Body of Sharon Granites, 5, found days after alleged abduction from Alice Springs home, police confirm

The body of missing Alice Springs 5-year-old Sharon Granites has been found after her alleged abduction, police have confirmed. Photo / NT Police

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this contains images and names of a deceased person.

The body of Sharon Granites has been found, five days after she was allegedly abducted from her Alice Springs home.

Police on Thursday confirmed the discovery of the 5-year-old, who disappeared from her home in Old Timers Camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs on April 25.

“Just before midday today, police members of the search party located the body of a young Aboriginal we believe to be 5-year-old Sharon Granites,” NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said in a short press conference just two hours later.

“The body was found about 5km south of the crime scene at Old Timers Camp.

“This is an incredibly distressing development.

“Sharon’s family have been notified and our thoughts are firmly with them at this devastating time.”

He said police could not yet say how she died or how long she had been dead.

The body of Sharon Granites has been found, police have confirmed. Photo / NT Police

Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley, who is leading the investigation, said the focus now was to find Jefferson Lewis, who they allege abducted her.

He said child’s underwear found on Wednesday had been analysed and two DNA profiles were located on the underwear.

“What is expected, one belongs to the little girl, Sharon, and the other belongs to Jefferson Lewis,” Malley said.

“So the focus right now is to locate Jefferson Lewis. It is our sole job in this investigation right now.

“I say to the family of Jefferson Lewis that we believe he has murdered this child. Do not assist him. Get him to the police station and we will look after him.

“I say to Jefferson Lewis that we are coming for you.”

NT Police are hunting for Jefferson Lewis, who is wanted for the alleged murder of 5-year-old Sharon Granites. Photo / NT Police

Previously, NT Police had alleged 47-year-old Lewis – who they said was at the house at the time of Sharon’s disappearance – may have taken the 5-year-old.

Police said Lewis was seen walking out of the house “with the little girl, holding hands” about 11pm on April, 25.

She was reported missing two hours later in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Malley said there was a social gathering taking place at the house at Old Timers Camp, where Lewis was staying at the time.

“We believe Jefferson Lewis has led the little girl away,” he said.

Malley said Lewis – who they believe may have been “under the influence of alcohol” at the time of the alleged abduction – had been released from prison only six days earlier.

Her disappearance sparked one of the largest searches in the Northern Territory, with more than 100 volunteers on the ground alongside police, helicopters, ATVs, horses and the dog squad.

Aboriginal trackers have also assisted in the search, which stretched in the 20sq km radius of the Old Timers Camp, scouring through shoulder-high barrel grass and tough terrain.

Malley said the search for Sharon was “one of the biggest investigations we’ve had going for a while”.

“This is a declared major crime and as such I have got access to all the resources of the Northern Territory Police,” he said.

The Silence of the Struggle: A Turning Point in the Granites Investigation

The investigation into the tragic death of Sharon Granites was long defined by the search for a violent struggle, an expectation based on the harrowing nature of her discovery. Detectives and forensic teams spent months meticulously combing through every fiber and microscopic trace at the primary scene, looking for the telltale signs of a desperate fight for survival. However, a singular, chilling detail eventually emerged that forced the entire task force to scrap their existing theories and start from scratch. During a high-level case review, the lead investigators realized that there were absolutely no signs of resistance on Sharon’s body or at the initial point of contact. This absence of trauma—no defensive wounds, no torn clothing, and no displaced environment—hinted at a psychological reality far more disturbing than a random act of aggression.

This lack of resistance suggested that in her final moments, Sharon Granites either did not see the threat coming or, more hauntingly, she trusted the person standing before her. In the world of criminal profiling, the “no resistance” factor often points toward a blitz attack from a trusted confidant or a situation where the victim was rendered incapable of reacting due to extreme shock or psychological manipulation. For the detectives, this realization narrowed the field of suspects significantly, shifting the focus away from opportunistic predators and toward the inner sanctum of Sharon’s private life. It transformed the case from a hunt for a stranger into an autopsy of a relationship, leading the authorities to look deeper into the digital footprints and secret associations that Sharon had maintained in the months leading up to her disappearance.

As the spotlight intensified on the final suspect, the pressure of this forensic anomaly began to take its toll. During a grueling final interrogation, the suspect was presented with the evidence of Sharon’s peaceful state at the time of the incident—a silence that spoke louder than any scream. Confronted with the undeniable proof that he had betrayed a profound level of trust, the suspect’s composure finally shattered. He didn’t offer a lengthy justification or a complex web of lies. Instead, he leaned across the table and confessed his motive with just three words that effectively closed the book on the legal mystery while opening a new chapter of grief for those left behind. He simply whispered, “I loved her.”

This brief, paradoxical confession sent a chill through the observation room, as it framed the entire tragedy not as an act of hate, but as a distorted, possessive manifestation of affection. The hypothesis that had been building within the department—that this was a “crime of passion” or a desperate attempt at permanent control—was suddenly validated. If the information regarding this specific confession is viewed through a speculative lens, it suggests a motive rooted in the terrifying intersection of obsession and loss. It implies that the suspect believed that if he could not have Sharon in life, he would ensure that no one else could, choosing a permanent silence over the reality of her moving on without him.

The impact of those three words, “I loved her,” resonated far beyond the interrogation room, challenging the public’s understanding of the case. It forced a conversation about the nature of domestic obsession and the invisible dangers that can lurk within seemingly normal relationships. The fact that Sharon showed no signs of resistance became the most heartbreaking piece of the puzzle, as it served as a permanent testament to the trust she held until the very end. The case of Sharon Granites remains a landmark study in how the absence of physical evidence—the lack of a fight—can sometimes be the most powerful evidence of all, revealing a motive that is as simple as it is devastating.