Kumanjayi Little Baby's family broke and homeless - and say Indigenous body which ran fundraiser refuses to release money or be transparent about the donations

Published: 10:09, 21 May 2026 | Updated: 10:18, 21 May 2026 It has been almost a month since their little girl was allegedly snatched from her bed in the dead of night, yet the devastated family of Kumanjayi Little Baby are still struggling to survive day to day on the brink of poverty. Despite thousands of dollars being donated by kind-hearted strangers hoping to ease their burden in the aftermath of the girl's death, allegedly at the hands of a 47-year-old man, the grieving family claim they have not received a single cent. Kumanjayi Little Baby's mother, Jacinta White, and grandmother, Karen White, are currently staying with friends in Alice Springs as they try to work out where they will go next, whether that be finding a new home or eventually returning to their hometown of Yuendumu. The grieving pair are now attempting to rebuild their shattered lives after fleeing the house where the five-year-old was last seen alive. With nowhere else to go, the women have spent the last few weeks sleeping on mattresses laid out across a friend's porch, huddling around a small electric heater as overnight temperatures in Outback Australia plunge to just five degrees. Kumanjayi Little Baby's alleged murder attracted worldwide attention, with many Australians asking how they could donate to help the family cover funeral costs and get through their traditional mourning period, known as 'sorry business'. The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) began collecting donations on behalf of the family less than 24 hours after the little girl's body was discovered in scrubland on a dry riverbed about 5km from her home. But the organisation has refused to verify how much money was donated in Kumanjayi Little Baby's name, or even where the funds are currently being held and exactly what they will be used for. Jacinta White has fled the house where she last saw her daughter alive and is struggling financially despite thousands of people donating  Kumanjayi Little Baby who tragically died after she vanished on Anzac Day When Daily Mail met with Karen White she was sleeping on a mattress on a friends porch  Kumanjayi Little Baby was last seen by her mother as she tucked the five-year-old into bed for the night at Old Timers Camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs on April 25. After an extensive five day search of the surrounding scrubland involving police, volunteers, dogs and drones, her lifeless body was sadly discovered on April 30. The next day, SNAICC posted an appeal to social media encouraging donations for the grieving family. 'Important information about donations for Kumanjayi Little Baby,' they wrote. 'SNAICC is supporting the family of Kumanjayi Little Baby through a safe and secure donations page. 'If people would like to donate, an appropriate place to do so is through the link below. 'If you would like your donation to support the family of Kumanjayi Little Baby, please include a note in the message field at the time of donating saying 'For Kumanjayi Little Baby'. 'Donations that are identified in this way will be allocated for this specific purpose and provided to the family through SNAICC.' The grieving family claim they have not received a single cent from the donation money The family are staying at the friends in Alice Springs while they decide where they will go next. The charity's donation page states that every contribution is tax deductible. SNAICC financial statements for 2024 to 2025 show the charity spent $22,562,620 during the year, including more than $13million on wages, almost $4million on consulting fees and close to $1.7million on office and administration expenses. Travel expenses for the same period were also listed at more than $1.7million. The organisation's total income for that financial year was $26,664,828, with almost $20million coming from government grants. On May 3, the charity made a second social media post thanking donors for their support. 'Family is gathering for cultural sorry business and support is still needed for food and goods such as blankets as the weather cools in Central Australia.' 'The donations will be used to support funeral arrangements and the sorry camp, at the request of family.' However, Karen White has told Daily Mail that neither she nor Jacinta White have received any of donated funds to date. The following day, SNAICC posted an appeal to social media encouraging donations for the grieving family. The family have been living on the brink of poverty Daily Mail contacted the charity on May 6 requesting an update on how much money had been raised for the family and how the donations were being distributed. However, a spokesperson for the organisation refused to provide a figure, stating only that they were 'not releasing the figures', before adding: 'We know the funds will go towards supporting a funeral.' The following day the charity posted a photograph of Kumanjayi Little Baby's older brother Ramsiah wishing him a happy 12th birthday. 'The Town Camp community and family all kicked in for this amazing cake and some presents,' the post read. Separately, a GoFundMe campaign launched for the family has so far raised $5747. But those funds are also currently frozen due to strict verification processes before any money can be released to recipients. The Prime Minister met with Mrs White and grandparents in Alice Springs on Wednesday, where he also visited Old Timers Camp to lay flowers at her memorial. 'It was mainly an opportunity just to say to the family that the nation stands with them. They are not alone,' Albanese told reporters. 'They are trying to bear their way through this with dignity,' he said. The charity collecting donations posted a photograph of Kumanjayi Little Baby's older brother Ramsiah wishing him a happy 12th birthday. The Prime Minister took aim at the Northern Territory government for not doing more to improve the conditions in remote Aboriginal town camps But he also took aim at the failure to improve the living situations of those in remote Aboriginal communities. 'Clearly, the Northern Territory government have had responsibility since 2012 for the town camps. Clearly, there's a need to do better to make sure that the living conditions are improved,' he said. 'We'll work constructively with them, but they also need to work respectfully with the local community, with the family, and need to make sure they involve First Nations people as well in this local community to work through these issues in the most constructive way possible.' Kumanjayi Little Baby's family were given a great deal of support by the community coming together and Australians sharing messages of support, Mr Albanese said. 'They're proud of their much loved daughter and granddaughter of who she was, but there's also a sense of regret that she won't get to be the young woman and woman that she should have become,' he said. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.