Police find presumed body of missing Sharon (5) in Australian outback: search for ex-convict continues
Australian police have believed the body of missing Sharon (5) near Alice Springs during the search for her. The girl had been missing since the night of Saturday to Sunday. Police suspect she was abducted and murdered by a man (47) who had recently been released from prison. The search for the suspect is still ongoing.
During the large-scale search operation, investigators found the body of a child today. Forensic examination must still confirm that it is indeed Sharon.
Sharon disappeared from a house in Old Timers Town Camp, an Aboriginal settlement in the Australian city of Alice Springs. According to the police, several adults were present in the home and were drinking alcohol. Among them was 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis. According to investigators, he was last seen on Saturday evening with the girl by the hand.
The police suspect that Lewis subsequently abducted her and killed her. The man had been released from prison only a few days earlier, where he was serving an 18-month sentence for aggravated violence. According to the police, he had a “casual relationship” with Sharon’s family.
Remote area
Over the past few days, hundreds of aid workers and volunteers searched the remote area around Alice Springs. They did so on foot, but also using horses, drones, and helicopters. Experienced Indigenous trackers also participated in the large-scale search operation.
That was necessary because the operation took place under difficult conditions. The terrain is difficult to navigate, the grass is high in some places, and temperatures fluctuate sharply between cold nights and hot days.
Alice Springs is located in the so-called Red Centre of Australia, almost in the geographical center, in the Northern Territory. The city is very isolated, surrounded by various deserts. It is not the first time a child has gone missing in the outback. On September 27, 4-year-old Gus Lamont also disappeared . To this day, there is no trace of him.
