Northern Territory police are urgently searching for a 47-year-old man in connection with the disappearance of a five-year-old Aboriginal girl, Sharon, who they believe may have been abducted from her home in Alice Springs.
Sharon was reported missing by her family at 1:35 a.m. on Sunday. She was last seen in her bed at the family home in the Old Timers camp at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday evening.
Acting Police Commander Mark Grieve told reporters on Monday that officers are looking for 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 noted that Lewis is known to authorities for domestic and family violence-related offenses. He had recently been released from prison but was not subject to any supervision orders. The commander described the situation as a parent’s “worst nightmare” and confirmed that 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,” Grieve 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 boxer-style underwear. Police believe Lewis is not related to Sharon but was “peripherally known” to the family and was “in and around the house at some stage.”
A large-scale search is underway, involving ground and aerial teams, 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.
“If you’ve got any information, regardless of how small in detail you think it may be, please let us know,” Grieve urged. “We want to find Sharon healthy, and we want to get her back to her family.”
