up no sign of Gus.

“The fact that Gus is a young child, that the terrain is extremely rough, rough and subject to changing weather conditions, makes the search difficult and more challenging for those involved,” the police said in a statement.

About 470 sq km – an area roughly twice the size of Edinburgh – has already been covered, and a 12-strong task force set up earlier this week is expected to continue the investigation. Police are not ruling out further searches of the property in the future.

Gus, who is described as an adventurous but shy boy, was last seen wearing a gray hat, light gray long pants, boots and a blue long-sleeve T-shirt depicting a yellow Minion character. Police believe he wandered off.

The case sparked huge interest across Australia, with images of the curly-haired blond boy featured in local media and speculation spreading online.

This has prompted police to ask members of the public to stop calling them with their ‘opinions’ and urge them to get information from credible sources.

Their warning came after fake AI-generated images of the child went viral on social media, which The BBC Verify team is investigating.

Earlier this week, police said the boy’s family remained “stoic” despite the tragic circumstances.

“You can imagine how they feel … not having answers to exactly where Gus is and what happened to him. It would be traumatic for any family,” Commissioner Stevens said.

Through a spokesman, Lamont’s family have already said they are “devastated” by Gus’s disappearance.

“It’s been a shock to our family and friends and we’re struggling to understand what happened,” Bill Harbison said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“Gus is missed by all of us and we miss him more than words can express.”