Miracle As Missing Toddler Cleo Smith Is Found Alive After 18 Days

Nov 03, 2021

Losing your child is one of the worst nightmares a loving parent can have. It doesn't matter how old the child is, a parent will always feel worry, sadness and grief when something happens to them. However, all these emotions are amplified when you just don't know what has happened to your child - and even worse if said child is still young and missing. One parent who unfortunately suffered through exactly this is Ellie Smith from Carnarvon in Western Australia.

Ellie had been camping a mere 50km (about 31 miles) from her family home with her older daughter Cleo, her new husband and Cleo's stepfather Jake Gliddon, and her younger daughter Isla Giddon, who is still a toddler. According to the BBC, the family had bedded down for the first night of their camping holiday in Quobba Blowholes, a remote camping ground around 560 miles north of Perth. The family was using a large family tent that sported several rooms. Little Cleo had been sleeping peacefully on an air mattress next to her younger sister's cot when Ellie checked in on her shortly after midnight but was gone in the morning when the family got up. Only her younger sister remained behind and the tent door was open. Ellie and Jake immediately feared she had been abducted, as they were sure little Cleo, who is four years old, couldn't have opened the door by herself. They immediately notified the local police, and a search for the missing four-year-old was put into motion.

For 18 days, a task force of over 100 officers searched far and wide for any clue of the little girl. On Wednesday, November 3rd, little Cleo was thankfully found alive and well only a mere six minute drive from her family home in smalltown Carnarvon.

One of the reasons why the case garnered international attention and even had bounty hunters traveling to Australia was the A$1m ($750,000) reward Australian authorities offered for reliable clues about her whereabouts. 

Deputy Commissioner Blanch said police went over thousands of pieces of information, looking for a "needle in a haystack."

"Late last night they found that needle that led them to that address and rescued Cleo."

The address in question belonged to a man from Carnarvon who had no relation to the family at all. The man was not at home when police arrived in the middle of the night, but officers had sufficient clues that they felt empowered to take action. After battering down the house's door, they discovered a little girl within one of the rooms.

"When she said 'My name is Cleo,' I don't think there was a dry eye in the house," Blanch said according to CNN. He went on to add: "I have seen seasoned detectives openly crying with relief. I am speechless which is very rare ... this is something we all hoped in our hearts, and it has come true."

The Australian prime minister Scott Morrison also gave a statement about little Cleo's retrieval, calling it a "huge relief" according to the Independent: "The fact that that nightmare has come to an end and our worst fears were not realised, is just a huge relief."

Cleo's mother also posted a picture of her daughter smiling at the camera which had the added caption "Cleo Smith found alive and well after capture" on her Instagram, adding the words "Our family is whole again❤️"

We are happy that little Cleo could be reunited with her family! This story is a gem of hope - pass it along to let others know about the good news.