Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned the following article contains names and images of the deceased.
A man has been charged over the death of a five-year-old Northern Territory girl after her alleged abduction. Jefferson Lewis, 47, was charged on Saturday night with one count of murder and two counts of sexual assault, NT Police said on Sunday.
“This remains a deeply distressing matter,” Northern Territory Police Force Martin Dole said. Lewis was arrested at a town camp in Alice Springs on Thursday night after being assaulted by a group of people. He was found unconscious and taken to Alice Springs Hospital before being transferred to Darwin for safety reasons.
The arrest came after Kumanjayi Little Baby was found dead on Thursday, five days after she was reported missing. She was last seen by her family at a home on Marshall Ct in Old Timers Camp on Saturday night after being put to bed. Lewis was staying at the home where Kumanjayi Little Baby disappeared and is believed to have gone missing around the same time.
A number of items were located on the banks of the Todd River behind Old Timers Camp, including a pair of children’s underwear, a yellow shirt believed to have been worn by Lewis, and a doona cover. Police on Thursday said two DNA profiles — belonging to both Kumanjayi Little Baby and Lewis — were identified on the underwear.
Lewis was beaten by community members before police arrived, with unrest breaking out in the area as shops were reportedly looted and rocks thrown at officers. Police responded with tear gas. Some of those involved accused police of protecting the suspect and chanted for “payback” — a term the ABC reports refers to traditional punishment under Aboriginal law in Central Australia.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said that attacks on frontline workers are “never acceptable”. “While we appreciate and understand that people are very angry and grieving, there is never an excuse or acceptability of violence as a response,” she said. Finocchiaro said she was hopeful the violent outbreak was an “isolated incident” and should “not define what was an incredible community effort this week”.
