Northern Territory police have stated that a five-year-old Aboriginal girl who went missing from her home in Alice Springs may have been abducted. The child, named Sharon, was reported missing by her family at 1:35 am on Sunday. She was last seen in her bed at the family home in the Old Timers camp at 11:30 pm on Saturday evening.
Police Search for Suspect
Police Acting Commander Mark Grieve informed reporters on Monday that authorities are searching for a 47-year-old man named Jefferson Lewis, who disappeared from the camp around the same time. “We do believe Sharon has been abducted and we believe Mr Jefferson may be able to provide us with some information,” Grieve said. “He currently remains one of the few people who were in Old Timers camp at the time and who has not made themselves known to police, nor have police been able to locate him at this point.”
Grieve added that Lewis is known to authorities for domestic and family violence-related offences. He was recently released from prison but is not subject to any supervision orders.
Support for the Family
Describing the situation as every family’s “worst nightmare,” Grieve said Sharon’s mother has been provided with extensive support, including alternative accommodation. “It’s a terrible situation to have such a young child go missing,” he said. “We’re just over 24 hours now, so it’d certainly be my worst nightmare as a parent. We’re wrapping around the mother.”
Sharon was last seen wearing a dark blue short-sleeve T-shirt with a white stripe around the neck and sleeves, and a pair of black boxers-style underwear. Police believe Lewis is not related to Sharon but is “peripherally known” to the family and was “in and around the house at some stage.”
Search Efforts
A large-scale ground and aerial search is underway, involving drones, mounted police, canine units, and community volunteers. They are scouring the area around the camp, including the nearby Todd River and bushland. A separate criminal investigation is being handled by major crime detectives. Grieve urged anyone with information to come forward, saying, “If you’ve got any information, regardless of how small in detail you think it may be, please let us know. We want to find Sharon healthy, and we want to get her back to her family.”
