‘1930s policing’: the tactics police used in the hunt for Alice Springs girl Kumanjayi Little Baby
- Written by The Conversation
In the hours since the story was first published, a body believed to be that of the missing girl has been found. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name of a person who has died. The family has asked for her to be referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby.
On Saturday night, a five-year-old girl – whose family has asked be referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby – was allegedly abducted from a home in a town camp and is still missing.
Northern Territory Police allege she was abducted by Jefferson Lewis. The 47-year-old had only been released from prison several days earlier and was staying at the same address as Kumanjayi Little Baby.
It is already “one of the biggest” manhunts in recent NT history and made even more difficult by the fact Lewis doesn’t have much of a digital footprint.
So, what police tactics are available in these situations?
‘Going back to 1930s policing’
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole said police believed there are people in the local community who may know of Lewis’ whereabouts. Police said Lewis was not on bail or subject to any conditions when the alleged abduction took place.
Police found several personal items at a crime scene at the town camp, which were sent for forensic testing.
Dole said the hunt was “the biggest one I can recall in a very long time”. He added:
We’ve got specialist sections here, we’ve got assistance from interstate, we’ve had offers from interstate all over the other jurisdictions, we’ve got inquiries happening in other jurisdictions, and we’re pouring every available resources down here to assist. And overwhelming support from the community as well.
Making the hunt for Lewis significantly more difficult is the fact he doesn’t use much modern technology.
NT Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said:
It’s like we’re going back to 1930s policing without a digital footprint – this man doesn’t have a telephone, he doesn’t have a bank account, he doesn’t have a car, so some of the usual practices that we do in 2026 aren’t applicable, hence the amount of resources we have on the ground.
Searchers are enduring tough conditions, Malley said:
(The search conditions are) pretty difficult – long grass, soft sand, rocks, large trees, it’s really overgrown, so it’s a tough slog out there for the people searching.
A trickier search than normal
Technology ties a person to a time and place. For example, When someone uses a phone, it logs their location. If they use an ATM, there may be facial recognition that captures their image.
Not using technology blinds police.
Despite there being little-to-no electronic footprint of Lewis, police still have tactics to locate people who exist off the grid. While a person’s use of technology does aid police, this does not mean they are untraceable if they don’t.
Police will be relying heavily on the local community, given the remoteness of the search.
They will also be calling on the expert knowledge of Indigenous Elders whose local experience in the reading of Country will be crucial – their skills represent knowledge that technology can’t replicate.
Searchers will be looking for:
footprints that might note stride length and depth (indicating pace and load)
crushed or bent vegetation, broken branches at body height and disturbed bark on trees
compression signs where someone sat, rested, or lay down
drag marks, blood trails, or disturbed leaf litter
clothing fibres snagged on thorns, hair, or fingernail marks on rocks.
Searchers will also be looking for sheltered areas: rock overhangs, dense scrub, or behind fallen logs.
They will also look out for disturbed animal behaviour such as flushed birds (birds that take flight when scared) or silent zones (an area where normal background sounds of nature are absent or noticeably reduced) which can indicate human presence.
Then there is technology.
The power of police technology
A distinctive element of a police search is AI imagery analysis.
All aerial footage from drones and helicopters gets compiled and analysed. The high-definition, digitally enhanced images are catalogued, including every heat signature of a “grid” of terrain.
This can identify livestock, wildlife, carcasses or a human figure.
This AI analysis can also identify every human and non-human item that may or may not have a heat signature across a geographic area.
But underlying all these different strategies is the age-old practice of map reading.
Map reading can include:
sweep/line searching – people spread out at intervals and advance in a line
grid searching – the area is divided into sectors, with each systematically cleared
spiral searching – teams move outward from a last known point in an expanding spiral
contour searching – following natural terrain features like ridge lines and creek beds.
These centuries-old practices are still relevant today in trying to find someone.
Bushcraft and persistence
Dole said on Thursday he feared the “timeframe of survivability” was coming to an end for Kumanjayi Little Baby, after consulting with survival experts.
Police will continue to explore all avenues in the hope of finding her safely.
While some technology will be used by searchers, the hunt will likely rely on old-fashioned bushcraft skill and human persistence.
