Cleo Smith, Carnarvon: First words after Western Australia Police found her

After police broke their way into a locked house in Carnarvon, Western Australia about 1am on Wednesday the miracle the whole country had hoped and prayed for happened – they found Cleo Smith in one of the rooms.  

‘One of the officers picked her up into his arms and asked her “what’s your name?”,’ Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch told reporters. 

‘She said – “My name is Cleo.”‘ 

This is Dep Comm Blanch’s statement in full. 

‘It’s my privilege to announce that in the early hours of this morning, the Western Australia Police Force rescued Cleo Smith. Cleo is alive and well. 

‘A Police team broke their way into a locked house in Carnarvon about 1am. They found little Cleo in one of the rooms. 

‘One of the officers picked her up into his arms and asked her “what’s your name?”

‘She said – “My name is Cleo.” 

‘Cleo was reunited with her parents a short time later. 

‘This is the outcome we all hoped and prayed for. It’s the outcome we’ve achieved because of some incredible police work. 

‘I want to thank Cleo’s parents, the Western Australian community and all the volunteers. And of course, I want to thank my colleagues in the Western Australia Police Force. 

‘I can confirm we have a man from Carnarvon in custody who is currently being questioned by detectives. 

‘We’ll have more to say on the rescue of Cleo as the day unfolds. 

‘For now – Welcome home Cleo.’ 

Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch announcing that Cleo Smith had been found alive

Four-year-old Cleo was miraculously found alive 18 days after being taken from a tent in a remote Western Australia campsite.  

Dep Comm Blanch confirmed the news just before 4am WA time (7am AEST) that Cleo is alive and well. 

A man from Carnarvon is being held in custody and questioned by the police.  

Police interviewed more than 110 people who were at the Blowholes campsite on the night Cleo arrived with her family on October 16.

She was last seen in her family’s tent, at the vast campsite on WA’s northwest coast, around 1.30am that night.

Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde says the family had stayed near their tent all evening and had not socialised with other campers.

Cleo Smith (pictured) has miraculously been found alive after vanishing from a remote campsite in Western Australia

‘I think it’s more than likely an opportunistic-type event,’ he told Perth radio 6PR on Tuesday before Cleo was found.

‘We know they got there on the Friday night, it was getting dark, and there would have been limited opportunity for people to observe Cleo at that time.’

Police had stressed the girl’s mother, Ellie Smith, and her partner, Jake Gliddon, were not suspects, nor was Cleo’s biological father.

‘We’ve had over 1000 calls to Crime Stoppers from the public,’ Supt Wilde said. 

Police this week collected more than 50 cubic metres of rubbish from roadside bins stretching from Minilya to Geraldton.

It was transported to Perth, where forensic officers and recruits sorted through hundreds of bags in search of items that may help them find Cleo.

The state government offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Cleo’s location.

Her disappearance was immediately treated with the highest priority, police said, although it took two hours to establish a roadblock at the site.

Detectives made several visits to Cleo’s family home in Carnarvon, sought CCTV footage from a range of businesses in the area and collected samples from a campfire at the Blowholes site as the investigation continued.