Expanded search for Gus nears conclusion as missing persons advocate speaks out

Police say the renewed search for missing boy Gus across an expanded area south of Yunta in outback SA will likely "be completed" on Friday.

Transcript

00:00With the mercury tipped to climb to a scorching 36 degrees, the plan for the third day of the

00:08renewed search for little Gus was simple, get in early to beat the heat. Shortly after sunrise,

00:15a crew of more than 100 began arriving at the family's property to start the day's search for

00:19any sign of the four-year-old boy who was last seen playing outside the homestead south of

00:24on September the 27th, almost three weeks ago. But it's not just the heat that Task Force Horizon

00:31detectives, the team of police officers, Australian Defence Force personnel and SES volunteers have

00:38been battling. Strong winds have been kicking up clouds of dirt and dust. A large contingent of

00:43vehicles traveling in and out of the search area has turned dirt tracks into sand traps. And crews

00:49have been walking up to 25 kilometres across the scrubland each day, scouring the area for clues.

00:57It's difficult not to think about how some might feel after another day with no success.

01:02Families of missing persons say it's an emotional rollercoaster.

01:07It's mind-numbing for a start because you're sort of like, what, how, where, when, it's all that goes

01:14through your head. You feel hopeless.

01:17Nicky Smith welcomes the full-scale search for Gus, but says people go missing every day. And the

01:22response can vary.

01:24It's a heartbreaking feeling because it brings everything up that happened in the early days

01:28with our loved ones. Makes it fresh.

01:33Experts say cases like Gus's can attract a barrage of online rumours and conspiracies.

01:38It's important for the community to remember to sometimes not get swept up

01:43in the mystery and the mysticism of cases, but really think about the ways in which they

01:48can support the family who were left behind.

01:50A timely reminder as the search continues, but it is expected to wrap up on Friday.

01:55We'll see you next time on Friday.

01:56We'll see you next time on Friday.

01:57We'll see you next time on Friday.

01:58We'll see you next time on Friday.

01:59We'll see you next time on Friday.

02:00We'll see you next time on Friday.

02:01We'll see you next time on Friday.

02:02We'll see you next time on Friday.

02:03We'll see you next time on Friday.

02:04We'll see you next time on Friday.

02:05We'll see you next time on Friday.

02:06We'll see you next time on Friday.

02:07We'll see you next time on Friday.