Northern Territory child protection workers stood down after girl's death investigation

Three child protection workers in Australia's Northern Territory have been stood down after an investigation into how a five-year-old girl's disappearance and death were handled.

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

Police have arrested and charged Jefferson Lewis, 47, with murder.

Northern Territory child protection minister Robyn Cahill said she ordered an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the girl's disappearance and death, and that the three workers were removed from their posts as a result.

She said she had asked authorities to identify whether there were any areas of concern after the child was first reported missing.

The case has drawn wider attention because it raises questions about how welfare concerns were handled before the girl's death.

It has also been linked to unrest in Alice Springs, where riots broke out after the arrest of the man charged.

According to the supplied details, six reports had been made about the girl's welfare in the weeks before her death, including concerns raised by domestic violence shelter workers and a relative.

The girl was last seen when she was put to bed just before midnight on Anzac Day at the Old Timers Camp.

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