WA Police tell how Cleo Smith was found, as pieces of critical evidence being investigated

WA Police have revealed more details of how they found Cleo Smith as they also made a public plea for more CCTV as their investigation continues.

WA Police have revealed more details of how they found Cleo Smith as they also made a public plea for more CCTV as their investigation continues.

Detective Sergeant Cameron Blaine said Cleo was found with the lights on, and playing with toys.

“The lights were on, and that she was playing with toys,” he said.

He also discussed the plan before they raided the house in Carnarvon.

“When we left for the day, on a Tuesday I think, as we started to settle in for the night, it was going to happen.

Police forensics at the house where Cleo was found. Picture: Colin Murty

“We had some plans around what could happen, one of them was that the suspect that we were observing would be mobile and would leave the premises so in terms of decisions, it was not harder because we said, we talk about all the different scenarios so what happened was one of the scenarios and it was clear mind what had to occur and that’s just how it went down.

“He also confirmed there were four officers involved in the arrest of the suspect, who was in a car at the time.”

When asked if the suspect had been co-operating with authorities, he said: “He’s been speaking to the officers yes”.

Police forensics at the house where Cleo was found. Picture: Colin Murty

When asked if she was okay, Sgt Blaine said “I can only see her from the outside”. Earlier it was mentioned that specialist police had arrived from Perth to speak with her although when that might happen was open at this stage with her mental welfare paramount.

“It will take as long as it takes,” he said.

WA Police’s Det Supt Rod Wilde Like they have received a lot of information and a lot of instigation, which they are still compiling in their full body of evidence.

“... all the statements we took from all the people, over 100 people at the campsite, thousand calls to Crime Stoppers, all the data that we were able to seize with CCTV, other things, looking through phones and other means.

“It is just getting all that information together, us understanding what has taken place, for that person we say as a regular, someone was there at a certain time at a certain location, it’s a painstaking process, there are thousands of not hundreds of thousands of pieces of information, it’s really joining the dots.”

Cleo Smith, 4. with mum Ellie Smith. Picture: Supplied

Det Sgt Cameron Blaine also asked local residents to provide any CCTV footage they may have.

“We obviously have offices here for a little bit of time, the previous appeals that we’ve made to the public around CCTV has been around that particular time the Friday the 15th Saturday 16th another we have knowledge of a suspect, I’m asking businesses and people with in Carnarvon and to provide with the investigative team, any CCTV that they might have between Friday the 15 October and Tuesday the 2 November, that would great assistance.”

Aside from CCTV, these are the top 10 pieces of evidence WA police will be considering:

TOP 10 THINGS

1. Jumpsuit pyjamas Cleo Smith was wearing on the night she disappeared

2. The sleeping bag she was in when on the night she vanished

3. The mattress and rug in the locked room where Cleo was found

4. Evidence that points to a motive (including toys and teddies found)

5. Food wrappers to assist with a timeline for how long she may have been held

6. Specific beach sand evidence from the Macleod Quobba Blow Holes area

7. Time-stamped CCTV footage of a car and its 75km movements from the campsite to Carnavon

8. The clothes of the man currently in custody

9. Neighbour evidence of what was seen and heard about Tonkin Crescent during the past 18 days

10. Phone tower data records that can ping where a mobile phone user was at a given time; and the mobile phone of suspect

Originally published as WA Police tell how Cleo Smith was found, as pieces of critical evidence being investigated