April 27 (UPI) — A 5-year-old girl who went missing from a central Australian Indigenous community over the weekend was abducted, authorities said Monday, as they search for a 47-year-old man who they believe may be connected.
Sharon Granites was reported missing from her residence in Old Timers, an Aboriginal town camp in Alice Springs, located in Australia’s Northern Territory, at about 1:35 a.m. local time Sunday, according to a statement from the Northern Territory Police Force.
She was last seen at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday wearing a dark blue short-sleeve T-shirt with white stripes around the neck and sleeve hemlines and a pair of black boxer-style underwear.
Northern Territory Police Acting Commander Mark Grieve told reporters at a press conference that they believe Sharon was abducted and that officers are seeking to speak with Jefferson Lewis, “who may be able to provide us with some information in regards to that.”
Grieve said Lewis had been in and around Sharon’s residence on Saturday, is one of the few people who were in Old Timers who have not made themselves known to police and is believed to have gone missing at around the same time as the little girl.
Grieve stopped short of accusing Lewis of being involved in Sharon’s disappearance, saying police wanted to speak with him because he and Sharon appeared to have disappeared around the same time.
“Considering himself and Sharon went missing at around about the same time, it certainly brings about those suspicious circumstances and we’d like to speak to him about that,” he said.
Lewis was recently released from prison and has a criminal history that includes physical assault and domestic violence, Grieve said, adding that no offenses were related to child endangerment.
Drones, dogs, horses, ATVs, motorcycles and ground patrols were among the assets police deployed in the search for Sharon, he said, stating they are calling on members of the public with information on either Sharon or Lewis’ location to contact authorities immediately.
“Obviously, it’s a terrible situation to have such a young child go missing,” he said. “We’re just over 24 hours now, so it would certainly be my worst nightmare as a parent.”
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