Four-year-old Gus Lamont disappeared from his family’s remote sheep station in South Australia on September 27, 2025. He was last seen by family playing outside the Oak Park Station homestead. When his grandmother returned half an hour later, Gus was gone. A massive search ensued — involving hundreds of police, State Emergency Service volunteers, Australian Defence Force soldiers, drones, trackers, and community members — but found only one stray footprint, later ruled out, and no other trace of the boy.
Amid the Gus Lamont search, AI-generated images and false claims began circulating online as purported “leads.”
The misinformation spread almost entirely via Facebook and Facebook-owned Instagram. One viral post claimed that a soaked backpack had been found in the outback, sparking a “major breakthrough.”
Another claimed that a Minions T-shirt, supposedly matching the one Gus wore before disappearing, had been discovered.
Another image that went viral claimed to show bloodstains and a body part allegedly discovered by searchers.
A post of August Lamont in the arms of an unknown man has also gone viral online, with social media users believing he had been kidnapped.
Among the previous claims, this image could be noticed to be AI-generated, as the man seems to have an unnatural gap between his middle and index fingers.
All previous claims are fake. The police say they...
Trump falsely claims 274 FBI agents were placed in the January 6 crowd. DOJ report found no evidence FBI agents orchestrated the Capitol riot. 1,400 arrests made and 1,000 convictions tied to the...