The alleged abductor of missing five-year-old Sharon Granites in the Northern Territory had deep family ties with the girl's parents, according to sources close to the investigation.
Convicted criminal Jefferson Lewis, 47, is suspected of kidnapping Sharon after she was put to bed by her mother during a social gathering at an Aboriginal town camp south of Alice Springs on Anzac Day. Police have declared the incident a major crime, and as the desperate search stretches into its fourth day, hopes are fading that Sharon will be found alive.
NT Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley on Wednesday revealed that child's underwear, a yellow shirt matching one Lewis had been wearing earlier that day, and a doona had been seized by police from a crime scene on the banks of the nearby Todd River. Police say Lewis was seen leading the little girl by the hand around 11pm on the night of her disappearance.
Sharon's devastated mother Jacinta White is in the care of police, while her father Raphael Granites found out his daughter was missing from within the confines of a prison cell, where he is serving time for assault. The family had been made aware of the items found at the crime scene and were obviously distressed, Asst Comm Malley said.
Daily Mail has confirmed that the longtime couple knew Lewis well, due to their ties to the remote outback Warlpiri communities of Yuendumu, 300km north-west of Alice Springs, and Lajamanu, where Lewis is from. The Alice Springs community is flabbergasted by the alleged kidnapping of Sharon Granites.
Police allege the little girl was last seen being led away by Jefferson Lewis, 47. Lewis was captured on police body camera footage in the hours before Sharon vanished. Jacinta shared a picture to Facebook of herself alongside Raphael in 2013.
Alice Springs woman Karen White, who described herself as Jacinta's aunty and Sharon's grandmother, shared pictures of the adorable little girl with Daily Mail on Wednesday. Karen said she was in hospital when she found out Sharon was missing. 'I am a very unwell woman. I'm not feeling well and I just want my granddaughter back,' Karen said. 'She's only five years old. She likes to play on the phone and with all the kids.' It is understood Karen helped raise Jacinta, but is not her biological mother. Karen is also close with Sharon's father, Raphael, who is in jail. 'He knows (Sharon is missing) already. Friends have been calling him,' she said.
Lewis remains on the run, with police insisting people within the Alice Springs community may be helping him. NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole revealed they 'absolutely, firmly believe there's members of the community that know where (Lewis) is'. 'Tell us. Tell us what you know,' he said.
Daily Mail also spoke with Lajamanu woman Mary Lewis, who said the wanted fugitive was her nephew, and asked why she thought he would take the child. 'I don't know... he is not like that,' she said, speaking while visiting Darwin. 'He likes kids and family. But I don't know nothing. I pray every day.'
A source close to both families said they were 'flabbergasted' that Lewis is thought by police to have allegedly committed such a heinous crime, despite his long list of violent convictions that have seen him in and out of jail over the past 10 years. 'He is a husband and a grandfather. Everyone is in shock,' the source said.
On Tuesday, police attended addresses with connections to Lewis in both towns, including his wife's home in Yuendumu, population 740. Yuendumu residents are closely intertwined with those from Lajamanu, despite the 600km distance between the two Aboriginal communities. Lajamanu was established in 1949, when Walpiri people were moved there from Yuendumu by the government. However, on the first three attempts to move people to Lajamanu, they walked for several days back to their Yuendumu homes, travelling south through the searing Tanami Desert. Today, many people from both communities are closely related, including Lewis and the Granites family, which boasts several renowned Indigenous artists.
Sharon's disappearance on Saturday night has been described by many as 'every mother's worst nightmare'. It is understood that earlier that day, Jacinta took Sharon from their home to another within the town camp on Anzac Day, where they did laundry at the same dwelling where Lewis, recently released from prison, was living. Later that night, Sharon was placed in a bed at the dwelling. A social occasion was underway, and alcohol was involved, with sources saying Lewis was 'probably under the influence' that night.
Police attended the address that evening for an unrelated reason, where Lewis was captured on bodycam footage, wearing the yellow shirt that was later found at the crime scene alongside the underwear and bedding. Asst Comm Malley said the items have been sent to Darwin for forensic testing. Police allege Sharon was last seen holding the hand of Lewis as he led her away around 11.30pm. Her mother discovered her missing from a bed, and police were called at 1.30am.
Lewis was sentenced to four months in prison in March 2025, after pleading guilty to breaching a domestic violence order and resisting police. This came just five months after Mr Lewis faced court charged with aggravated assault, breaching his domestic violence order and breaching bail. In October 2024 he was given a total sentence of 18 months, with a 12-month non-parole period.
Despite attending addresses connected to Lewis in Yuendumu and Lajamanu, police believe he has not left the Alice Springs area. Police have 'shared intelligence' with South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland police, but insist Lewis remains in the Alice Springs area. 'We still believe that he is local, but we will consider everything,' Mr Malley said.
On Wednesday, the desperate search for Sharon resumed, involving police, army personnel, Aboriginal trackers, and around 100 volunteers. Police have been hampered by rough terrain, as the area surrounding Old Timers town camp, on the banks of the Todd River, is comprised of soft sand and thick, chest-high Buffel grass. Some volunteers have described not being able to see their feet through the thick vegetation.
On Tuesday, Asst Comm Malley said police believe Sharon was still alive, but as time goes on, the chances decrease. 'We are looking all over the place,' he said. 'We speak to survival experts, and we look at, if she was wandering around on her own in the bush, how long she could survive for. We're still within that timeframe, but once again, we're considering everything, and she may have come to harm, but we still think she's alive. Our number one mission is to find her safe and well.'
Sharon was last seen wearing a dark blue short sleeve T-shirt with a white ring stripe around the neck and white ring stripe around the end of the sleeves, and a pair of black boxer style underwear. Police are urging anyone with information to make contact on 131 444 and quote reference number P26120934.
