‘They can’t just disappear into thin air’: EXCLUSIVE: Police release first CCTV of 4-year-old boy missing in Australian outback 6 days ago and the shadow of a man who has everyone wondering

NEED TO KNOW

• The family of 4-year-old August “Gus” Lamont have released the first image of him, six days after he disappeared from his home in the remote Australian outback

• The image depicts the curly-haired youngster playing with Play Doh

• The release of the image comes as South Australian police reveal the hunt for Gus has entered the “recovery” phase, as reported by news.com.au

The family of a missing Australian boy has released the first image of him, six days after his disappearance.

Four-year-old August “Gus” Lamont disappeared on Saturday, Sept. 27, at around 5 p.m. local time from his family’s remote home in the Australian outback and has not been seen since.

Six days later, his family has released a picture of Gus wearing a Peppa Pig T-shirt with “My Mummy” printed on it. The brown eyed, curly-haired child is playing with Play-Doh in the family photograph.

The release of the image comes as South Australia police admit their hunt for Gus is entering the “recovery phase.”

In a statement on Thursday, Yorke Mid North Superintendent Mark Syrus said police were “gravely” worried about the boy, per news.com.au

“A 4-year-old doesn’t disappear into thin air, he has to be somewhere,” he said.

“Hopefully, he’s hanging in there alive, but we are now in recovery phase, and the fact he’s been gone over 100 hours and six days, that’s a long time to be out in the elements,” Syrus added, per the outlet.

The South Australia police also confirmed in a statement on Thursday, Oct. 2, that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) would be joining the search at their request.

The police said 48 ADF personnel would join Yorke Mid North police, who are leading the search as of 8 a.m. on Thursday. They noted that search efforts have been bolstered by “police cadets, SES volunteers, trailbike and ATV teams, drones, a traditional Aboriginal tracker, and a large number of dedicated community and family members.”

Gus disappeared while playing in the sand at his family’s sheep farm, which is located in a remote area about 25 miles from Yunta, a town in South Australia, 7NEWS reported.

According to an earlier statement from police, as previously reported by PEOPLE, he was last seen wearing a gray sun hat, a cobalt blue T-shirt featuring a yellow Minion character, light grey long pants, and boots.

Gus’ family friend Bill Harbison released a statement via the SA Police on Tuesday, Sept. 30, saying, “We are devastated by the disappearance of our beloved Gus.”

Sharing that they “miss him more than words can express,” Harbison added, “Our hearts are aching, and we are holding onto hope that he will be found and returned to us safely.”