Alice Springs missing child: Liberal senator Jacinta Price reveals 5yo Sharon Granites is her family member

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole says police believe Jefferson Lewis, who they suspect of being involved in the disappearance of Sharon Granites, is still in Alice Springs and being helped by members of the community.

“The evidence is the lack of information. It is the absence of any sightings, anybody seeing him since the sighting at (Old Timers) camp that evening, that is highly unusual,” Mr Dole told ABC Radio Alice Springs.

“By now we would have some information, somewhere that somebody would have said, ‘Yes we have seen that man somewhere in the last four days’,’ and in that absence (it) tells us someone is assisting.”

Mr Dole encouraged anyone with information to pass it on to police.

“You might be fearful that there’s some retribution if you give that information to police. Please have the confidence that we will treat that sensitively because our No.1 priority is finding Sharon,” he said.

Mr Dole said investigators “can’t close ourselves to any possibility in this case”.

“And so that’s why extensive searching is still continuing because while we believe Jefferson has taken her, and we believe that he may have her, there is a possibility that there is a lost and wandered scenario,” he said.

Mr Dole issued a plea to Mr Lewis to contact police.

“Jefferson give us a call and we’ll come and pick you up. You’re not going to be able to avoid us forever,” he said.

“We know that you’re involved in this.

“My plea to Jefferson is to reach out to police.”

Mr Dole told the ABC that this was the biggest investigation in the NT that he could recall in a long time.

“We’ve got specialist sections here, we’ve got assistance from interstate, we’ve had offers from interstate all over the other jurisdictions, we’ve got inquiries happening in other jurisdictions, and we’re pouring every available resources down here to assist,” he said

“And overwhelming support from the community as well.”

Mr Dole also acknowledged that Sharon being non-verbal, often communicating with her hands, did “complicate” the search.

Sharon part of Jacinta Price’s extended family

Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has revealed she has a personal relationship with Sharon.

Speaking to Sky News host Sharri Markson on Thursday night, Senator Price revealed that she was “an aunt” to the missing five-year-old, who is suspected to have been led away from the Old Timers Camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs by Mr Lewis.

It is understood Mr Lewis also lived at the camp and had recently returned home from a stint in prison.

“She’s part of my extended family. I’m an aunt to her, and I just know the family are absolutely beside themselves,” Senator Price said.

“I have been assisting police where I can when information is brought to me and I think it is really important that people understand that her life is … important,” she said.

The senator said she believed there “has to be” people who know Mr Lewis’s whereabouts.

“I know that sometimes there are those who will support a family member even if they’ve done the wrong thing, and there are concerns that there are people that do know the whereabouts of Jefferson Lewis,” Senator Price said.

“I imagine there has to be, given the amount of time that has gone by. Someone like that can’t just disappear into thin air. Finding him, I believe, is the clue to being able to find Sharon.

“I would urge people to come forward … the most important thing is that Sharon is brought home to family.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, NT Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said key pieces of evidence had been seized at the scene of Sharon’s disappearance on Sunday, including a doona cover, a shirt worn by Jefferson Lewis and a pair of children’s underwear.

“Those items have been forensically examined and we should have those results back tomorrow to maybe confirm or deny (whether Sharon was sexually assaulted),” he said.

Mr Malley said there were “people in the community not telling us what we need to hear, and that is really frustrating”.

“We believe there are serious offences being committed and people are withholding information from the police,” he said.

He said he believed people were helping hide Mr Lewis from police.

“Let me be clear about one thing in relation to that, we believe that there are members of the community that absolutely know where Jefferson Lewis is,” he said.

“What I want to say to you is tell us. Tell us what you know. Tell us where he is. Tell us how to contact him.

“If you are withholding information because you are frightened, please have confidence that we will treat that information sensitively.”