Warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: This article contains references to deceased persons. This note is added to respect the cultural beliefs of these readers during times of mourning.
A man has been charged with murder after the death of a five-year-old girl in Australia.
The girl’s body was identified as Kumanjayi Little Baby, a pseudonym given to her by her family for cultural reasons after her death. The girl’s body was discovered on Thursday after days of extensive police searches.
Jefferson Lewis, 47, was charged with murder on Saturday night and is due to appear in a Darwin court on Tuesday.
Five people have been arrested over violent riots in Alice Springs sparked by the death of a child.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Doyle announced the charges against Lewis on Sunday morning.
“This remains a deeply saddening matter and our thoughts are with Kumanjayi’s family, loved ones and wider community who have been deeply affected by these events,” he said.
Dole asked the community to respect the judicial process.
Lewis was reportedly attacked in the central Australian town before his arrest on Thursday.
Photo of baby Kumanjayi, used with permission from her family [Northern Territory Police]
In a statement on Thursday, baby Kumanjayi’s mother, who has not been named, said she loves her daughter and misses her.
“We will be sad for the rest of our lives without you,” she said.
“We know you are in heaven with your family and Jesus. Your brother and I will get to meet you one day.”
Baby Kumanjayi’s grandfather called for calm on Friday.
“What happened this week was not our way,” Yapa (Valpyri) Senior Elder Robin Granites said in a statement.
“Our children are precious and of course we are angry and hurt by what happened.
“As a result of community action this man has been caught and we must now allow justice to be served while we take time to mourn little baby Kumanjayi and support our family.”
Lewis was being treated at Alice Springs Hospital when violent disturbances broke out outside, prompting police to move him about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) north of Darwin.
Video showed dozens of people gathering outside the town’s hospital on Thursday night, with some throwing projectiles and police using tear gas.
Protesters also attacked police vehicles and at least one van appeared to be set on fire.
Dole called the riot “disgusting” and “abhorrent.”
Further video released by police showed crowds pouring into a gas station near the hospital, grabbing items from shelves and hurriedly leaving.
Ahead of the release, Dole told reporters: “What you see in this video is not people dealing with their grief related to the death of baby Kumanjayi.
“What you’re going to see is criminal behavior, plain and simple.”
Property damage and stolen items at petrol stations and supermarkets were estimated at more than A$180,000 ($130,000; £95,000), police said.
Australian national broadcaster ABC reported that some in the crowd outside the hospital shouted that Lewis needed to face “retaliation” and accused police of protecting him.
“Revenge” is a term for traditional punishments in Aboriginal customary law in Central Australia, often administered by elders in an attempt to achieve harmony between Aboriginal families and groups.
Baby Kumanjayi went missing after going to bed at an Aboriginal town camp near Alice Springs just before midnight on Saturday.
After her body was found, her family gave her an alias to use during their mourning period.
This is a cultural practice among Australia’s Warlpiri Aboriginal people, who believe that using the names of deceased loved ones during this time may disturb their spirits.