The family of a missing four-year-old boy in mid-north South Australia is holding on to hope for his safe return. The boy, named Gus, disappeared while playing on the family’s remote sheep grazing property on Saturday evening. Bill Harbison, a family friend, read a statement from the family expressing their devastation over Gus's disappearance.

"It has come as a shock to our family and friends, and we are struggling to comprehend what has happened," Harbison said. "Gus’s absence is felt in all of us, and we miss him more than words can express. Our hearts are aching, and we are holding onto hope that he will be found and returned safely."

Gus went missing around 5 p.m. while playing in the sand, approximately 40 kilometers south of Yunta. Harbison noted that the family is deeply distressed but grateful for the support from police, emergency services, and community members who have joined the search efforts.

"At this time, we kindly ask for privacy as we focus all our energy on supporting the search and working closely with the police," he added.

Authorities reported that over 100 people are involved in the search, which includes ground teams, a police helicopter, drones, sniffer dogs, and thermal imaging technology. Superintendent Mark Syrus, who oversees the Yorke and Mid North region, stated that no clues have been found so far.

"What we are really trying to find is some type of clue to where, what direction he was traveling in," Syrus said. He explained that the search area is vast and challenging, with low-lying and undulating terrain.

"It’s such a big area, and probably the frustrating thing for us is we actually haven’t got a direction of travel, so we’ve got to cover off on a 360-degree area as opposed to a direction of travel that he might have been walking in when he was last seen," he said.

The property spans 6,000 hectares and is home to about 3,000 sheep, as well as goats, kangaroos, and wallabies. With more than 60 hours having passed since Gus went missing, concern is growing among search teams.

"It is starting to concern us, but that doesn't diminish our hopes that we actually do find him and then get him to some medical facilities as quickly as possible," Syrus said. He confirmed that the search would continue into the night and the following day, emphasizing the importance of having people on the ground.

"We are hoping that he's just crawled up underneath a bush somewhere and just stayed put and just conserving some energy," he said.

Syrus reiterated that there is no suspicion of foul play. "All this is, is just a young four-year-old lad who has just wandered off, and that’s where we are concentrating our search efforts at this point in time," he stated.

Gus was last seen playing with a shovel in a mound of dirt outside the property. Earlier, Commissioner Grant Stevens noted the challenging terrain, stating, "It is a large property, and on face value, it looks like it would be relatively easy to search, but it is proving challenging and there are lots of places a small child might find themselves which would be hard for us to identify as easily as people may think."

Police believe Gus is still on the property and have not released his image, as they feel it would not aid in the search efforts.