Police in Alice Springs say 5-year-old Sharon Granites has been missing since Saturday night. Authorities are searching the bush and seeking 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis.
MISRYOUM — Police in Australia say they believe a 5-year-old girl, Sharon Granites, may have been abducted after she went missing from her family home in Alice Springs overnight.
The case has entered its second day of searching, with authorities saying Sharon was last seen on Saturday before midnight. In the early hours of Sunday morning, officers received reports that she could not be located at the Marshall Court home in Old Timers Camp.
NT police said the initial search used extensive resources but did not find the child.. Search operations on foot resumed on Monday morning after officers were unable to locate her overnight.. A senior officer also pointed to another person connected to the camp timeline, saying the authorities are trying to understand what happened around the same time Sharon vanished.
Police acting commander Mark Grieve said a man who was staying at Old Timers Camp and then “vanished” around the same time could be involved.. Investigators are seeking 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who NT police say was recently released from prison and may be able to assist with inquiries.. Officers and volunteers have checked nearby bushland areas around the camp as part of the effort to locate Sharon.
Officials say Sharon was first confirmed missing on Sunday morning at about 6:43am, and police described the situation as one involving serious concern for the child’s welfare.. Police also released details of what she was last seen wearing: a dark blue short-sleeve T-shirt with white ring stripes around the neck and sleeve ends, along with black boxer-style underwear.. Photos shared by police show her seated in a chair with a backpack, helping the public identify her.
A key part of the investigation is the timeline.. Police say Sharon was last seen around 11:30pm on Saturday evening, when she was put to bed in her home.. Roughly two hours later, reports came in that she could not be found.. Police are treating the disappearance as an urgent matter and are urging anyone with information to contact them.
# What police want the public to know now
Commander Grieve described the situation in terms many families will recognise: the pressure of time when a child is missing.. He said police had passed more than 24 hours and that it was a “worst nightmare” for a parent, while also stressing the goal of finding Sharon healthy and safely returned to her family.
The officer also said Lewis is known to authorities in relation to domestic abuse and family violence-related offences.. Police said he remains one of the few people who were in the camp at the time and who has not made himself known to police, nor has police been able to locate him.. Investigators shared footage of Lewis from body-worn cameras from the camp on Saturday evening, where he was present for an unrelated incident.
# Why Jefferson Lewis is central to the investigation
Police statements indicate they believe his whereabouts matter to the investigation.. It also underscores why authorities are moving quickly and asking the public to be alert to the information they share.. In missing-child cases, even small details—such as clothing, direction of travel, or whether someone appears confused about the child’s disappearance—can become important once investigators compare timelines.
For families in remote or semi-remote communities, the feeling of distance from help can be acute, and a search can quickly become about more than geography—it becomes about urgency and visibility.. Misryoum understands that the public’s role can shift from curiosity to action: reporting sightings, speaking up about what people noticed, and helping police move faster.
If Lewis remains unlocated, investigators may face a longer period of uncertainty while searching continues. For now, the priority remains clear: find 5-year-old Sharon Granites and bring her back to her family.