This archive report was first published on 3 November 2021.
Cleo Smith, 4, Found Alive After 18-Day Ordeal in Australia ¶
On October 16, 2021, Cleo Smith, a 4-year-old Australian girl, went camping with her mother, Ellie Smith, her stepfather, Jake Gliddon, and a younger sister in a remote area of Western Australia. The family was staying at Quobba Blowholes, a popular but remote spot along the state's coast.
Tragically, Cleo vanished in the dead of night, and her disappearance sparked a massive search effort involving 100 police officers and military surveillance planes. The authorities offered a reward of 1 million Australian dollars ($740,000) for information leading to Cleo.
On November 3, 2021, 18 days after Cleo's disappearance, police found her alive and well in a locked house in Carnarvon, the same town where she and her family lived. The police broke into the empty house and freed Cleo, who was described as 'alive and well'.
According to Western Australia's deputy police commissioner, Col Blanch, Cleo was found in a 'locked house' and was 'freed after the police broke in.' He added that the police had been searching for Cleo for 18 days, and it was a 'needle in a haystack' situation.
When asked about her name, Cleo replied, 'My name is Cleo.' This was the outcome that the police and the community had hoped and prayed for.
Questions remain about the case, including whether the man who was detained will be charged. The police have said that Cleo's kidnapping appeared to be opportunistic, and the man detained was not a registered sex offender.
The rescue of Cleo brought an end to a case that had gripped Australia and had led to a major search effort. The authorities had offered a reward of 1 million Australian dollars for information leading to Cleo, and hundreds of calls about sightings poured in from around the country.
