WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains the name of an Aboriginal woman who has died.
An Aboriginal mother who recently died in police custody has been named publicly, as lawyers for her family call on the government to take accountability.
Kumanjayi Dempsey, 44, was the mother of five children — the youngest being around five years old.
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Ms Dempsey was from north-west Queensland but moved as a young woman to her partner’s town, Tennant Creek, where she lived until her death in late December.
Loved ones have described her as a devoted mother who was respectful, friendly and bubbly.
In a statement, Sydney-based law firm O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors said it was acting for Ms Dempsey’s family.
“We extend our sincere condolences to Kumanjayi’s family, friends and loved ones and ask that their privacy be respected during this trying time,” the statement said.
Ms Dempsey was arrested for aggravated assault on Christmas Day and spent two days in the Tennant Creek watch house before her death.
The community is grieving the NT’s most recent death in custody, which occurred in late December. (ABC News: Marcus Kennedy)
NT police said CCTV footage showed her falling to the ground just after a routine cell check at 12:34pm, and she was discovered during the next check almost half an hour later.
Multiple sources confirmed she suffered rheumatic heart disease — which is a potentially deadly heart condition caused by repeated streptococcal infections.
But police said Ms Dempsey did not disclose this during a medical assessment as she was taken into custody.
NT Police believe she suffered a “medical incident”, but a pathologist is awaiting the results of toxicology testing to confirm her cause of death.
In the wake of the woman’s death in custody, floral tributes were left along railings outside Tennant Creek Police Station. (ABC News: Marcus Kennedy)
The NT government had begun stationing nursing staff at watch houses in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs following a recommendation made by a coronial inquest more than a decade ago.
However, no such position was introduced in Tennant Creek.
Ms Dempsey was the 34th Aboriginal person to die in custody in 2025, and the fourth person to die in custody in the NT.
Kumanjayi Dempsey died in police custody, two days after being arrested. (ABC News: Marcus Kennedy)
In their statement, O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors described those figures as “a devastating indictment of systemic failure” and said the NT government must be held accountable.
“We are concerned about the ongoing inadequacy of the conditions of cells in Tennant Creek watch house, and Northern Territory detention facilities more broadly,”
the statement said.
“Kumanjayi’s death is particularly harrowing given the NT government’s recent refusal to allow the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to conduct its scheduled inspection of Northern Territory detention centres, including watch houses.”
In response to the lawyers’ statement, an NT government spokesperson said the NT Police Force — including its Professional Standards Command — were conducting an active investigation, with a report being prepared for the NT coroner.