NT Police believe young girl’s suspected abductor is being helped
Northern Territory Police believe the man suspected of abducting a five-year-old girl has been helped to evade detection as the desperate search enters its fourth day.
Sharon Granites was last seen at a friend’s house in Marshall Court, Old Timers Aboriginal town camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs, just before 11pm on Saturday.
Northern Territory Police suspect she was abducted by 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who was released from prison six days ago and was staying at the same address as the little girl.
On Wednesday, NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole confirmed that despite extensive resources being spent on the disappearance and more than 100 volunteers and police involved in the search, there was no sign of Lewis or Sharon.
“It is very unusual that we have no contact, no trace and no location of Mr. Lewis,” he said.
“So we firmly believe there are members of the community who know where he is, where he is going, and how to contact him, and we implore those people to come forward and give us that information.”
NT Police Deputy Commissioner Peter Malley said Lewis was last seen walking away from the town camp holding hands with Sharon at around 11pm on Saturday night, while a crime scene near the riverside was cordoned off the next day.
“We seized a number of items from that crime scene, including a doona, a doona cover, the shirt worn by Jefferson Lewis (a distinctive yellow shirt) and a pair of children’s underwear from that location,” he said.
“These items have now been transported to Darwin and are undergoing forensic analysis and I expect them to arrive back tomorrow.”
Malley said survival experts warned police that Sharon would no longer survive if she escaped into the woods.
“I think we’re on the verge of [her not surviving] “If he left, that’s the reason for the urgency,” he said.
“As time goes by, our chances of finding little Sharon alive and well are decreasing.”
Authorities still believe Lewis was in the Alice Springs area and was being helped by others to avoid detection.
The search efforts have so far covered an area of 5 square kilometers on foot and 80 square kilometers by air and vehicle.
“It is quite difficult [search conditions]; There’s tall grass, there’s soft sand, there’s rocks, there’s big trees, they’re really overgrown, so it’s a challenge for people searching there,” Malley said.
“We’re going back to policing in the 1930s with no digital footprint; this guy has no phone, no bank account, no car, so some of the usual practices we do in 2026 are not applicable, so our resources in the field are huge.
“We’re knocking on doors, we’re going through houses, it’s old-school policing and it’s tough work.”
Dole said Sharon’s family were incredibly distressed and were being supported by NT Police.
“Our priority and immediate focus is finding Sharon,” he said.
“We are calling on the whole community to call on anyone with information, no matter how small, that could help us locate Sharon to contact police.
“Information can be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. We will follow up on any information we receive, the smallest detail could be the detail that unlocks this investigation.”
crime scene
Old Timers Aboriginal town camp is located about five kilometers south of Alice Springs city center and is home to a small community of around 40 people in nine houses.
On the day Sharon disappeared, she and her mother were visiting friends at the camp to do laundry.
That evening, police said a party was held and alcohol was consumed, even though the camp was a dry community.
NT Police said they suspected Lewis, who had been released from prison without conditions six days earlier, was drunk at the time.
He was last seen walking and holding hands with Sharon around 11pm; the police suspected him of luring her away from the camp.
Lewis has been jailed several times over the past decade for serious assaults and domestic violence-related offences. He has no previous convictions for child-related crimes.
Dozens of police officers and volunteers, including Indigenous scouts, an Australian Army Reserve regiment, drones, helicopters, motorcycles, a dog unit and a mounted unit, scoured the outback for four days, searching for the couple.
The Granites family is spread across the remote communities of the Northern Territory, with Sharon’s close relatives living mostly in the Old Timers’ Camp.
The others are in Yuendumu, about two hours north of Alice Springs.
Lewis’s wife and children live in a remote Aboriginal community in Western Australia, where local police attended at the request of NT Police.
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