Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the image of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of her family.
Northern Territory Police have charged Jefferson Lewis with the murder of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
The girl, referred to since her death as Kumanjayi Little Baby for cultural reasons, disappeared from the Old Timers / Ilyperenye town camp in Alice Springs last weekend, sparking a large-scale search and rescue operation.
Her body was found about 5 kilometres south of the town camp on Thursday.
Mr Lewis, 47, had also not been seen since Kumanjayi disappeared until he was arrested near the Charles Creek town camp on Thursday night.
Martin Dole says police were working “around the clock” ahead of charges being laid late yesterday. (ABC News: Xavier Martin)
In announcing the charges at a press conference in Alice Springs this morning, NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said detectives had been working “around the clock” since Mr Lewis’s arrest.
“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 by these events,” he said.
Commissioner Dole said police had conducted “an extensive and detailed investigation” into what was a “horrific set of circumstances”.
He said investigations into whether anyone helped Mr Lewis while he was on the run remained ongoing.
“Mr Lewis is before the court and our job doesn’t stop now,” he said.
Commissioner Dole said detectives had “formally interviewed Mr Lewis” yesterday.
A group of about 400 people rioted outside the Alice Springs Hospital on Thursday night after news broke of Mr Lewis’s arrest.
Kumanjayi went missing from a town camp in Alice Springs last weekend. (Supplied: NT Police Force)
Community leaders including Kumanjayi’s kinship grandfather, Robin Granites, called for calm.
“It is time now for sorry business, to show respect for our family and have space for grieving and remembering,” Mr Granites said.
Speaking to media this morning, Commissioner Dole said there had been no “significant incidents of distress across the community” since then.
“We’ve got a number of police here and we’re obviously prepared to act swiftly should there be any uprising or any kind of events like we saw on Thursday night,” he said.
Mr Lewis was flown to Darwin in the early hours of Friday morning for safety reasons and is expected to face the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday.
NT Police held a press conference in Alice Springs to discuss charges laid against Jefferson Lewis. Take a look back at how it unfolded.
1h agoSun 3 May 2026 at 12:15am
That wraps up this morning’s press conference
A final bit of information on the investigation — police were able to formally interview Jefferson Lewis in Darwin yesterday, Commissioner Dole confirms, before ending the press conference.
Thanks for joining us. We’ll keep you up to date on this case through our regular coverage.
1h agoSun 3 May 2026 at 12:09am
Police ‘prepared to act swiftly’ to prevent further rioting
Commissioner Dole says he hasn’t received any reports of further unrest in Alice Springs since Thursday night, but police are ready should rioting break out again following the announcement of the charge.
“We’ve got a number of police here, and we’re obviously prepared to act swiftly should there be any uprising or any kind of events like we saw on Thursday night,” he says.
1h agoSun 3 May 2026 at 12:05am
Police still investigating whether Jefferson Lewis received help to evade capture
Asked whether police have identified anyone suspected of helping Jefferson Lewis evade capture for five days, Commissioner Dole says the investigation is ongoing.
Police have been working around the clock on this case, he says, and that doesn’t simply stop now a charge has been laid.
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