Image credit: Ellie Smith
The search for Cleo Smith has come to a close after WA police found the missing child locked in a house in the early hours of this morning. The 4-year-old had been missing for a total of 18 days, after disappearing on a family camping trip at Quobba Blowholes in Macleod.
Police say they found her after breaking into a house 70km from the campsite where Cleo was last seen.
“It’s my privilege to announce that in the early hours of this morning the Western Australian Police force rescued Cleo Smith,” said Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch at a press conference this morning.
“Cleo is alive and well.”
“A police team broke their way into a locked house in Carnarvon at about 1am. They found little Cleo in one of those rooms.”
“One of the police officers picked up her up into his arms and asked ‘what’s your name?’ She said ‘My name is Cleo’.”
“This is the outcome we all hoped and prayed for. It’s the outcome we have achieved because of some incredible police work.”
Blanch then proceeded to thank Cleo’s parents, the Western Australian community and volunteers that dedicated countless time and effort to locate the missing 4-year-old.
Cleo was then reunited with her mother, Ellie Smith and her family. Taking to Instagram this morning, Ellie posted a photo of Cleo beaming brightly, saying “Our family is whole again”.
A man from Carnarvon has been taken into custody for further questioning, with more details regarding Cleo’s case to come later today.
Cleo Smith went missing on October 16 on a family camping trip at the Quobba Blowholes in Macleod in WA. Cleo had been sleeping in the family tent with her younger sister when she went missing. Smith said her daughter had woken her a 1:30am, and then discovered she was missing at 6am. Investigators believe she was abducted in the early hours of the morning, after finding the tent unzipped and ruling out she wandered out alone. Police and volunteers have worked tirelessly for the past 18 days to relocate Cleo. Her discovery has been heralded a miracle by experts in the field.
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