May 5, 2026, 3:04 p.mMay 5, 2026, 3:04 p.m
Riots broke out in the Australian city of Alice Springs after missing five-year-old Sharon Granites was found dead. Angry people attacked the suspect before his arrest, Police Commissioner Martin Dole said on Friday.
Riots broke out in Alice Springs following the death of a five-year-old.Image: keystone
The man was taken to the hospital, where there were further riots against the police, rescue workers and hospital staff, said Dole. Dole said he expects charges to be filed in the coming days.
The girl’s family called on people to be calm in the Australian media. “Now is the time for grief work, to show respect for our family and to have space for mourning and remembering,” the girl’s grandfather told the Australian broadcaster ABC Australia. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had previously expressed his condolences to the family. “They are in the hearts of all Australians at this time of their terrible loss,” Albanese said on Platform X.
Days of searching
The police searched intensively for the girl in the outback around the northern Australian town of Alice Springs for five days. Little Sharon disappeared on Sunday night (local time) from a house in the so-called Old Timers Town Camp on the outskirts of the city.
Investigators now believe that the child was kidnapped. The focus is on a 47-year-old man who is said to have been in the house in the indigenous settlement at the time of the crime and had only been released from prison a few days earlier.
According to the police, he had served a prison sentence of around 18 months for serious violent crimes. He is said to have had a “loose connection” with the child’s family. According to investigators, he was last seen holding the child’s hand before he disappeared.
Search with drones and indigenous trackers
A large-scale search was underway in the remote desert region. Hundreds of emergency services worked with volunteers to comb through an impassable area of dense bushland – on foot, with off-road motorcycles, horses, drones and helicopters. Experienced indigenous trackers were also on duty. Dozens of volunteers supported the search, and local organizations coordinated the operations. (hkl/sda/dpa)