Police believe the man at the centre of the hunt for missing five-year-old Sharon Granites lured the little girl from a home to a location behind an Alice Springs town camp, where “items of interest” have now been discovered.
The grim development comes as the desperate search for Sharon enters its third day, with officers increasingly focused on locating 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who they allege was seen holding hands with the girl on the night she vanished.
A large section of land behind the Old Timers camp has been taped off and police have declared it a crime scene.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said investigators have located items of interest at that location but refused to reveal what the items are.
In a key new allegation, Assistant Commissioner Malley said Lewis was last seen holding hands with the five-year-old at about 11pm on Saturday, shortly before she was put to bed.
Within hours, both had vanished.
“When police got there, the little girl was missing … it was very quickly relayed to us that Jefferson Lewis was also missing,” he said.
Assistant Commissioner Malley said alcohol was being consumed at the town camp that night.
“It was a bit of a party … a very social occasion going on,” he said.
Officers have since spoken to everyone who was at the town camp on Saturday night except Lewis.
Assistant Commissioner Malley said Sharon and her mother did not live at the town camp, but the little girl’s mother had taken her there to do some washing.
Authorities remain confident Lewis and the missing girl are still in the Alice Springs area and are likely travelling on foot.
“We don’t believe he has access to a vehicle, but that’s not to say that somebody’s not driving him around,” Assistant Commissioner Malley said.
“We’re hoping that he’s still in the immediate area.”
Search efforts have expanded to a 20-square-kilometre radius around the town camp, with rough terrain, long grass and soft sand complicating the operation.
Dozens of officers are on the ground, supported by helicopters, drones, dog squads, mounted units and all-terrain vehicles, alongside NORFORCE personnel, the Australian Defence Force and local volunteers.
About 70 volunteers joined the search on Tuesday morning alone.
Despite the scale of the operation, there have been no confirmed sightings of Sharon.
“There’s been some information where Jefferson might have been sighted, but we’re unable to confirm that it was actually him,” Assistant Commissioner Malley said.
Police have also searched for him in remote communities, including Yuendumu and Lajamanu, but say they are confident Lewis is not in those locations.
“We believe he’s still in Central Australia somewhere – potentially within that 20-kilometre search radius,” he said.
Sharon was last seen about 11.30pm on Saturday after being put to bed at a Marshall Court home before her mother reported her missing at 1.35am on Sunday.
As the search enters its third day, Assistant Commissioner Malley said officers remain hopeful the five-year-old will be found alive but acknowledged the urgency was increasing as time passed.
“We do (believe she is alive), and that’s why our number one mission is to find her safe and well,” he said.
“For every parent, this is their worst nightmare.”
Police are urging anyone with information about Sharon or the whereabouts of Jefferson Lewis to contact authorities immediately.
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