WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are cautioned that this article contains the name and image of a deceased Indigenous person.
This story may cause distress to some readers.
The family of Kumanjayi Little Baby is urging communities in Central Australia to remain calm after unrest erupted at an Alice Springs hospital. The facility was treating a man suspected of involvement in the tragic disappearance and death of the five-year-old girl.
Warlpiri Elder Robin Granites, who considers himself the child’s grandfather, spoke to NITV News on Saturday. He emphasized the importance of engaging in “Sorry Business” to honor the family’s need for grieving, reflection, and remembrance of their lost member.
“Emotions are running high, and everyone is understandably upset,” Granites commented. “We are all feeling a mix of anger and sorrow about the situation.”
Granites stressed that this is not the moment to seek attention online or incite further conflict. He encouraged people from nearby communities to come to Alice Springs for the purpose of engaging in Sorry Business, urging them to avoid other distractions.
He said he hoped that people would respect the family’s wishes for Sorry Business — a period of collective mourning in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities — to remain small and carried out in cooperation with the family.
He said a public vigil would be held on Thursday next week at Alice Spring’s Anzac Oval and members of the public would be welcome to attend that event.
On Thursday night, several hundred people gathered outside Alice Springs hospital as news emerged that Jefferson Lewis, the 47-year-old man suspected of abducting and murdering Kumanjayi Little Baby, was being treated there.
Four ambulances were taken off the road and crews went into lockdown for about five hours as a riot escalated outside the hospital. Bins and vegetation were also set on fire and some nearby businesses were damaged.
One woman was arrested for allegedly attempting to set alight a police car and had been charged with attempted arson and riot charges, Northern Territory Police said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
Lewis was subsequently airlifted to Darwin and is expected to be charged with murdering the child.
‘We need your support’
Granites also thanked the wider community for the flow of tributes to the family from across Australia.
“Whoever is watching: please, we need your support and your prayers and your wishes.”
The body of a girl, which police believe to be Kumanjayi Little Baby, was discovered at around midday on Thursday by police approximately 5km from Alice Springs’ Old Timers town camp, the place she was last seen on Sunday.
“What has happened this week is not our way. Our children are precious, of course,” Granites said.
He said Kumanjayi Little Baby’s young mother had been “hiding away” and the experience had been “so terrible for her”.
This article was produced in collaboration with NITV News with reporting by Emma Kellaway and Josh van Staden.
Readers seeking support can ring Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14, visit lifeline.org.au. Resources for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders can be found at Headspace: Yarn Safe.
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