Three NT Child Protection Workers Stood Down in Probe Over Murdered Girl's Case

Three child protection workers in the Northern Territory have been stood down over their handling of the welfare of a five-year-old Australian girl who was allegedly murdered.

The body of the girl, known as Kumanjayi Little Baby for cultural reasons, was found on April 30, five days after she went missing from an Aboriginal town camp near Alice Springs.

NT Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill said Wednesday that she ordered the trio removed from their posts after launching an investigation into the girl's circumstances before her disappearance and death.

Cahill told reporters she had asked child protection authorities to identify any areas of concern shortly after the girl was reported missing. She said she was told initially it was not a situation of concern, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, but she pushed for further checks.

"I can't go into the detail of what was in that brief but suffice it to say that we had to investigate how those processes had been executed," she said.

The investigation led to the three workers being stood down. "That wasn't my decision, that was a decision of the department," Cahill said.

The move follows a report in The Australian that six welfare reports about the girl were made in the weeks before her death, raised by domestic violence shelter workers and a relative.

Kumanjayi Little Baby was last seen going to bed just before midnight on Anzac Day at Old Timers Camp, a government site for Aboriginal people visiting Alice Springs. She was reported missing hours later, triggering a large search for the non-verbal child.

Police found her body several kilometers from the camp on Thursday. Hours later, they arrested a man identified as Lewis, who had been attacked by community members, and took him to Alice Springs Hospital.

A riot broke out outside the hospital, leading to five arrests. Lewis was transferred to Darwin for safety and charged with her murder, police said.

Robin Granites, a family member and elder, urged calm and said the focus should be on sorry business, a period of collective mourning in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Vigils for Kumanjayi Little Baby are set for Thursday evening across Australia, with public invitations in Alice Springs and major cities.

Using the name, image or voice of deceased people breaches cultural protocols in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities without family permission. After her body was found, the girl received a pseudonym because Indigenous people believe saying a loved one's name may disturb their spirit during mourning.