Cleo Smith found: Following an 18-day search that was launched after four-year-old Cleo Smith went missing from a campsite in Australia, police said Wednesday the girl has been found alive. She was rescued from a house in the town of Carnarvon in the western part of the country, not far from where she was camping with her parents before going missing on October 16. The case had drawn nationwide concern and desperate appeals for her return from her parents.
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A man aged 36 is currently in police custody and is being questioned in connection to Smith's case, reports the BBC. He has not been charged yet.
"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," the Deputy Commissioner said in a statement.
Smith was found in a room at the Carnarvon house when police broke in around 1 AM on November 3 following forensic clues. When an officer picked the girl into his arms and asked her name, she confirmed, "My name is Cleo," according to the Deputy Commissioner.
A photo of young Smith smiling from a hospital bed after being rescued was released by the Western Australia police.
Cleo Smith Found: Here's How The Girl Went Missing
Cleo Smith, with her parents and younger sister, was out camping at the Quobba Blowholes site in Western Australia in October. She went missing from her tent, her mother first discovering she was gone when she woke up in the morning. A massive search was launched by the police and there was a million-worth award for whoever had information about the missing child.
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The search for Smith continued for 18 days. As per reports, police noted how a vehicle ultimately led them to Smith but no other details were made public.
Footage of the moment Smith was rescued was shared by the Australian police. A top cop said the girl was like "a little Energizer bunny" and was open when speaking with officers.
Confirming news that her daughter had been found, Ellie Smith wrote on Instagram, "Our family is whole again❤️" On her social media, she had continuously been calling for help in finding her daughter.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was "wonderful, relieving news" that the four-year-old had been found. "Our prayers answered. Thank you to the many police officers involved in finding Cleo and supporting her family," he tweeted.
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