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Warning: This story contains the name and images of a deceased Indigenous person.
The body of missing Alice Springs girl Sharon Granites has been found five kilometres south of the camp where she was last seen.
Sharon vanished from her family’s home in Old Timers Aboriginal Town Camp on Saturday night, with police believing she was abducted by Jefferson Lewis, 47, who was staying in the area after having just been released from prison.
NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole provided the tragic update on Thursday.
“Just before midday today, police members of the search party located the body of a young Aboriginal girl we believe to be five-year-old Sharon Granites,” he said.
“This is an incredibly distressing development. Sharon’s family have been formally notified, and our thoughts are firmly with them at this devastating time.
“We are not in a position today to provide answers around the cause of Sharon’s death or how long she may have been deceased.
“A post-mortem examination will now be conducted.
“This is the worst possible outcome.”
Sharon’s body was found during a land search by police officers after expanding the original search area.
NT Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said Lewis was yet to be located.
“The focus right now is to locate Jefferson Lewis, that is our sole job in this investigation right now,” he said.
“We say to the family of Jefferson Lewis that we believe he’s murdered this child. Do not assist him, get him to the police station, and we’ll look after him.
“And I say to Jefferson Lewis: we’re coming for you.”
It comes after testing confirmed clothing found on Sunday at a river bed near the camp allegedly had two DNA profiles recovered from it.
Relatives from across the Northern Territory and Kimberley had flocked to the small house in Old Timers Camp to offer support to Sharon’s family as the search for her entered its fifth day on Thursday.
Sharon’s paternal grandmother Peggy Rockman, in the hours before Sharon’s body was found, tearfully remembered the five-year-old girl’s “beautiful relationship” with Sharon’s father – her 29-year-old son.
Rockman said she would often babysit for Sharon and her brother, and said she remembered holding her hand while walking in community. She said she “couldn’t wait for her to come home”.
“I love that little girl,” she said.
Peggy’s son is currently in custody, where it is understood he is receiving updates from police and community members.
Sharon’s great aunt, Rose Spencer, said she remembered when Lewis arrived at the community after being told by members of another camp, Yuendumu, that he was not welcome there.
“When people come to camp after prison, it scares us,” she said.
“We trusted him as a family. He was in [our family], but not any more. We don’t trust people.”
Speaking to this masthead in the hours before Sharon’s body was found, Spencer remembered her niece as a “happy, pretty girl”, who called their tiny kitten “Yellow” and loved watching videos on YouTube.
She said Sharon’s older brother was incredibly protective over her, and said he would pick her up and dust her off every time she would fall or hurt herself.
More than 160 police and volunteers were involved in the search for Sharon on Thursday.
Dole said police believed Lewis was still in Alice Springs and was being helped to evade detection.
The search for him has been further hampered by the fact he has no mobile phone, bank account or vehicle, forcing police to resort to “1930s-style” shoe-leather policing.
Searchers have scoured places Lewis is known to visit, and have reviewed his GPS movements from an old ankle monitoring bracelet, but there has been no trace of him.
NT Police have reached out to neighbouring state’s in their bid to find Lewis, with WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch confirming his officers had attended Balgo, a remote Aboriginal community in the Kimberley, where Lewis’ wife lives.
“The family have made no sighting for the person that Northern Territory Police are looking for,” he said.
“But at least we’re working closely with all communities across the northern parts of Western Australia to keep a look-out.”
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