Missing 5yo: Search for non-verbal Sharon in Alice Springs becoming desperate as fears grow
As search enters its fifth day, concerns for missing 5yo Sharon ‘becoming quite concerning’, complicated by her being non-verbal.
Fears are growing for the safety of a five-year-old girl as investigators reveal their search for the suspected kidnapping victim has been complicated by her being non-verbal.
Sharon Granites has not been seen since her family put her to bed at a town camp near Alice Springs late on Saturday night, sparking a desperate search for the girl and her suspected abductor.
Recently-released prisoner Jefferson Lewis, 47, is accused of taking Sharon from an Old Timers town camp residence, triggering a manhunt that enters its fifth day on Thursday.
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He told ABC Radio Alice Springs that may complicate matters because she would be unable to communicate her needs to Mr Lewis and “she’s not able to communicate with searchers”.
He compared the resources used in the investigation to those deployed during the search for British tourist Peter Falconio, after his infamous outback murder by Bradley Murdoch.
Based on advice, Sharon’s chances of survival are “starting to become quite concerning for people”, Mr Dole said.
The commissioner remained adamant Mr Lewis was being helped by others and was still in the Alice Springs area.
“The evidence is the lack of information, it is the absence of any sightings... that is highly unusual,” he said.
Police on Wednesday said there were people in the community who “absolutely know” where Mr Lewis was and urged them to contact police.
They also revealed that a man’s T-shirt, a child’s underwear, and a doona were found at a designated crime scene near the town camp and were being forensically examined.
The possibility of a sexual assault being committed was “on the table”, investigators said.
Bess Nungarrayi Price, a former NT government community services minister and member of Sharon’s extended family, called on Mr Lewis to surrender to police and disclose where the girl was being kept.
“What the family are saying is we want to ask him, or for him to tell whoever he’s been staying with, if she’s safe and where they can find her, if he has got her,” she told the ABC.
Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said the chance of finding Sharon alive reduced the longer the search dragged on.
“She may have come to harm, but we still think she’s alive and our number one mission is to find her safe and well,” he said.
He warned that anyone sheltering Mr Lewis would face charges.
Mr 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.
Scores of police officers, emergency service personnel, defence force members, Aboriginal trackers and community volunteers have been scouring tough desert terrain to find Sharon and her alleged abductor.
Helicopters, drones, horses, dogs, all-terrain vehicles and motorbikes have been used in the search.
If you or someone you know needs help, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), or Sexual Assault Counselling Australia on 1800 211 028, the WA Sexual Assault Resource Centre on 6458 1828 or 1800 199 888 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
