Australian police believe a five-year-old girl missing in the Outback was abducted, and are searching for a man recently released from prison over her disappearance.

The girl, identified as Sharon by authorities, was last seen on Saturday when she was put to bed in her family home at an Aboriginal town camp in Alice Springs just before midnight.

Northern Territory Police Acting Commander Mark Grieve on Monday told media investigators want to speak with 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who was staying at the camp and vanished around the same time.

Commander Grieve appealed for anyone with information to contact police, as officers and volunteers comb nearby bush and desert for Sharon.

"Obviously it's a terrible situation to have such a young child go missing," Grieve said.

"We're over 24 hours now so it'd certainly be my worst nightmare as a parent."

Sharon was last seen wearing a dark blue T-shirt, with a white ring around the neck and sleeves, and a pair of black boxer-style underwear, police say.

Lewis was known to authorities for domestic and family violence-related offences, he said.

"He currently remains one of the few people who were in Old Timers camp at the time and who has not made themselves known to police, nor have police been able to locate him."

Dozens of people have been searching the area around the camp - an area set aside by the government for Aboriginal people to stay in when in Alice Springs - with the dog squad, drone unit and a helicopter also assisting.

"We want to find Sharon healthy and we want to get her back to her family," Grieve said. (BBC)