Australian cops find body in search for missing 5-year-old indigenous girl

SYDNEY - Australian police said on Thursday they have found a body believed to be that of a missing five-year-old Indigenous girl and were searching for the man who allegedly murdered her.

The girl, now referred to by her family as Kumanjayi Little Baby in line with Indigenous customs, was reported missing from her home in a remote community in central Australia late on Saturday.

Police said they located a body of a young Indigenous girl they believed was her shortly before midday on Thursday about 5 km (3 miles) south of the original crime scene.

News of Kumanjayi Little Baby's disappearance has made national headlines and hundreds of people have been involved in land and air searches across harsh desert terrain in the Alice Springs region.

"Our hearts are broken that the case of the little girl missing in Alice Springs has had such a tragic ending," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement on X.

"No words can measure up to the immensity of the grief her family is going through. In their time of terrible loss, all Australians hold them in our hearts."

Police said the prime suspect was 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who had been recently released from prison and was in the area at the time of her disappearance.

"The focus right now is to locate Jefferson Lewis. It is our sole job in this investigation right now," Northern Territory Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said at a news conference.

"I say to the family of Jefferson Lewis that we believe he's murdered this child. Do not assist him. Get him to the police station and we'll look after him."

"And I say to Jefferson Lewis, we're coming for you."

Malley said police had seized items from the crime scene, including a pair of child's underwear. Forensic testing of the underwear detected DNA profiles belonging to Kumanjayi Little Baby and Lewis.

Australia has struggled for decades to reconcile with its Indigenous population, who have inhabited the land for some 50,000 years but were marginalised by British colonial rulers.

Indigenous Australians make up around 3.8% of Australia's population of about 27 million but track near the bottom in almost every economic and social indicator, and have disproportionately high rates of suicide and incarceration.

-Christine Chen and Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan/Reuters