The man who allegedly abducted and murdered a five-year-old Alice Springs girl was arrested Thursday night after a five-day manhunt, NT Police confirmed, while riot police reportedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd that assembled outside the hospital where Jefferson Lewis was taken.

“A short time ago, the Northern Territory Police Force located and arrested Jefferson Lewis at a residence in Alice Springs,” a police statement issued at 10pm Thursday night said.

“Further information will be provided early in the morning.”

Police did not mention the unrest outside the Alice Springs Hospital that reportedly saw a police vehicle set alight and rocks thrown at police by a crowd of more than 100 people.

ABC reported police armed with shields used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd, while reporting Lewis was taken to the hospital due to injuries suffered in a beating before police located him Thursday night at a town camp.

The Australian reported that Lewis was found at Charles Creek Camp by a “group of vigilantes” who allegedly inflicted the bashing before calling police. A video taken at the scene and shared on social media, reportedly showed a man on a stretcher being taken to an ambulance while people shouted “Murderer”, “He fucking took her life that prick”, and “Don’t fucking save him”, the paper reported.

Police confirmed earlier Thursday they had found the remains of the missing girl, now known as Kumanjayi Little Baby, who went missing early Sunday morning from the Old Timers town camp in Alice Springs at a home that her mother and Lewis were at.

Her body was found just before noon Thursday, five kilometres from the town camp, with police stating a post-mortem would be conducted on Friday to determine the cause and time of death.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said results of forensic testing on the child’s underwear, discovered near the house where she went missing on Sunday, were returned Thursday and matched the DNA of the girl and her alleged abductor Jefferson Lewis.

Hundreds of people and many businesses had joined in search efforts in Alice Springs since Sunday, with the disappearance making national news. The family thanked all the volunteers who have helped with the search, including “everyone who has come from interstate, police, land councils, and everyone else that has turned up every day to look for Kumanjayi Little Baby”.

Police Commissioner Martin Dole said earlier Thursday the news of the little girl’s death was tragic and “the worst possible outcome”, while calling for the people of Alice Springs to “continue to support one another”.

Police said on Wednesday they believed members of the community had been aiding Lewis and keeping his whereabouts from police.