Northern Territory Police have charged a 43-year-old man with murder over the death of a 36-year-old Indigenous woman in Darwin.

Acting deputy police commissioner Janelle Tonkin described the incident as “tragic” and devastating to the woman’s family.

She said police were alerted to an incident by residents from the remote Indigenous community of Maningrida, east of Darwin.

“At this point, the investigation leads us to believe the [alleged] assault may have been occurring over a period of time,” she told the ABC.

“But certainly, once somebody else that lived at the premises became aware that assistance was needed, they called police and police were on the scene — from that point — really quickly.”

Ms Galminda, 36, was member of the Marbarnad Marro clan, the traditional owners of the community.

The acting chief executive of the Dhukurrdji Development Corporation, Lewis Knibbs, told the ABC Ms Galminda was a well respected community leader.

“It’s really, really hard to hear what happened,” he said.

“I know that she was one of those people that we would like to see as a future director of the Corporation.”

NT Police investigators and Aboriginal liaison officers were working with Ms Galminda’s family to piece together how the incident occurred at a housing block in Darwin.