Edwina Bartholomew: Cleo abduction could have happened to any of us

Cleo Smith’s abduction was a one-in-a-million crime. But I do wonder how many families will go camping this summer, writes Edwina Bartholomew.

I have always found the phrase, “Go home and hug your children” to be very cliched. It’s often cited on social media after a big news event or unspeakable tragedy. I heard it again this week, but this time, it finally made sense.

On Wednesday morning, we received the wonderful news that little four-year-old Cleo Smith had been found. A release from WA Police dropped into our inbox at work, and no one could really believe it. Found. Alive and well. Cleo was still in the small town of Carnarvon, only seven minutes from her home, two minutes from the police station.

This case has touched every single family in Australia. It wasn’t just the mysterious nature of the crime, it was the very simple events that led up to her disappearance. It was Cleo’s first real camping trip. The family had packed up the car and tent and driven around 50 minutes outside of Carnarvon to the beautiful and remote Blowholes campground.

Cleo and her mum Ellie Smith leaving a house where she spent her first night after being rescued in Carnarvon. Picture: AAP

It was about 8pm when her mother Ellie, stepfather Jake and Cleo’s little sister settled in for the night. You can only imagine the excitement of a four-year-old. A tent, under the stars, the regular bath time routine thrown out the window, and a sleeping bag to spend the night in. This was an adventure.

Like many kids her age, Cleo woke up for a drink of water at 1.30am. At 6.30am, her mother stirred with the early sunlight. She looked for Cleo, but she wasn’t there. Alarmingly, the tent’s front zip was undone, a zip too high for a little girl to reach. They knew she had been taken.

For the next 19 agonising days, Ellie and Jake desperately searched for missing Cleo. All the while they were being hounded by strangers online, accusing them of having some involvement in their daughter’s disappearance.

It’s understandable. More often than not these kinds of crimes do involve a family member or someone known to the child. It’s easier for other parents to imagine that predictable outcome than the horrible reality: this could have happened to any of us.

This was a one-in-a-million crime. I know the likelihood of it happening again is extremely low but I do wonder how many families will go camping this summer and think of Cleo. Maybe second guess the sleeping arrangements. Can you hear the zip? Who is closest to the door?

I know I certainly can’t stop thinking about that little girl, her family and the tight-knit town of Carnarvon. And yes, I did go home and hug my daughter just a little bit tighter. I bet you did too.