Kumanjayi Little Baby: desperate hope, grief and a loss that’s ‘too traumatising to talk about’

The death of Kumanjayi Little Baby brought Mparntwe/Alice Springs together in the search for her and in grieving her loss. Photograph: Em Jensen/The Guardian

Flowers line the entrance to a small community, tucked away on the side of a major highway. The words “love and strength” and “RIP” peek out between the petals.

People from all walks of life in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, a city in the red centre of Australia, have come to pay their respects to a little girl last seen alive at this camp almost one week ago.