The secret search for body of missing mum-of-two just kilometres from the Gus Lamont hunt - as furious family unleash on cops: 'Incompetent'

By KARLEIGH SMITH - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 00:26, 15 July 2026 | Updated: 00:26, 15 July 2026 As police scour the South Australian outback for the remains of little Gus Lamont, a second, secret search for the body of a young mother continues just kilometres away. Four-year-old Gus vanished from the Oak Park sheep station owned by his grandparents Shannon and Josie Murray, 400km north of Adelaide, ten months ago. Police have so far failed to find a single clue, but believe he is dead, either accidentally or otherwise, and suspect the involvement of his grandmother Josie, 75. But the Daily Mail can now reveal that police are also still searching for a second missing body. Mother-of-two Tanja Ebert, 23, vanished in August 2017 from Oulnina Park, a sprawling sheep station which partially borders the Murrays' huge property. She lived with her pastoralist husband Michael Burdon, 41, who police believed was responsible for her murder, and who shot himself in front of officers while they were still looking for her.  The German-born mum's family told the Daily Mail they remain bitter at the police 'incompetence' over her case. They blame the way her disappearance was handled by police for Mr Burdon's suicide six days after Ms Ebert was reported missing. Tanja Ebert, 23, vanished from her sheep station near Yunta in 2017 and is feared murdered Tanja and husband Michael Burdon on a family trip to Adelaide with their young sons Gus Lamont vanished just 50km from where police have been searching for Tanja The two missing people are from neighbouring sheep stations - Oak Park and Oulnina Park After Mr Burdon's suicide, police said he was the prime suspect for his wife's murder. Ms Ebert remains a missing person, with Crime Stoppers offering a $200,000 reward for anyone with information on her disappearance.  Mr Burdon shot himself dead outside the family homestead - just 50km away from the Murrays' neighbouring homestead. His mother, Marlis Burdon, 85, from Port Lincoln in the state's west, told the Daily Mail he was hounded to his death by 'relentless police harassment'. She said her son was pushed over the edge during five hours of 'aggressive' questioning by detectives in his kitchen on the day he killed himself.  Ms Burdon is now concerned Josie Murray is facing similar police treatment after she was declared a suspect in February when police 'identified discrepancies' in the timeline surrounding Gus' disappearance. Police seized computers and vehicles for forensic testing in January, and arrested her for possession of a prohibited gun silencer found as they searched the Oak Park homestead. The gun charge was unrelated to Gus's disappearance, and Murray was fined $10,500 after pleading guilty at Adelaide Magistrates Court last month. Burdon's mother Marlis remains bitter about how police handled the investigation Crime Stoppers is offering a $200,000 reward for information on Tanja's disappearance Oulnina Park Station, near Manna Hill, was sold a year after the crime shocked South Australia Ms Burdon said she was 'concerned' at how police were handling Gus's case, which brought back painful memories of Ms Ebert's disappearance and her son's death. 'They are incompetent,' she said. 'I wish police would have their fingers smacked. 'After Michael died, they were rough, not nice. They were belittling what I had to say and made me feel like I was guilty of a crime. Mr Burdon's sister Deborah Nikou added: 'With Michael, they pushed and pushed and pushed, and it was too much for him.' 'It's probably the same in Josie's case. It's too much. What this says to me is they have little evidence [about Gus] and what little they do have, they're hammering it.' Ms Ebert left Cologne in 2012 aged 18, and travelled to Australia on a backpacking adventure. She found herself working as a bartender at the Olary Pub, one of the few bars on the Barrier Highway connecting NSW with South Australia. She met Mr Burdon there, who was working the land with his father Peter, owner of Oulnina Station.  Despite an 18-year age difference, romance bloomed between Ms Ebert and Mr Burdon and she moved to his outback property where they had two sons. In 2014, Mr Burdon's father Peter died of a brain tumour and Michael inherited the property.  Tanja and Burdon were parents of two sons, who were one and three when she vanished Marlis Burdon (pictured) said she was concerned how police have handled the Gus Lamont case They married on the station in front of locals and her family and friends in February 2017, just six months before she went missing. Friends at the time claimed their relationship appeared solid on the outside, but behind the scenes, there were problems. Ms Ebert had become a well-known member of the tight-knit communities of Yunta, Manna Hill and Olary, and was focused on balancing her sons' lives on the remote property with educational trips to Adelaide while her husband ran the station.  On August 8, 2017, Ms Ebert and Mr Burdon had taken the children to a museum in the SA capital.  After reporting her missing on August 10, Mr Burdon told police she had exited the family vehicle at a service station in Roseworthy on August 8, just north of Adelaide, and walked off when they were on their way back to the farm. But police found no evidence at Roseworthy, and focused their attention on Oulnina Park, which is just 50km from Oak Park Station, where Gus was last seen on September 27 last year. In similar scenes to the 11 known searches for Gus, specialists searched the 400sqkm sheep station on foot, horseback and by air. Meanwhile, they turned their attention to Mr Burdon himself. Burdon and Tanja were married at Oulnina Station just six months before her disappearance The family of four was seen at a museum in Adelaide on August 8, 2017 Police scoured the 400sqkm sheep station but no trace of Tanja was found Ms Burdon was at the property helping care for her grandsons. 'I went into the kitchen and they were hammering him like you wouldn't believe,' she said. 'He was totally harassed and then just lost it altogether. 'He ran away, and found a pistol, and [went outside] and shot himself in front of them. [Police] were spread out over the hills and watched it all happen.' Ms Burdon said she heard the gunshot, but said police appeared 'stoical' and 'were so rude to me' immediately afterwards. 'It was just totally callous,' she said.  After Burdon died, police used his farming equipment to excavate suspected burial sites, to no avail.  In 2018, Major Crime Detective Sergeant Paul Ward said police did not believe Mr Burdon's story that Ms Ebert got out of the family vehicle at Roseworthy on August 8. 'We, as the investigation team, suspect her remains are on that property, so until she is found there will always be that question over the station at Manna Hill,' he said. Tanja's mother Andrea rushed to South Australia from Germany 'We have searched all the waterways, all the sentimental locations, and buildings at the property, but unfortunately we have not found her.  'This property is enormous, but everything leads us to believe she is there.' Oulnina Park was sold in May 2018 after three generations in the Burdon family.  Eight years after Ms Ebert's disappearance, in September 2025, South Australia Police (SAPOL) search teams were back in the area, looking for missing Gus.  They scoured the rugged landscape on foot, along with an air search covering a 15km radius from Oak Park's homestead.  Mr Burdon's sister said she had been told police were also secretly searching for Ms Ebert during their highly publicised hunt for Gus. 'My daughter has been in contact with the police over the years since Tanja disappeared,' said Ms Nikou, 60. 'Absolutely they would take the opportunity to look [while they have resources in the area], but they are not going to make that public knowledge.  Tanja's family said police would be keeping an eye out for Tanja as they look for Gus Gus has been missing for ten months, after vanishing without a trace on AFL grand final day Gus' grandmother Josie Murray has confirmed she is the main suspect in his disappearance 'The whole thing is pretty secretive, but what police intimated to my daughter was that, because there are so many missing persons cases, they can only allocate a certain amount of funds to each case, unless they have solid evidence so they can pursue a line of investigation.' Ms Nikou admitted there was a 'lot of different theories' about whether her brother had murdered Ms Ebert. 'Some people believe yes, some people believe no,' she said. 'There's probably no point in actually saying yes or no because unless we have proof, it's too hard. 'We lost Tanja and we're still grieving about that.' The Daily Mail understands Burdon and Ebert's orphaned sons, now 10 and 12, still live in Australia and 'are settled and doing really well'.  Ms Burdon said Ms Ebert's body may be down one of the wells on Oulnina Park, but it's understood police searched the wells and mines on the property at the time she vanished - much like they have with Gus. Ms Nikou said she 'definitely' empathised with the pressure Josie Murray is under as the main suspect in Gus' disappearance, despite police revealing little evidence over why. Josie faced Adelaide Magistrates Court last month, pleading guilty to unrelated gun charges Police have scoured Oak Park Station, but are yet to find any clues as to Gus' whereabouts 'Police obviously want a result, and they want to be able to say their line of enquiry is taking them somewhere because they're using a lot of resources and there are a lot of high emotions surrounding it,' she said. 'Everyone wants to know where that boy is and they need to get results.'  Ms Burdon said she did not know the Murray family well, but that her children - including her other son Mark, who died in 1997 - were acquaintances. 'We would see them at the Yunta race meets,' she said. 'You'd keep in touch with people who were your neighbours.' She said she had been watching the hunt for Gus but that it was 'too painful to follow in detail'.  Ms Nikou said police would struggle to ever find the remains of either Ms Ebert or Gus. 'It's desert country,' she said. 'Things disappear. Bodies disappear very quickly. You've got the elements of the sun and the animals... it's a big ask. 'But I hope for the sake of the [Murray] family and for closure, I desperately hope they do find Gus. We know what it's like not to know.'  The Burdon family are acquaintances with their former neighbours, the Murrays  Josie Murray gave an emotional interview to 7NEWS Spotlight in June Gus's disappearance was upgraded from missing person to major crime in February  On Friday, South Australia Police confirmed the hunt for Ms Ebert's remains continues.  'South Australia Police will not comment on specific operational aspects of investigations,' said a spokesman. 'The disappearance and suspected murder of Tanja Ebert remains under investigation.  'A reward of up to $200,000 has been approved for information and assistance that leads to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the suspected murder of Tanja Ebert, and/or leading to the location and recovery of her remains.' Daily Mail tried to contact Ms Ebert's mother Andrea in Germany. If this story has raised issues for you, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or  Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636