Cleo Smith’s mother has broken her silence just hours after the four-year-old was miraculously found alive.
Ellie Smith posted a screenshot to her Instagram stories early on Wednesday morning confirming her daughter was found ‘alive and well’, with three large heart emojis.
It is the first post the relieved mother-of-two has uploaded since she was reunited with the youngster after she was found inside a home in Carnarvon, Western Australia, following an extensive 18-day search.
Police broke into a locked house at about 1am on Wednesday in the one of the rooms of the suburban property which is just seven minutes’ drive away from her mother Ellie and step-father Jake’s house.
Ellie Smith posted a screenshot to her Instagram stories early on Wednesday morning (pictured)
Cleo is now back in the arms of her mum Ellie and stepfather Jake (pictured together)
WA Police Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch confirmed just before 7am AEDT that Cleo is alive and well and had been reunited with her relieved parents.
One of the officers picked her up into his arms and asked her “what’s your name?” he said.
‘She said: “My name is Cleo”.’
Her elated mother, Ellie Smith broke her silence on Wednesday morning, sharing a series of love heart emojis on Instagram.
A man from Carnarvon has been taken into police custody with the house cordoned off with tape and a neighbour telling Nine’s Today Show: ‘S**t, she’s been that close.’
A second neighbour claimed to have seen the arrested man buying nappies from the local Woolworths supermarket.
Cleo has been reunited with her relieved parents
‘This is the outcome we all hoped and prayed for,’ Deputy Commissioner Blanch said.
‘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 the many volunteers.
‘And of course, I want to thank my colleagues in the Western Australia Police Force.’
The news has sparked an outpouring of relief worldwide.
‘What wonderful, relieving news,’ Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted from Glasgow.
‘Cleo Smith has been found and is home safe and sound.
‘Our prayers answered.
Cleo’s mum Ellie Smith (pictured during her daughter’s disappearance) has been regular public appeals for her daughter to be found
Cleo was found in her hometown of Carnarvon in Western Australia, 75km from where she went missing on October 16
‘Thank you to the many police officers involved in finding Cleo and supporting her family.
Police interviewed more than 110 people who were at the Blowholes campsite on the night Cleo arrived with her family on October 16.
The little girl was last seen in her family’s tent, at the vast campsite on WA’s northwest coast, around 1.30am before his mother and stepfather realised she was missing five hours later.
Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde says the family had stayed near their tent all evening and had not socialised with other campers.
‘I think it’s more than likely an opportunistic-type event,’ he told Perth radio 6PR on Tuesday hours before Cleo was found.
Cleo Smith has been found alive and well, 18 days after she vanished from her family’s tent at the remote Blowholes campsite in Western Australia
Cleo Smith (pictured) has miraculously been found alive after vanishing from a remote campsite in Western Australia
‘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 have stressed the girl’s mother, Ellie Smith, and her partner, Jake Gliddon, are not suspects, nor is Cleo’s biological father.
Investigators have spoken to the vast majority of people who were at the campsite, but are still yet to hear from the driver of a car seen leaving in the middle of the night.
‘We’ve had over 1000 calls to Crime Stoppers from the public,’ Supt Wilde said.
‘We’ve still got a long way to go, a lot of work in front of us but we’re making progress.’
WA Police Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch confirmed just before 7am AEDT Wednesday that little Cleo is alive and well
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.
Police say the girl’s disappearance was immediately treated with the highest priority, although it took two hours to establish a roadblock at the site.
Detectives have 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 continues.
More to come
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