Missing 5-year-old girl, Sharon.Credit : NT Police

NEED TO KNOW

Police in Australia are searching for Sharon, 5, who vanished from her home in Alice Springs under “suspicious circumstances”

Authorities are seeking Jefferson Lewis, a recently released prisoner, who was staying at Sharon’s home when she disappeared
A large-scale search involving police, drones, and a canine unit is underway as officials urge the public to provide information

Authorities in Australia are asking for the public’s assistance to locate a child who vanished under “suspicious circumstances.”

At around 1:35 a.m. local time on Sunday, April 26, the Northern Territory Police (NT Police Force) received reports that a 5-year-old girl, known as Sharon, had disappeared from her home in Alice Springs, according to an NT Police news release.

Police began appealing for help locating Sharon after an “initial search of the area utilizing extensive resources” was unsuccessful.

Authorities believe Jefferson Lewis — a 47-year-old recently released prisoner with a history of domestic violence convictions, per Australian news outlets the Sydney Morning Herald and 7 News — may be able to help with their enquiries.

Missing 5-year-old Sharon.NT Police

Sharon was last seen wearing a dark blue short-sleeved T-shirt with a white ring stripe around the neck and a pair of boxer-style underwear, according to the NT Police news release.

Her family hasn’t seen her since she was put to bed at their home in an Aboriginal town camp on Marshall Court in Alice Springs shortly before 11:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 25, ABC News reported, citing Detective Acting Superintendent Michael Ordelman.

“They did check for her in a bedroom where she was supposed to be and she wasn’t there,” Ordelman told the outlet. “Her mother went back to check on her and her mother was the one who telephoned police.”

Police believe Sharon may have wandered out of the family home as they observed the doors and fly screen open during their investigation.

“What concerned initial reporting members is that the [Old Timers Camp] is adjacent to the Todd River … where it’s quite easy for a child to wander away and not be easily locatable,” Ordelman told ABC News.

Police have not ruled out the possibility of foul play as some members of the camp remain unaccounted for, according to the outlet.

Acting Commander Mark Grieve told reporters on Monday that Lewis was staying at the family’s residence at the time Sharon vanished, despite not being believed to be closely related to them, 7 News and 9 News reported.

“We do believe Sharon has been abducted and we believe Mr Jefferson may be able to provide us with some information in regards to this,” said Grieve, per 9 News.

Jefferson Lewis.NT Police

“He currently remains one of the few people who were in Old Timers Camp at the time and has not made themselves known to police, nor have police been able to locate him at this point in time,” Grieve added.

Grieve said police are figuring out Lewis’ movements since his release from prison. His sentence was for offenses not related to children.

“Considering himself and Sharon went missing at around the same time, it certainly brings about those suspicious circumstances and we’d like to speak to him about that,” Grieve said, per 7 News.

“If he is involved, we certainly hope that no harm has come to Sharon,” Grieve added.

A large-scale search for Sharon resumed on Monday, after about 50 police and emergency services personnel using horses, a canine unit, a helicopter and drones failed to locate her on Sunday, the Sydney Morning Herald and 7 News reported.

Jefferson Lewis.NT Police

“Please, if you’ve got any information, regardless of how small in detail you think it may be, please let us know,” said Grieve, per the outlets. “You just don’t know what piece of information might complete the jigsaw puzzle.

“We want to find Sharon healthy and we want to get her back to her family,” he added.

Officials are appealing for anyone with information about Sharon or Lewis’ whereabouts to call police, quoting reference P26120934.

The Northern Territory Police Force did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment on Monday, April 27.