Australian police believe a five-year-old girl missing from her family home in the remote Outback has been abducted, and are searching for a man recently released from prison in connection with her disappearance.
The child, identified by authorities as Sharon, was last seen Saturday night when she was put to bed just before midnight at an Aboriginal town camp in Alice Springs, according to Northern Territory Police.
Acting Commander Mark Grieve told reporters Monday that investigators are seeking 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who had been staying at the camp and vanished around the same time as the girl. Lewis was known to authorities for domestic and family violence-related offenses.
"We're over 24 hours now, so it'd certainly be my worst nightmare as a parent," Grieve said, appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Sharon was last seen wearing a dark blue T-shirt with a white ring around the neck and sleeves, and a pair of black boxer-style underwear.
Dozens of searchers, including dog squads, drone units, and a helicopter, are combing the bush and desert around the camp—a government-designated area for Aboriginal people staying in Alice Springs.
"We want to find Sharon healthy and we want to get her back to her family," Grieve said.