Family of abducted Alice Springs 5yo girl, Kumanjayi Little Baby, flee home after tragedy, unrest erupts town
The grieving family of a five-year-old girl allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a man they knew have fled their Alice Springs home for good, saying the place where she disappeared carries too much emotional baggage.
As floral gifts mounted at the Marshall Court estate where the boy known as Little Baby Kumanjayi was abducted last Sunday, his grandmother Karen White announced that the family would retire permanently to the remote community of Yuendumu.
“This is too much. I can’t go back there. I can never go again,” Ms White told the Daily Mail.
“She was such a beautiful and good girl that I miss her.”
The young girl’s body was found in bushland on Thursday, about 5 kilometers from her home in Old Timers Camp.
As mother Jacinta seeks refuge in a safe house, the family’s departure heralds the tragic end of a week that has torn the provincial town apart.
In a moving appeal for calm, senior Warlpiri elder and family spokesperson Robin Granites urged the community to stop the violent unrest that has cast a shadow over the family’s loss.
“What happened this week is not our way,” Mr. Granites said.
“Our children are precious. It’s time to do the sad work, to respect our family, to make room to grieve and remember.”
The arrest of suspect Jefferson Lewis, 47, sparked a vigilante riot that led to a mob of 400 people laying siege to Alice Springs Hospital.
NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole described the scenes as “absolute anarchy”.
Mr Dole appealed for calm in the red centre, shutting down traditional calls for revenge against Mr Lewis, saying there was “one law” in Australia.
“This one law applies to everyone, including the people involved in the violence last night,” he said.
“Mr Lewis is in police custody. An investigation will be launched and the case will continue.
“So I tell the community that this is what is going to happen and this is what needs to be accepted by the community.”
The suspect was reportedly unconscious when police arrived to arrest him and was subjected to “sustained attack” from members of the camp in the town.
“The brief I was given was that he presented himself to one of the town camps in Alice Springs last night,” he said on Friday morning.
“As a result of him identifying himself, members of that town camp decided to inflict vigilante justice on him and we received numerous calls saying he was in the process of being attacked.
“We reacted very quickly and stopped this from continuing.”
He was later flown to Darwin for his own safety, while rioters outside the hospital set fire to police cars and threw bricks at emergency workers.
“A large crowd of approximately 400 people gathered at the hospital and attempted to break in to reach Mr. Lewis,” Mr. Dole said.
“It really has become absolute anarchy.
“There is absolutely no excuse for violence against emergency services who are simply doing their job.
“An officer who responded to the assault and arrest of Jefferson Lewis required treatment and stitches for a head wound.
“A Northern Territory Fire and Rescue officer suffered a serious facial injury and required hospital treatment, while several ambulance officers were also assaulted and suffered soft tissue injuries as a result of the violence.”
Arrest footage shows police arriving at the scene and finding Mr Lewis lying face down, unconscious in the dirt.
His face looks bloody as police lay him on his side and handcuff him.
Aboriginal Elder Michael Liddle strongly condemned the violence, stating that the anger of a few individuals had sabotaged a week of community solidarity.
“The Alice Springs community came together to search for a little lady, a little baby that had been taken by a monster,” the Alyawarre man said.
“This hard work has been undone by people who are very angry at the systems.”
The fallout paralyzed local infrastructure.
Damage to a looted Shell service station could cost up to $100,000, while four of the town’s five ambulances were sidelined by the chaos, according to the NT News.
In response to the surges, NT Premier Lia Finocchiaro imposed strict alcohol restrictions in the territory.
Mr. Dole warned that while Mr. Lewis was being investigated, the rioters would also be caught, as would anyone who helped the suspect evade capture.
“This one law applies to everyone,” Mr. Dole said.
“Your behavior will not be accepted.”
