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A five-year-old girl has been missing since Saturday night after being tucked into bed around 11 p.m. at a home in the Old Timers Camp. She and her mother were visiting the area when the incident occurred.
The child was last spotted around 11:30 p.m. nearby, seen holding hands with Jefferson Lewis. Police have confirmed today that they suspect Lewis may have led the young girl away from the camp.
Jefferson Lewis had been released from jail just six days prior to the incident. His charges included violent offenses such as assault and domestic violence.
Authorities discovered pieces of clothing along the riverbank behind the Old Timers Camp, the place where the girl was last seen on Sunday. However, they have only recently disclosed these findings to the public.
A doona cover was also found alongside the shirt and children’s underwear.
Malley said the possibility that Sharon had been allegedly sexually assaulted was “certainly on the table”.
The items of clothing and the doona have been sent away for forensic examination, with the findings expected tomorrow.
NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said Sharon’s family are “distressed” by the findings and is being supported by authorities.
“She is a very affectionate little girl loved by her family, so it’s just a horrible thing that they are going through at the moment,” he said in an update from Alice Springs this afternoon.
There have been no other confirmed sightings or traces of either Sharon or Jefferson Lewis since Sunday, which Malley described as “very unusual”.
This has prompted police to suspect that community members may be sheltering Lewis.
“There are people in the community who aren’t telling us what we need to hear, which is very frustrating when we believe that serious offences have been committed,” he said.
“When we do get him – and it’s only a matter of time – they could be in strife as well.”
Despite this, police maintain that Sharon may yet be alive, saying she may have wandered away from Lewis and become lost in the bush.
“As time goes on, the chances of finding little Sharon alive reduce,” he said.
Around 100 community volunteers have now joined in the hunt for the little girl, now in its fourth day, assisted by helicopters and drones which are scouring the “rough” terrain.
“This man doesn’t have a telephone, he doesn’t have a bank account, he doesn’t have a car,” Malley said.
“We are going back to 1930s policing without that digital footprint… we are knocking on doors, we are going through houses.
“It is old-style policing and it is a hard slog.”
Lewis had previously worn an ankle monitor, police said, providing potential
The widening manhunt has also reached interstate, with Western Australian police contacting Lewis’ wife and children in Bolga, who police say are cooperating with authorities.
Malley called on anyone in the community with information about either Sharon or Lewis to contact authorities immediately.
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