A 47-year-old man has been charged with murder and two counts of sexual assault following the death of a five-year-old girl in Australia’s Northern Territory.
The body of the girl, identified only as Kumanjayi Little Baby (a pseudonym given by her family for cultural reasons), was discovered on Thursday after several days of a major police search.
Jefferson Lewis was charged with her murder on Saturday night and will appear in a Darwin court on Tuesday.
The child’s death sparked violent riots in Alice Springs, leading to the arrest of five people. The suspect was reportedly attacked before he was arrested on Thursday.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole announced the charges on Sunday morning, saying, “This remains a deeply distressing matter and our thoughts are firmly with Kumanjayi’s family, loved ones and the wider community that have been deeply impacted.”
In a statement, the girl’s mother said, “It is going to be so hard to live the rest of our lives without you. We know you are in heaven with the rest of the family and Jesus. Me and your brother will meet you one day.”
The girl’s grandfather, a senior Warlpiri elder, called for calm on Friday. “What has happened this week is not our way. Our children are precious, of course we are feeling angry and hurt at what has happened. This man has been caught, thanks to community action, and we must now let justice take its course while we take the time to mourn.”
Violent riots outside the Alice Springs hospital where Lewis was being treated led police to move him to Darwin, approximately 1,500 kilometres north of the town. Police released footage showing crowds attacking police vehicles, with at least one van set ablaze, and swarming a petrol station near the hospital.
Police Commissioner Dole called the riots “disgusting” and “abhorrent,” stating that property damage and stolen items are estimated to cost more than A$180,000.
The girl disappeared last Saturday after being put to bed at an Aboriginal town camp near Alice Springs. Her family gave her a pseudonym for use during their mourning period, a cultural practice among Australia’s Indigenous Warlpiri people, who believe that using the name of a loved one who has died may disturb their spirit during this time.
