Heartbreaking family plea after violence over Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death
The family of Kumanjayi Little Baby who died in NT has pleaded for calm after a violent response in Alice Springs overnight, saying “what has happened this week is not our way”.
Source: National Indigenous Times
Yapa (Warlpiri) elder Robin Granites has called for calm on behalf of the family of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
It comes as the alleged murderer of the child was flown from an Outback town for safety reasons after a crowd allegedly beat him unconscious and attacked police trying to detain him.
“It is time now for sorry business, to show respect for our family and have space for grieving and remembering,” Granites said in a statement on Friday morning.
“Everyone is feeling very upset and emotions are very high, I understand that.
“What has happened this week is not our way. Our children are precious, of course we are feeling angry and hurt at what has happened.
“This man has been caught, thanks to community action, and we must now let justice take its course while we take the time to mourn Kumanjayi Little Baby and support our family.”
Granites has asked people in bush communities to reconsider travelling to Alice Springs, saying “if you need to come to join sorry business, that’s fine but just come for that then return home please”.
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“Now is not the time to be heroes on social media or make trouble. We must be mindful Mparntwe is traditional country for Central Arrernte, and East and Western Arrernte as well. We must respect that and their ways.”
The statement came after violence in Alice Springs overnight as police arrested the man who allegedly abducted the five-year-old girl whose body was discovered on Thursday.
Ex-prisoner Jefferson Lewis, 47, was arrested late Thursday night after he was discovered at Charles Creek Camp following the discovery of a child’s body about five kilometres from where Kumanjayi Little Baby had gone missing.
Lewis was flown to Darwin on Friday morning after riots broke out in Alice Springs overnight, Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole told the ABC.
Dole said attacks on emergency workers outside the Alice Springs Hospital, where Lewis was taken after his arrest, were not reflective of what had been seen from the local community in the past five days.
Tear gas was deployed as projectiles were thrown at officers and police cars damaged, including one that was torched.
NT Police faced angry locals on the streets of Alice Springs on Thursday night. Photo: AAP
The girl vanished on Saturday night, after being put to bed at a home in the Old Timers camp near Alice Springs
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Lewis is accused of abducting her, six days after his release from prison.
It sparked one of the NT’s largest investigations with almost 200 people scouring harsh desert country for the non-verbal girl and Lewis.
People gather outside Alice Springs Hospital after the suspect’s arrest. Photo: Facebook
Lewis was sentenced to 64 months in prison, between 2016 and 2025, for offences including aggravated assaults, breaching domestic violence orders, bail and resisting police.
Police said an autopsy, expected to be conducted within days, would be crucial in determining the cause and timing of the girl’s death.
The coronial process kicked off as the five-year-old’s family reeled from the tragedy. Kumanjayi Little Baby’s devastated family paid tribute to their beloved girl, thanking everyone who took part in the search.
“I know you are in heaven with the rest of the family,” her mother said in a statement.
“Me and your brother will meet you one day. We are giving our lives to Jesus.
“It’s going to be so hard to live the rest of our lives without you.”
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-with AAP
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