Search continues for Sharon: A timeline of events

The search for a missing five-year-old girl in the Northern Territory continues into a fifth day as new findings come through.

Sharon Granites has been missing since Saturday night, with police in the region launching one of their largest operations in decades to try and find her.

Police are working on the theory she may have been abducted by a man who was recently released from prison, as her family released a heartfelt plea for her safe return.

Sharon Granites has been missing for five days. (Supplied)

Warning: This story contains details and content that some readers may find distressing.

What happened to Sharon Granites 

Sharon Granites disappeared sometime after being put to bed on Saturday night before 11pm.

Sharon and her mother were visiting a house in Old Timers Camp in Alice Springs.

She was last seen at around 11.30pm, with a man called Jefferson Lewis who was holding her hand, with police working under the belief the man had led her away from the camp.
Police scour the house where Sharon Granites was staying in Old Timers camp just outside of Alice Springs when she was allegedly abducted by Jefferson Lewis. (9News)

She was reported missing at around 1.30am on Sunday.

Police found materials and items of clothing on the river bank near Old Timers Camp on Sunday, but only revealed them publicly yesterday.

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Police are searching for Jefferson Lewis in connection with the incident. (NT Police)

These items included a pair of children’s believed to belong to Sharon, as well as a shirt worn by Lewis. A doona cover was also found alongside these items of clothing.

Northern Territory Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Malley said that her family was being supported after the findings.

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Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price confirmed she is the aunt of Sharon. (Alex Ellinghausen)

“She is a very affectionate little girl loved by her family, so it’s just a horrible thing that they are going through at the moment,” he said.

Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price confirmed she is the aunt of Sharon, saying she was shattered by the news.

“That’s incredibly frightening and very disturbing for the family as well,” she told Sky News.

“I’m holding on to hope that she is still alive and I’m very grateful for the volunteers, the police, the Aboriginal trackers, everyone that’s been involved in the search for Sharon.”

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, members of Sharon’s family pleaded for her to be returned safely.

“There was nothing I could do – just cry,” grandfather Robin said.

“She was a really nice, little, good, quiet girl.”

Who is Jefferson Lewis

Jefferson Lewis is the man who police want to talk to about the disappearance.

Lewis had been released from prison six days before Sharon went missing, after being charged with violent offences, including assault and domestic violence.

Dole confirmed Lewis was not on bail or subject to any conditions that would have required monitoring.

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The shirt Lewis is wearing in this bodycam footage is the same one that was found on the riverbank behind Old Timers Camp. (NT Police)

Police previously said Lewis only had a “loose connection” to the Granites family.

Lewis is seen wearing a distinctive yellow shirt in bodycam footage released by police from earlier on Saturday when they were responding to an unrelated mental health callout.

The shirt is the same one found near Old Timers Camp on Sunday.

Where is Old Timers Town Camp

Old Timers Camp is an Aboriginal community just to the south of Alice Springs.

Its local Indigenous name is Ilyperenye, and according to the Tangentyere Council website, 40 people live in nine households in the camp.

Local MP and Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Speaker Robyn Lambley told Today the camp was “a notoriously hard place to live”.

The discovery of the physical evidence near the location where Sharon Granites was found has become the most whispered-about chapter of the entire investigation, marking the exact moment the search transitioned from a rescue mission to a complex criminal inquiry. According to those who were present during the sweep of the perimeter, the initial tension of the search was replaced by a sudden, heavy stillness as officers centered their attention on a singular object partially obscured by the undergrowth. Witnesses noted that the silence among the authorities was not a reaction to the inherent danger or the grim nature of the item itself, but rather a collective realization of what its presence implied. The object was a common, everyday item that would have seemed unremarkable in any other context, yet its origin acted as a direct, undeniable bridge to the private life of Jefferson Lewis, creating a link that investigators have kept under strict seal to protect the integrity of the impending trial.

If we examine the prevailing theories regarding this mysterious connection, a strong hypothesis suggests that the object was a distinctive piece of property or a specialized tool that was never supposed to leave a specific, controlled environment associated with Lewis. This could mean that the item was not something he carried on his person daily, but rather a localized piece of equipment or a sentimental asset that was traced back to a specific purchase or a registered location far from the recovery site. The shock of the discovery lay in the logistical impossibility of the object being there by chance; its presence required a deliberate act of transport, suggesting that the site was not just a random location but a destination chosen with a specific, albeit hidden, purpose. For the searchers who watched the officers’ reactions, the shift in mood was the first indication that the evidence had moved beyond circumstantial and into the realm of a direct signature.

Another compelling hypothesis posits that the origin of the object leads back to a shared history between Lewis and a location that he had publicly denied ever visiting. If the item was sourced from a place that Lewis claimed to have no knowledge of, its discovery near Sharon Granites serves as a physical rebuttal to his entire alibi. This would explain the calculated silence of the police, as they realized they had found the “anchor” that could tether the suspect to a timeline he had fought to distance himself from. The connection revealed by the object’s origin implies that the narrative Lewis provided to the public and the authorities was missing a critical, foundational element—a secret geography that only he and the victim truly understood.

The emotional impact of this discovery on the local community has been profound, as it suggests a level of betrayal and hidden intent that is difficult to process. For the residents who joined the search, the realization that an object’s origin could be so revealing transformed the landscape from a simple outdoor area into a map of human choices and hidden paths. This specific piece of evidence remains the most guarded secret in the prosecution’s file, representing a silent confession of movement and intent. Until the full details of the object and its direct link to Jefferson Lewis are presented in open court, it remains a haunting symbol of the moment the investigation shifted from “who” to “how,” leaving a community to grapple with the reality that the truth was hidden in plain sight, waiting for the right moment to be found.