In the red dirt of a dried-out Alice Springs creek bed lies a mangled children’s pram, a pink unicorn toy and a pair of blue latex gloves.
It’s all that remains from the scene near Charles Creek Camp where an angry mob set upon accused child killer Jefferson Lewis on Thursday night.
The 47-year-old was bashed to “within an inch of his life” after allegedly turning up at the camp with a pram in tow after five days on the run from police.
On Sunday afternoon news.com.au visited the site, a few hundred meters from the camp entrance road, where remnants of the disturbing scene remained scattered in the dirt.
A pink and black child’s pram lay bent and broken less than 20 metres away from nearby homes.
Evidence of the emergency response was also still visible, including pairs of rubber gloves, discarded bandages, face masks and medical scissors believed to have been used by paramedics at the scene.
Hoppys Camp resident Angus Norman told NT News Lewis was pushing a pram when “young fellas saw him and bashed him”.
“A couple of young fellas told me they had chased him from Hungry Jack’s.”
The fast food store is a few hundred meters up the road from the site where authorities reached Lewis.
An employee at the chain told news.com.au that while they hadn’t been working at the time their manager had witnessed the violent arrest.
Mr Norman said he was driving into town when he “got lit up (by police) and he went straight past me so I zoomed home and all this was happening”.
“Everyone was here, police, everyone and he (Lewis) was on the floor.
“Everyone heard quick and half of Alice Springs came here.”
NT Police commissioner Martin Dole said Lewis was unconscious by the time police arrived at the scene.
“He was in the process of being treated by St John’s Ambulance when they were set upon, as were the police,” Commissioner Dole said.
“The police officer that responded to the assault and the arrest of Jefferson Lewis had to be treated and received stitches for a head wound.
“Members of that town camp decided to inflict vigilante justice upon Jefferson, and we received numerous phone calls saying he was in the process of being assaulted.”
A police spokesman said any evidence related to the abduction and death of Kumanjayi Little Baby had been collected from the scene.
Murder charge
Lewis, 47, was arrested on Thursday night over the alleged murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby days after she was last seen by her family at their home at Old Timers Camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs on Saturday evening.
The young girl’s body was found near the banks of the Todd River, just 5km south of her home earlier that day.
On Sunday, NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said they had charged Mr Lewis with murder and Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family has been informed.
He has been remanded in custody and is expected to appear in Darwin Local Court on Tuesday.
“This has been an extensive and detailed investigation and our detectives have been working around the clock for this outcome,” Mr Dole told reporters.
“This matter is now before the courts, and as a result, it would be inappropriate for the police to provide further comment, or discuss in detail the events,” he said.
“I would ask that the community respect the judicial process, and I would also ask that the community continue to respect the family, as they continue to process their grief and sorrow.”
Old Timer’s Camp
On Sunday morning the entrance to the Old Timer’s camp, where Kumanjayi was allegedly taken was overflowing with flowers, teddy bears and messages of support.
“Hi Baby, I hope you’re enjoying and singing with the Angels in Heaven. I will see you when the trumpet sounds. Rest in Love,” one card read.
“Kumanjayi Little Baby, too beautiful for this world. In death, you’ve brought a community together. Never to be forgotten,” read another note attached to a bouquet of flowers.
A second tribute spilt over onto the dilapidated house the little girl was living in.
Little Kumanjayi’s extended family have largely left the camp to begin two weeks of mourning known as “sorry business”.
On the fringes of Alice Springs sit 16 town camps, home to Aboriginal families living in tightly connected communities.
Census data shows about 1,055 people live permanently across 256 households, with an average of just under four residents per home and a combined median weekly income of $757.
But the numbers fluctuate regularly with relatives travelling in from remote parts of Australia — often to access healthcare and other essential services.
Old Timers Camp, also known as Ilyperenye, lies about 6km south of Alice Springs and is where Kumanjayi Little Baby was allegedly taken.
The camps themselves are managed by Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation, which oversees housing, infrastructure and social services across the region.
