The family of Kumanjayi Little Baby is mourning an unimaginable loss after Northern Territory Police confirmed a body believed to be that of the missing five-year-old girl had been found near Alice Springs, prompting a wave of grief through her loved ones and the wider community.
The little girl vanished from a home in Old Timers Aboriginal Town Camp on Saturday night, sparking a major search involving police, volunteers and community members. On Thursday, officers located a body about 5km south of Old Timers Camp shortly before midday. Police said a formal autopsy would be scheduled to determine the cause of death and that a coronial investigation would now begin. The family has requested that she be referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby.
At the centre of the tragedy is a mother’s heartbreak. In a statement released through police, Kumanjayi Little Baby’s mum spoke directly to her daughter, describing the pain of a loss.
“To Kumanjayi Little Baby,
Me and Ramsiah miss and love you.
I know you are in heaven with the rest of the family with Jesus and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Me and your brother will meet you one day.
We are giving our lives to Jesus.
It is going to be so hard to live the rest of our lives without you.
Ramsiah wants to tell you that when he sees you in heaven, he is going to give you the biggest hug ever.
Love from Mum and Ramsiah.”
Her family has also thanked all the volunteers who joined the search, as well as police, land councils, those who travelled from interstate and everyone who turned up each day to help look for her.
Other relatives had spoken of their love for the little girl during the desperate search. Her paternal grandmother, Peggy Rockman, recalled the five-year-old’s “beautiful relationship” with her father and said she often babysat both children. She remembered holding the young girl’s hand while walking through the community and said before the discovery that she “couldn’t wait for her to come home”.
“I love that little girl,” she said.
Kumanjayi Little Baby’s great aunt, Rose Spencer, remembered her as a “happy, pretty girl” who loved watching YouTube videos and had named the family’s tiny kitten Yellow. She also spoke of the close bond between the little girl and her older brother, saying he was deeply protective of her and would pick her up and dust her off whenever she fell over or got hurt.
Spencer also spoke of the fear felt in the community after Jefferson Lewis arrived there after prison.
“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.”
Northern Territory Police Force Commissioner Martin Dole said the loss had devastated not only the family, but many others who had followed the search and hoped for a different ending.
“This is devastating news not only for the immediate and extended family, but also the first responders, the Alice Springs community, and all those around Australia who have been worrying for this little girl,” he said.
“The support shown during this time has been overwhelming and this is the worst outcome.”
He urged the community to continue supporting one another as the investigation continues.
“It is very important the Alice Springs community continues to support one another, and it is equally important that the police continue to do their job,” Dole said.
Police allege Lewis, 47, abducted Kumanjayi Little Baby from her family’s house while she was asleep. After the discovery of her body, he became the focus of one of the Northern Territory’s biggest manhunts. On Thursday night, police confirmed he had been arrested in Alice Springs.
“A short time ago, the Northern Territory Police Force located and arrested Jefferson Lewis at a residence in Alice Springs,” a police statement said.
“Further information will be provided early in the morning.”
The child’s cause of death has not yet been determined.
More than 160 police and volunteers were involved in the search on Thursday, with relatives travelling from across the Northern Territory and the Kimberley to support the family. The scale of the response reflected just how deeply the disappearance of the little girl had affected communities near and far.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said she had spoken with the child’s mother, who was “incredibly distraught”, and acknowledged the heartbreak felt across the Territory after days of hoping for a different outcome.
“Around 200 people have worked tirelessly around the clock in searching for this beautiful little girl who went missing five days ago, five days every Territorian has had their heart in their throat, waiting for the moment that we got the announcement that she’d been found safe and well,” she said.
“That news did not come, and it’s fair to say everyone is feeling this loss acutely.”
As police continue their investigation, the family’s words remain the clearest expression of the tragedy left behind, a mother and brother speaking through grief to a little girl they loved deeply and will never forget.
