Miracle! Cleo Smith has been reunited with her parents.
Cleo Smith, the young girl who disappeared from her family’s tent while camping near Carnarvon in WA more than two weeks ago, has been found alive.
The news that the four-year-old is now safe has been greeted with huge relief by people across the country.
Grey nomads were among the many camping at the Blowholes camping site on October 16 when the child went missing. Police talked to huge numbers of campers and travellers over the following days as the search for Cleo became increasingly desperate, and a $1 million reward was offered.
While these sorts of stories often don’t end well, news broke early this morning that this was case going to be different.
Cleo was found alive in a locked house in Carnarvon.
According to a statement from WA Police Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch, police broke into the house about 1am and found her in one of the rooms.
One of the officers picked her up and asked her, ‘What’s your name?”
She replied: “My name is Cleo.”
She has since been reunited with her overjoyed parents.
Police said they had received information which led them to the house in Carnarvon where Cleo was found, and they had been following other leads forensically.
A 36-year-old man with no connection to the family has been taken into in custody.
Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said Cleo was as well as could be expected in the circumstances.
He said he had seen the video of the rescue.
“I saw the vision, Cleo is a beautiful little four-year-old girl,” he said.
The parents are so delighted to have her back in their arms.
“She’s alive, well, smiling, so it is a wonderful, wonderful result,” said Commissioner Dawson.
He said Cleo’s mother Ellie Smith and her partner Jake Gliddon were emotional, but doing well.
“They’re strong people, they are really strong people,” Commissioner Dawson said. “They have good support around them. It’s a wonderful result today but it’ll be a tough journey for them.”
Xanthe Mallett, a criminologist at the University of Newcastle, told ABC Radio National AM that the return of Cleo Smith after 18 days makes it a rare case.
“I can’t remember a case like this off-hand when a child has been returned safe and well to their family after this length of time,” she said. “I mean this really is almost a miracle.”
What a wonderful result. Congratulations all the women and men of WAPOL.