WA police officer recounts the moment he found Cleo Smith alive

Video footage shows the moment Cleo Smith was rescued by police and told her she would soon be reunited with her parents.

One of the detectives who barged into a house to save Cleo Smith has described the moment he first saw the four-year-old sitting in a room alone, as police released footage of the dramatic rescue.

Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine told reporters he was in shock at first but that feeling “quickly followed by elation, obviously”.

“It could have been anyone of the team ... it just turned out that I was of four guys that was fortunate enough to go through that door and make that rescue,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

The detective said it was “absolutely fantastic” and “incredible” to find Cleo sitting there.

“I asked her what her name was. One of the guys jumped in in front of me and picked her up and I just wanted to be absolutely sure ... it certainly looked like Cleo,” he said.

He asked her three times before she answered.

“She looked at me and said: ‘My name is Cleo’ and that was it,” he said.

Supplied image of Cleo Smith, waving from her hospital bed, after being rescued this morning. Image supplied by WA Police

“Then we turned around and walked out of that house. Not long after that, (we) got into the car and the officer I was with ... called Cleo’s parents and said: ‘We’ve got someone here who wants to speak to you’.

“It was a wonderful feeling to be able to make that call.”

In a video released by police, the detective asks Cleo how she is and she replies: “Good.”

Asked again if she is OK, Cleo nods and smiles.

When she is told the police will take her to see her parents, she nods again.

Detective Blaine said it was an honour to witness the family’s reunion and have a part in it, revealing Cleo called out “Mummy!” when she saw her mother.

That was followed by tears, hugs and kisses, he said.

The detective said Cleo was “physically ok” after her ordeal.

He said it was “really hard to say” whether Cleo knew she had been abducted.

“There’s processes we go through and you don’t want to taint that in terms of recording evidence from people so young,” he said.

“We also need to be mindful of their mental health and welfare.

“It was more or less that we were talking to her than that she was talking to us.”

But the detective said he had seen her a couple of times this morning.

“She is a little Energiser bunny. How she has that much energy — I wish I did. I am about ready to go to sleep,” he said.

“She’s a very sweet, energetic girl. Very trusting and very open with us.

“We all wanted to take turns in holding her. It was a really good experience.”

The detective said “without a doubt” it was the best moment of his career.

Cleo has been described as a ‘very sweet, energetic girl’. Picture: Facebook

Cleo was allegedly abducted from the family tent at Quobba Blowholes in Macleod, near Carnarvon in the state’s north, on October 16.

It prompted a nationwide search before officers descended on a property in Carnarvon just a short distance from the local police station about 1am on Wednesday.

Police Commissioner Chris Dawson told reporters it was a “wonderful day”.

“We now have returned Cleo to her loving parents,” he said.

“It’s a wonderful day for this little girl and her loving family. It is a really special day for Western Australia.

“Indeed, I know the nation is rejoicing over the fact that we’ve been able to conduct this operation and we never gave up hope.

“I know that Cleo’s parents never gave up hope, and it is just a such a wonderful opportunity for me to say thank you.”

Mr Dawson said he was “proudest police commissioner in the world at the moment”.

“We will be working through this for the next week or two at least, there’s much more work yet to be done,” he said.

“To the team that have worked tirelessly — police officers and analysts, our forensic officers, the people behind the scenes, our media team — they’ve gelled together from day one.”

Mr Dawson said a 36-year-old man was in custody and was “assisting police” with their inquiries.

Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon spoke about Cleo during the investigation to find her. Picture: Flashpoint/Channel 7

Police Minister Paul Papalia was also at the press conference, alongside other senior officers involved in the case.

“If you feel the need to thank God today, thank God for the West Australian Police Force,” he said.

“Cleo’s rescue wasn’t the result of an accidental sighting or a suspicious event, it was the result of hard police grind.

“From the moment this incident began, the WA Police Force conducted themselves to the absolute highest level of professionalism.”

Mr Dawson acknowledge the town of Carnarvon for standing up during the search, as well as the volunteers, SES, army, private companies and the media.

Lead investigator Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde said more than 1000 calls had been received from the community providing information and revealed the arrested man only became a suspect on Tuesday.

He said finding Cleo alive and well was an amazing outcome and emotional for police.

Asked what led police to that particular house, Superintendent Wilde said: “It was the hard work of the team that did it. Analysing all of that information, gathering it all, working through it and finding that needle in the haystack.”

Further asked how Cleo’s mother Ellie Smith and stepfather Jake Gliddon were feeling, he said: “Ecstatic. Obviously, they have their little girl back.”

Originally published as WA police officer recounts the moment he found Cleo Smith alive