WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised the following article contains the name of an Indigenous person who has died.
The family of a girl allegedly murdered has invited a desert community to come together and wear pink for the five-year-old's funeral, embracing her favourite colour.
The service for Kumanjayi Little Baby will be held in Alice Springs on Saturday, months after her disappearance sparked one of the largest searches in Northern Territory history.
Kumanjayi Little Baby — so named for cultural reasons following her death — went missing from Old Timers camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs in late April.
It prompted an intensive five-day search by emergency services and local volunteers in grassy bushland.
The discovery of her body sparked a nationwide outpouring of grief, with vigils held across the country.
The arrest of 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis over her death sparked a riot outside Alice Springs Hospital, where angry locals demanded he be handed over to face traditional justice.
Lewis was flown out to Darwin, where he awaits his murder trial.
Robin Japanangka Granites, the girl's grandfather and a Warlpiri Elder, has thanked the community for their efforts to find her and their support for his family who are rallying together for the funeral after a difficult time.
Kumanjayi Little Baby would be with our "father in heaven", he said.
The family has invited community members to the funeral at the Alice Springs Garden Cemetery from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, with people asked to don the little girl's favourite colour pink.
Sweeping changes have been recommended for the NT's child protection system after a review found workers repeatedly failed to adequately assess safety threats to Kumanjayi Little Baby's family.
The independent review, led by former NSW police commissioner Karen Webb and senior public servant Greg Shanahan, was tabled in the NT parliament in July.
Despite repeated indicators of domestic and family violence, the implications for the child's safety were not adequately recognised and protective responses were not pursued in a timely manner, the report said.
It found a domestic and family violence risk assessment was never done and as a result an ongoing pattern of violence in the child's life and family environment was not fully recognised.
Operational delays were driven by high workloads and capacity issues, including retention and recruitment challenges in remote areas, the report said.
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Australian Associated Press
