Kumanjayi Baby Girl’s relatives share grief at ‘child ripped away’ as NT chief minister foreshadows charges | Indigenous Australians

Relatives of Baby Girl Kumanjayi released a statement saying they felt “helpless” to hear of her disappearance and hoped their community could unite in their grief.

“A life so precious, so full of innocence, gone so quickly,” Gurindji families said of the five-year-old Warlpiri girl found dead in Alice Springs on Thursday evening, five days after disappearing from her bed at Old Timers city camp.

Jefferson Lewis, 47, was arrested in connection with her disappearance and is expected to be charged as soon as Saturday.

“From afar, [we] In the statement shared by Northern Territory senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Gurindji families heard the voices on television for the first time; “A child who was lost, kidnapped, torn away from his mother’s life,” he said.

“We felt helpless, hoping that someone, somewhere would bring news, an update, a sign, anything.

“Then the voice of the police captain echoed with heartbreak. At that moment we knew he was gone.

“The pain of this reality will remain with us.”

The grandfather of Kumanjayi Baby Girl appealed for calm following Friday’s riot at the Alice Springs hospital where Lewis was taken after being attacked at the town camp.

“It’s time for the sad stuff,” said Robin Granites, a senior Warlpiri elder.

“Everyone is very sad, emotions are very high. Our children are very precious, of course we are angry and hurt by what happened.”

Lewis was later transferred to Darwin due to security concerns and taken into police custody.

“We expect the police to lay charges today,” NT premier Lia Finnochiaro told Channel 7 Sunrise on Saturday morning.

“Obviously they have to do their important work and no one wants to jeopardize anything that could get in the way of bringing the person who did this to justice.

“But I think Territorials and Australians who are incredibly invested in this outcome will be waiting for the police to take action today.”

Hundreds of volunteers joined emergency service personnel in the five-day search for Kumanjayi Baby Girl.

Gurindji families thanked everyone who helped in the search.

“This [our] “We hope that this unity that we see, people coming together, standing strong, will continue to grow so that we can walk forward together, shoulder to shoulder, as one community,” they said.