skip to main content

Vigils across Australia for murdered five-year-old girl

A Northern Territory Police Force handout shows five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby who was allegedly murdered in Alice Springs
Kumanjayi Little Baby was found dead following a five-day search

People gathered across Australia to hold vigils for a five-year-old girl whose alleged abduction and murder ⁠shocked the nation and sparked riots in the Outback town of Alice Springs.

The gatherings come a week after Kumanjayi Little Baby was found dead by authorities following a five-day search involving hundreds of volunteers and police.

The arrest ⁠of a man suspected of abducting and murdering her triggered violent clashes in Alice Springs, with a crowd of 400 Indigenous people gathering to demand "payback," referring to traditional and mostly physical punishment in Aboriginal societies.

The Alice Springs community has ‌since been conducting "sorry business," the mourning period and cultural practices that occur after an Indigenous person's death.

People hold candles as they stand in silence during a vigil in honour
People hold candles during a vigil held in Sydney

The ⁠girl's family will hold a vigil in the ‌Outback town this evening and others will be held across ⁠the country ‌in remembrance of the girl.

Vigil organisers have asked attendees to bring candles and wear pink - the girl's favourite colour.

Kumanjayi Little Baby disappeared from her home ⁠on the outskirts of Alice Springs on the evening of 25 April.

Flowers and candles are placed on steps during a vigil
Candles and flowers are seen during the vigil in Sydney

Hundreds ⁠of people were involved in a search effort to locate her, scouring dense bushland around the town, a popular tourist destination in Australia's Northern Territory.

Police on Sunday charged Jefferson Lewis, 47, with her murder and two other offences, which cannot be publicly disclosed ‌for legal reasons.