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Northern Territory Police Charge 47-Year-Old With Murder in Death of 5-Year-Old Girl

The case spotlights scrutiny of prisoner release practices.

Overview

  • Police charged a 47-year-old man with murder in the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby and moved him to Darwin to face court.
  • The five-year-old vanished from Old Timers Town Camp near Alice Springs, and her body was found Thursday in a riverbed about five kilometers away after a five-day search using drones, helicopters and Indigenous trackers.
  • Residents later found the suspect and beat him unconscious before his arrest, and about 400 people clashed with police outside the Alice Springs Hospital where he was treated.
  • Police said protesters threw objects and lit fires, officers and medics were injured, and tear gas was used to disperse the crowd, while the family urged calm.
  • The man had recently left prison after about an 18-month sentence for violent offences, a detail now sharpening questions about community safety and release decisions in the Northern Territory.