Australia Australia - Kumanjayi Little Baby, 5, missing from Aboriginal camp, Alice Springs, 25 April 2026

[imstilla.grandma]

On Tuesday, the NT police assistant commissioner for crime and intelligence, Peter Malley, told reporters in Alice Springs that there had been no confirmed sightings of either Sharon or Lewis since Saturday night.

“He was last seen with a little girl holding hands at around about 11 o’clock at night,” Malley said. Police were called by the girl’s mother in the early hours of Sunday morning. “After police got there … it was very quickly relayed to us that Jefferson Lewis was also missing, and it was pretty easy to put two and two together.”

Police believe five-year-old Aboriginal girl was led away by older man seen holding her hand

NT police said 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis was reported absent soon after Sharon’s family reported her disappearance in Alice Springs

www.theguardian.com

 

[JLZ]

There is rarely ANY water in the Todd River. There are people resting/gathering/maybe camping or exercising there.

 

[drsleuth]

Police reveal items seized from crime scene in missing 5yo investigation

Northern Territory Police say some people in the community "absolutely know" the whereabouts of five-year-old girl Sharon Granites's suspected abductor, and are imploring anyone with information that could help find them to come forward.

www.abc.net.au

Live updates

NT Police say some in community 'absolutely know' where missing girl Sharon Granites's suspected abductor is​

Commissioner Dole said police believe some members of the community may know the location of Jefferson Lewis - the man they believe abducted Sharon Granites.

"Let me be clear about one thing in relation to that, we believe that there are members of the community that absolutely know where Jefferson Lewis is.

"What I want to say to you is tell us.

"Tell us what you know. Tell us where he is. Tell us how to contact him

"If you are withholding information because you are frightened, please have confidence that we will treat that information sensitively."



Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley is providing an update on the case and evidence found.

"We have seized a number of items from that crime scene, being a doona cover, the shirt that Jefferson Lewis was wearing - it was a distinct yellow one - and we seized a pair of child's underwear from that location," he said.

"Those items have now been transported to Darwin and they are undergoing forensic analysis and I expect to have that back tomorrow."

 

[MrJ]

14m ago

More detail on prior incident at Old Timers town camp​

​Assistant Commissioner Malley said police were called to Old Timers town camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs for a "mental health episode" on the night Sharon disappeared.

"When police arrived Mr Lewis was one of the only people there, and there was nothing going on, so the police made some inquiries, had a look around and left".

Police reveal items seized from crime scene in missing 5yo investigation

Northern Territory Police say some people in the community "absolutely know" the whereabouts of five-year-old girl Sharon Granites's suspected abductor, and are imploring anyone with information that could help find them to come forward.

www.abc.net.au

 

[MrJ]

Police reveal items seized from crime scene in missing 5yo investigation

Northern Territory Police say some people in the community "absolutely know" the whereabouts of five-year-old girl Sharon Granites's suspected abductor, and are imploring anyone with information that could help find them to come forward.

www.abc.net.au

12m ago

Police's message to Jefferson Lewis​

​The assistant commissioner issued this message to Jefferson Lewis:

"Hand yourself in. Go to the nearest police station or give us a call and we'll come and grab you."

And for anyone who sees Mr Lewis or Sharon, Assistant Commissioner Malley said they should:

"Call us on 131 444 or Triple Zero even, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000."

6m ago

Police say they've had to go back to '1930s policing'​

​Police say Jefferson Lewis's lack of a digital footprint has been a challenge for investigators.

"Yeah it's horrible," Assistant Commissioner Peter Malleysaid.

"It's going back to 1930s policing without that digital footprint.

"This man doesn't have a telephone, doesn't have a bank account, he doesn't have a car, so some of the usual practices we do in 2026 aren't applicable.

"Hence the amount of resources we have on the ground, we're knocking on doors, we're going through houses, it's old-style policing and yeah, it's a hard slog."

3m ago

Police accessed Jefferson Lewis's old ankle monitor data​

Assistant Commissioner Malley said police had gone to many of the places around Alice Springs Jefferson Lewis used to frequent.

"He has in the past had an ankle monitor on and so that's also been looked at, and that revealed many places of interest.

"So anywhere he's frequented we've been and we'll continue to go till we get him."

 

[Chelly]

'''“We have seized a number of items from that crime scene, being a doona cover, the shirt that Jefferson Lewis was wearing – it was a distinct yellow one – and we seized a pair of child's underwear from that location," Assistant Commissioner Malley said.'''

'''Police reiterated their belief that Sharon is still alive, elaborating by saying they had sought the advice of bush survival experts.'''

Police reveal items seized from crime scene in missing 5yo investigation

Northern Territory Police say some people in the community "absolutely know" the whereabouts of five-year-old girl Sharon Granites's suspected abductor, and are imploring anyone with information that could help find them to come forward.

www.abc.net.au

ETA: Considering the items seized by LE, are they being overly optimistic believing Sharon is still alive?

 

[bearbear]

Police reveal items seized from crime scene in missing 5yo investigation

Northern Territory Police say some people in the community "absolutely know" the whereabouts of five-year-old girl Sharon Granites's suspected abductor, and are imploring anyone with information that could help find them to come forward.

www.abc.net.au

Live updates

NT Police say some in community 'absolutely know' where missing girl Sharon Granites's suspected abductor is​

Commissioner Dole said police believe some members of the community may know the location of Jefferson Lewis - the man they believe abducted Sharon Granites.



"If you are withholding information because you are frightened, please have confidence that we will treat that information sensitively."



Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley is providing an update on the case and evidence found.

he would be turned in quickly if there was a reward offered

 

[MrJ]

'Only a little baby': Family of missing 5yo Sharon Granites speaks

Family members of a missing Alice Springs five-year-old have spoken to the ABC for the first time, pleading for anyone with information that could help find their "energetic" little girl to come forward.

www.abc.net.au

According to this article, where the family has made a statement for the first time, Sharon cannot talk and uses hand gestures to communicate.

 

[ErinC]

Police reveal items seized from crime scene in missing 5yo investigation

Northern Territory Police say some people in the community "absolutely know" the whereabouts of five-year-old girl Sharon Granites's suspected abductor, and are imploring anyone with information that could help find them to come forward.

www.abc.net.au

Live updates

NT Police say some in community 'absolutely know' where missing girl Sharon Granites's suspected abductor is​

Commissioner Dole said police believe some members of the community may know the location of Jefferson Lewis - the man they believe abducted Sharon Granites.



"If you are withholding information because you are frightened, please have confidence that we will treat that information sensitively."



Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley is providing an update on the case and evidence found.

I was afraid they'd run into this. I suspect a lot of people in the Aboriginal community may be reluctant to trust authorities, and often for good reason. MOO

 

[MsMarple]

“We have seized a number of items from that crime scene, being a doona cover, the shirt that Jefferson Lewis was wearing, and a pair of child’s underwear,” he said.

Police said it was possible the five-year-old was sexually assaulted.

“Those items have been forensically examined and we should have those results back tomorrow to maybe confirm or deny that,” he said.

https://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/desperate-search-continues-after-sharon-5-allegedly-snatched-from-alice-springs-home/news-story/69b8af4d1d28479037e4cc21c4684787

 

[MsMarple]

 

[Lucy6226]

Really hope she is found safe. The alternative is just to much to think about

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2049503928543310192

 

[BreakingNews]

Her home is so close to the Sturt Highway, Todd River and the rail line. This doesn't bode well if she did just wander off.

No, but if Lewis is also missing it raises suspicions. Someone will know where to find him.

 

[BreakingNews]

I was afraid they'd run into this. I suspect a lot of people in the Aboriginal community may be reluctant to trust authorities, and often for good reason. MOO

I dont think this is the case so much now. Anyone reluctant to trust authorises are usually trouble anyway. Doesn't sound like Lewis should have been released from prison. I wonder what his tie was to be staying at this house? Related?

 

[moonglow123]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2049503928543310192

God, this is so sad. All that searching and still nothing. Where could he have taken her?

 

[MsMarple]

Long article, here are some highlights in keeping with the 10% rule, go to the source for more:

The town camp is a small community, with only nine households and about 40 residents, which is maintained by the local Aboriginal corporation Tangentyere Council.

Police say Sharon and her mother were visiting the home of some people they knew well, to do some Saturday laundry.

As the evening went on, police say a party was held at the house for a "social occasion", with several people in attendance.

One of those people was Jefferson Lewis, a 47-year-old man who was staying at the home at Old Timers after having been released from prison six days prior.
…
Police say their interaction with Mr Lewis that night was "fortuitous" and that "no offence" had occurred at that time, with police leaving the location shortly after.

But at 11pm that night, police say Mr Lewis was seen by those in the area for the last time, and he was with a little girl believed to be Sharon.

"He was last seen with the little girl holding hands," police said on Tuesday.

As search for missing 5yo Sharon continues, a clearer picture of that night emerges

Five-year-old Sharon Granites vanished from an Alice Springs town camp late on Saturday night, with police alleging she has been abducted. Here's what we know about the night she went missing.

www.abc.net.au

Police verified that the Todd river is dry. The investigation is now focused on Sharon having been abducted by Lewis, who has a history of violence.

 

[ivylambs]

I imagine some members of that community are too scared to rat the perp out. So few people, it would be easy to figure out who talked and retaliate…

The dynamics remind me a lot of small Native American communities in the US and Canada. Does Australia also see disproportionate numbers of missing Aboriginal women? This is the first case I’ve heard despite the fact that Aboriginal people make up a significantly larger percentage of the Australian population compared to Native Americans here.

 

[JLZ]

I imagine some members of that community are too scared to rat the perp out. So few people, it would be easy to figure out who talked and retaliate…

The dynamics remind me a lot of small Native American communities in the US and Canada. Does Australia also see disproportionate numbers of missing Aboriginal women? This is the first case I’ve heard despite the fact that Aboriginal people make up a significantly larger percentage of the Australian population compared to Native Americans here.

Alice Springs population is 20% Aboriginal, compared to around 4% nationally. The police there are known to be extremely racist, dangerously so. It is hard for Aboriginal people to stay out of gaol, partly because they are targeted and sometimes pre-emptively attacked by police, and partly because of generational and community problems. Many Aboriginals in central Australia do not speak English; police, magistrates etc, will generally speak nothing but English. In theory translators are available, but . . . that's another problem, and in practice assigning a translator can end up just a box-ticking exercise (eg the defendant will be assigned a court translator who doesn't speak the same language as the defendant). I don't know if there are a lot of missing Aboriginal women but I believe there is a lot of domestic violence; I don't know how the rate would compare with that for Australia more generally. A missing Aboriginal woman would probably not get a lot of media coverage, because we are more racist than we think we are, and it shows in what we choose to read.

 

[mickey2942]

Live: 'Someone knows something': Search for missing 5yo Sharon enters fifth day

NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole is providing an update on the search for five-year-old Alice Springs girl Sharon Granites, who has been missing since Saturday night.

www.abc.net.au

Doesn't look good for finding Sharon alive. They are looking for a man who was released from prison 6 days ago. Jefferson Lewis.

Criminal history of man police are searching for over missing 5yo girl revealed

A man being sought in connection with the alleged abduction of five-year-old Sharon Granites near Alice Springs has a long history of violence and prison time in the Northern Territory.

www.abc.net.au