‘Silence does not protect anyone’: Leaders call for inquiry into conditions at Alice Springs town camps after 5yo’s alleged abduction, murder

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this contains images and names of a deceased person.

Leaders are calling for an independent investigation into the wider circumstances that led to the abduction and murder of a five-year-old girl taken from her camp home in the town of Alice Springs.

Suspected killer Jefferson Lewis was arrested on Thursday night for the murder of Little Baby Kumanjayi, who was last seen by his family at their home in Old Timers Camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs on Saturday evening.

The young girl’s body was found earlier that day on the banks of the Todd River, just 3 miles south of her home.

Following Lewis’ arrest, around 400 people rioted outside Alice Springs Hospital on Thursday night, where the suspect was being treated for serious injuries.

Police stood in front of the hospital with shields in hand as the crowd threw rocks, set fire to trash cans and set cars on fire.

Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Calls for independent investigation

Senator Jacinta Price said the conditions of town camps surrounding Alice Springs had been ignored for too long and many had become dangerous places, especially for children.

Writing in The Australian, Senator Price said there was a steady stream of people coming and going from the camps, including people with long criminal histories.

The senator said alcohol restrictions were not enforced, the camps were overcrowded, poorly maintained and lacked adequate supervision.

“These are not new observations. The town camp currently at the center of this case is a place I know well. It is a place where I lost family. A nephew was stabbed to death there. Another child from my extended family died in an accident in front of the same camp. Too many lives were lost there alone,” he wrote.

The senator called for further scrutiny of the funding, raising concerns about accountability and an independent investigation.

“It’s not just about the circumstances surrounding this case, but also the broader circumstances that allow such sensitivity to persist,” he said.

“This includes the management of town camps, the role of the organizations responsible for their maintenance, and whether existing laws and enforcement mechanisms are sufficient to protect the most vulnerable. Because if not, they need to change.

“For the most part, difficult conversations are avoided. There is a reluctance in some communities to talk openly about what is going on. Silence does not protect anyone, including women, children and families like (the Kumanyaji’s).”

“We cannot continue to accept a situation where known risk environments remain unchanged, where warning signs are visible but action is delayed, where funding is important but results fall short.”

Opposition leader Angus Taylor told Sky News it was a tragic situation that deserved an honest debate and called on the government to stop denying the situation in Alice Springs and elsewhere.

“It is denial that has brought us to this point where people are not ready to have honest conversations about the situation in our township camps and what options there are to address it,” he said.

“There is violence, there is (alleged) sexual violence. We put forward a proposal at the last election for a royal commission, an independent inquiry into sexual abuse and violence in these communities, and we think that’s still an issue that needs to be addressed.”

National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Sue-Anne Hunter also called for an investigation into how Lewis was released.

“We call for a broader investigation into the correctional systems that led to his release,” he said.

But Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said it was not the time to investigate.

Senator McCarthy told the ABC: “Now is the time for us to come together as a community in the sad work of standing with this mother and her son as they prepare to bury their daughter.”

Neighborhood people were saddened by the death of the little girl

The death of the little girl left the community in mourning.

On Saturday evening, flowers and souvenir cards were left at the camp where Little Baby Kumanjayi disappeared.

Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family made a statement after the body was found.

“Kumanjayi to Little Baby, me and Ramsiah miss you and love you,” they said.

“I know that you, along with the rest of your family, are in heaven with Jesus, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

“Me and your brother will meet you one day.

“We give our lives to Jesus.

“It will be very difficult to live the rest of our lives without you.

“Ramsiah wants to tell you that when he sees you in heaven he will give you the biggest hug ever.

“Love from my mother and Ramsiah.”