British – A 22-Minute Digital Trail Blew the Case Wide Open: How One Phone Record Turned Gus Lamont’s Disappearance into a Sudden Arrest? The Truth That Shocked a Nation
In one of the most dramatic turns in a missing-child case that has gripped Australia for weeks, police have arrested a 38-year-old man in connection with the disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont after a 22-minute sequence of mobile phone data placed him at the centre of the investigation.
The breakthrough – described by detectives as “the single most important piece of digital evidence we have obtained” – came from a detailed analysis of cell-tower pings, call logs, SMS metadata and precise geolocation timestamps recovered from the suspect’s phone. That 22-minute window, between 15:42 and 16:04 on the afternoon of 28 January 2026, showed the man’s device moving in a tight radius around the Lamont family property in the Perth Hills before abruptly heading away in the direction of an abandoned gravel pit and old mine workings approximately 4.7 km east-northeast.
Until that data drop, the official narrative had remained open: Gus may have wandered into dense bushland behind the house, fallen into one of the many unmarked prospecting shafts that dot the area, or become lost in the steep ravines. Ground-penetrating radar, cadaver dogs and specialist mine-rescue teams had searched dozens of shafts without success. Public appeals had focused almost exclusively on “please come forward if you saw Gus playing outside that afternoon.”
Everything changed at 09:17 this morning when WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch fronted a hastily arranged media conference flanked by Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde and a visibly exhausted search coordinator.
“At 10:47 last night our digital forensics team identified a 22-minute period during which the suspect’s phone was in very close proximity to the Lamont address – closer than any other device not belonging to the immediate family,” Supt Wilde stated. “The movement pattern after 16:04 is inconsistent with someone simply passing by. Combined with witness statements, vehicle ANPR hits and physical evidence recovered this morning from the suspect’s utility, we formed sufficient grounds to make an arrest.”
The man, named in court documents as Daniel Robert Kellett, 38, of Kalamunda, was taken into custody without incident at a unit in Midland at 06:12 today. He has been charged with one count of abduction of a child under 16 and one count of deprivation of liberty. Police have not yet charged him with murder; the official stance remains that they are “still treating Gus as a missing person and hoping to find him alive.”
A search warrant executed at Kellett’s address recovered several items described only as “of significant interest to the investigation”. Sources close to the inquiry say officers removed electronic devices, clothing, a quantity of children’s toys not belonging to the household, and a large quantity of soil and vegetation samples that are now being forensically compared to the bushland behind the Lamont property.
The arrest has triggered an outpouring of emotion across Australia. Gus’s face – curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, gap-toothed smile – has been on every television screen and news feed since he vanished. Yellow ribbons still decorate trees, fences and car aerials from Perth to Darwin. Vigils that had been hopeful are now sombre; many parents are openly weeping in public.
Gus’s mother Sarah spoke briefly outside the family home this afternoon, supported by relatives:
“I don’t have words right now. I just want my boy home. If anyone knows anything – anything at all – please tell the police. He’s only four. He’s scared. Please bring him back to me.”
The investigation has also reignited debate about the safety of rural properties near old mine workings. The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has announced an urgent audit of all known abandoned shafts within 10 km of residential areas in the Perth Hills and Wheatbelt regions.
Daniel Kellett appeared briefly via video link in Perth Magistrates Court this afternoon. He did not enter a plea. He was remanded in custody and is due back in court on 3 March. Police have asked anyone who saw Kellett’s white Toyota Hilux (registration obscured in released images) in the Mundaring area on 28 January to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The 22-minute digital trail that remained silent for three weeks has now spoken – and the truth it told has changed everything.
Australia continues to hold its breath. A four-year-old boy is still missing. And one man is now in custody.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers immediately.
