A body believed to be that of a missing five-year-old has been found in Central Australia, with police alleging the young girl was murdered and warning their suspect: “We’re coming for you”.

This comes as the little girl’s mother, who requested her daughter be referred to as “Kumanjayi Little Baby”, shared a heartbreaking letter from herself and her son.

“Me and Ramsiah miss and love you,” she said.

“I know you are in heaven with the rest of the family with Jesus and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Me and your brother will meet you one day.

“It is going to be so hard to live the rest of our lives without you.

“Ramsiah wants to tell you that when he sees you in heaven, he is going to give you the biggest hug ever. Love from mum and Ramsiah.”

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole confirmed the devastating development on Thursday afternoon, describing it as the “worst possible outcome”.

“Just before midday today, police members of the search party located the body of a young Aboriginal girl,” he said.

“The body was found about five kilometres south of the crime scene at Old Timers camp. This is an incredibly distressing development.

“(Kumanjayi Little Baby’s) family have been formally notified, and our thoughts are firmly with them at this devastating time.”

Police said they were not yet able to confirm the cause of death or how long the child had been deceased. A post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted as early as Friday.

“That will be a critical step in establishing those facts,” Commissioner Dole said.

“The criminal investigation is ongoing and a coronial process will now also begin.

“This is devastating news not only for the immediate and extended family, but also the first responders, the Alice Springs community, and all those around Australia who have been worrying for this little girl.

“It is very important the Alice Springs community continues to support one another and it is equally important that the police continue to do their job.

“Anyone who has any information about the whereabouts of Jefferson Lewis needs to contact police immediately.”

The discovery comes after a desperate search across Central Australia since Kumanjayi Little Baby was reported missing from Old Timers Camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police allege 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who was staying at the town camp, led the little girl away.

Mr Lewis was released from prison six days before Kumanjayi Little Baby vanished.

Over the past decade, he has been in and out of jail for offences including aggravated assaults, breaching domestic violence orders, bail and resisting police.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley, who is leading the investigation, said forensic testing had linked key evidence recovered from a nearby crime scene to their suspect.

“Of significance is the pair of child’s underwear,” he said.

“We located two DNA profiles on the underwear. One is expected, belongs to the little girl, (Kumanjayi Little Baby), and the other belongs to Jefferson Lewis.

“So the focus right now is to locate Jefferson Lewis.”

Mr Malley also had a message for anyone helping him evade authorities.

“So I say to the family of Jefferson Lewis that we believe he’s murdered this child,” he said.

“Do not assist him. Get him to the police station and we’ll look after him.

“And I say to Jefferson Lewis, we’re coming for you.”

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said “the hunt for justice is on”.

“I’ve just gotten off the phone from the mother of Kumanjayi Little Baby and offered our sincerest and heartfelt condolences on the loss of her beautiful little baby girl,” she said.

“Right now we are focused on a grieving family, a grieving town and a grieving Northern Territory.

“And as the police have said, we now focus our energy in making sure we find the person who did this and bring them to justice.”

The chief minister said that about 200 people had worked “around the clock searching for this beautiful little girl”.

“For five days, every Territorian has had their heart in their throat, waiting for the moment when we got the announcement that she’d been found safe and well and that news did not come,” she said.

“It’s fair to say everyone is feeling this loss acutely. Everyone is incredibly devastated by the outcome.

“My thanks go to every single person who volunteered to walk through the bush, to walk through the long grass, to walk up the hills, to do everything that they could to find her, to our police and emergency services – who’ve done an incredible job – and now focus their energy on bringing the person who did this to justice.”

The Northern Territory Police Association said they were “utterly heartbroken” by the little girl’s death and her family’s “unimaginable grief”.

President Nathan Finn also expressed concern for his members who participated in the intensive search operation.

“Your efforts were driven by hope and care and we share in the heartbreak of this devastating outcome,” he said.

“We know this outcome will have an impact on you all. Policing can be deeply confronting, and nothing weighs heavier than the death of a child.

“We thank you for your strength, your compassion, and your unwavering commitment to bringing (Kumanjayi Little Baby) home.”

The tragic discovery comes after a desperate search across Central Australia since Kumanjayi Little Baby was reported missing from Old Timers Camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The exact timeline of events remains under investigation but a witness claimed to have seen Mr Lewis holding hands with Kumanjayi Little Baby at around 11pm on Saturday.

Shortly after this, a family member claims to have seen Kumanjayi Little Baby – who was non-verbal and used hand signals to communicate – inside a house in the camp.

At about 11.30pm, her family noticed she was missing. Police were contacted at 1.35am.

Police immediately responded and conducted initial enquiries.

A crime scene was quickly established in the dry Todd River bed, behind the town camp, and where police seized items including a yellow adult t-shirt, a doona and a pair of children’s underwear.

Police believe Mr Lewis, from Lajamanu, may still be in Alice Springs, but they have not ruled out the possibility he could have been helped to leave the area or the Territory.

Mr Lewis has links to Yuendumu in the NT and Balgo in Western Australia. Police have sought assistance from WA Police, with officers searching for him in that community.

Investigators are also examining whether he could have left Alice Springs with help or in a stolen vehicle.

“We’re not closing our minds to anything, but obviously all of those things have been looked at by our investigative team, you know, and the possibility that he is in a stolen car hasn’t been overruled,” Commissioner Dole said.

“Trust me, detectives are out there following down absolutely every single piece of information that comes in.”

Commissioner Dole said the lack of any confirmed sightings or contact strongly suggested Mr Lewis was receiving help.

“It’s really the absence of any details or any sightings or any information about him at all that’s unusual,” he said.

“So by this time, we would (usually) have somebody saying, ‘he’s gone here, we’ve seen him, or he’d make contact’.

“Everybody knows we’re looking for him and the fact that we’ve had zero contact or zero information strongly leads us to believe that somebody’s helping him.”

Police have urged anyone with information about Mr Lewis’s whereabouts to come forward immediately.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 131 444. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au.