Just hours before five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby was snatched from her bed and murdered, police had come face-to-face with the man now accused of the horrific crime. In a chilling twist, officers were called to the Old Timers camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs on Anzac Day, where they spent time speaking with Jefferson Lewis.
Hours later, it is alleged the 47-year-old crept into the room where the little girl had been put to bed on a mattress, before sneaking her out via the side door. The family asked that she be referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby, a substitute name used by Warlpiri people for a deceased person to avoid the taboo of speaking their name after death.
It was just before sundown at the camp when a young man began acting erratically, running up and down the single street, screaming and waving his arms. Concerned neighbours feared for his safety as much as their own and watched anxiously as the situation escalated. Relief came when a large man stepped in to take control. That man, neighbours say, was Lewis, who had only been released from jail six days earlier following his latest stint behind bars and was back in the community.
Neighbour Matthew told the Daily Mail: 'He got hold of the young fella. The boy was acting crazy and no one knew what to do but then Jefferson grabbed him and held him. I think the boy had mental health problems. I'm not too sure but it wasn't good, and there were kids about and everyone was worried.' According to Matthew, police arrived and spoke at length with Lewis as he continued to restrain the man, before helping officers place him into their vehicle. 'That was the first time we really saw him,' Matthew said. 'I didn't know him before that but I thought he's okay.'
But that brief interaction would take on a far darker meaning as the night unfolded. Like much of Australia, residents along the quiet street had been marking the Anzac Day holiday with drinks and gatherings. At the home of Kumanjayi Little Baby, there was even more reason to celebrate, with the family coming together for a birthday. 'I heard them all singing Happy Birthday,' another neighbour Dennis told the Daily Mail. 'They were happy, so happy that day and all singing and having fun.'
By nightfall, that joy would turn into panic. Dennis said he had fallen asleep beside his tent earlier in the evening, only to be jolted awake by chaos as the family realised the little girl was missing. Matthew, who was still awake and sitting in his garden, said the search began almost immediately. 'They couldn't find her and they were looking, running around to the houses and asking if we saw her,' he said. At first, the family feared she had simply wandered off. But within minutes, that hope gave way to something far more sinister.
'They came over, were looking around and then someone said, "That fella is missing too",' Matthew said. 'That Jefferson, he wasn't there anymore, he was gone and they just knew.' Panic quickly spread through the small camp. Dennis said he woke to the sound of screams as the search intensified. 'They were screaming and crying,' he said. 'Everyone was asking did I see a man come past and go into the bush with a little girl.'
He and his wife Doreen, who have been living in a tent behind the house while waiting for permanent housing, said the entire community was in a state of shock. In the hours that followed, Dennis realised the alleged abductor may have come just metres from where he was sleeping. 'There is a hole in the camp fence just there,' he said, pointing to the spot. 'He would have gone through there, down that riverbed, past the racecourse.'
As the frantic search continued, police were called to the scene. 'They were good,' Matthew said. 'They got here quick and started searching, then they put the drone up to look for them.' Dennis said the family searched through the night, with more relatives arriving the following morning to help. 'The whole street was full of cars and people everywhere all looking in the grass and police were searching houses,' he said.
It was only later that Dennis realised who the man at the centre of it all was. 'I don't know him, but he has been here before,' he said. 'Between time in prison he has been at the house. His son used to live there with his wife and they had a baby too. They lived there with Karen for a long time and it was nice. They are a nice family, always happy. They had good memories at that house before this.'
Kumanjayi Little Baby's body was found just before midday on Thursday in bushland about 5km south of the Old Timers camp. The discovery came after police found her underwear at a crime scene near the camp, along with the yellow top Lewis had been wearing on the night she vanished. Forensic testing results revealed that the underwear had traces of two DNA profiles that matched both hers and Lewis's. Lewis was found on Thursday night after vigilantes spotted him walking through a camp in Alice Springs and bashed him unconscious before police arrived. He is expected to be charged on Saturday.
