‘We need her’: Mum’s heartbreak for Cleo Smith as police rule out major theory

Cleo Smith’s stepdad has posted about the four-year-old’s disappearance for the first time since she vanished from the family’s tent in remote WA.

Cleo Smith’s stepdad has posted about the four-year-old’s disappearance for the first time since she vanished from the family’s tent in remote WA.

Jake Gliddon shared an image of Cleo’s missing poster – which offers a $1 million reward for any information – to his Instagram story.

Ellie Smith has also issued another desperate plea for her daughter, as detectives investigating the four-year-old’s disappearance ruled out a major line of inquiry, saying there is “no evidence” to suggest Cleo or her family were victims of stalking before she vanished.

In a series of posts to her Instagram stories alongside images of Cleo, Ms Smith wrote: “We all need her home”.

“Where are you baby,” she captioned another image.

Cleo was last seen by her family when they were staying at the remote Blowholes Campground in Macleod, Western Australia, at about 1.30am when she asked for water. When her mother next awoke, she was gone.

Cleo Smith’s mum has issued another desperate plea for her daughter. Picture: Instagram

Detectives have ruled out a major theory in her disappearance. Picture: Instagram

Over the weekend, forensic police combed through the family’s home in South Carnarvon, and reports emerged they were looking for evidence of stalking prior to Cleo’s probable abduction eight days ago.

However, the Detective leading the investigation has revealed there were no leads on a stalker and the search of the family’s home was “standard practice”.

“We do that as part of a thorough investigation but that’s not indicating they’ve been stalked, nothing like it,” Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde told The West Australian.

“In actual fact, if she has been taken, it’s more likely to have been a random event. There is no indication and no evidence that anyone was being stalked.”

Cleo Smith went missing in remote WA. Picture: Facebook

She has now been missing for more than a week. Picture: Facebook

A police source added that the forensic examination would help implicate or eliminate Cleo’s parents as suspects.

Police have repeatedly stated that while they are not ruling out any possibilities, they are not treating Cleo’s parents as suspects in this case.

‘There is still hope’ for Cleo

The mother of a West Australian girl kidnapped and killed more than two decades ago has said “there is still hope” in Cleo’s disappearance.

Margaret Dodd, whose daughter Hayley was abducted and killed by Francis John Wark in 1999, told 7 News she could “feel the pain” Cleo’s loved ones were going through.

Margaret Dodd, mother of Hayley Dodd. Picture: 7 News

“It just brings it all back, because you know what you’ve gone through and you’re hoping that your little one will be found alive,” she said.

“Everything has been thrown at looking for this little girl and that really makes me very happy. There is still hope.”

Police seek car spotted leaving campsite

After a week of searching the rugged terrain for Cleo, police confirmed it was likely she had been abducted from the tent.

police receiving a tip-off about a car seen leaving the area shortly after she was snatched from her family’s tent.

“We’re hoping that the persons that were in that vehicle come forward and make themselves known to police so we can speak to them,” Superintendent Wilde said.

The witnesses were unable to give a detailed description of the car and how many people were inside.

“We believe it’s a passenger vehicle … at that time of night, it’s very dark out there,” Inspector Wilde said.

“We want to speak to the driver and persons – if there was more than one person in that vehicle – to establish exactly what was going on and what they were doing.”

The reason police suspect an abduction is that the family’s tent zip had been opened higher than Cleo could have reached and her sleeping bag was also missing.

While the massive land, air and sea search at and around the campsite is over, locals and holiday-makers have been urged to remain on the lookout.

Detectives say there are multiple witnesses from the crime scene who have not yet come forward, believing people were staying at the campsite who had not identified themselves.

They are urging the mystery campers to make contact.

‘Cleo just can’t simply disappear’

A $1m reward has been offered for any information that helps solve the mystery and police have asked for any dashcam, security footage or photos that could help the investigation.

“Someone does know something about this,” WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson told reporters on Sunday.

“Cleo just can’t simply disappear from that tent without a third party, another person or persons knowing.

“If you know, or you suspect someone, you think that their behaviour has changed since that weekend, then bring that information forward.

“That’s the sort of information that might crack open this case.”

Police search the area where 4yr old missing girl Cleo Smith was last seen at the Blowholes campsite, 70km north of Carnarvon. Supplied: WA Police

He said there was no information pointing to Cleo having been taken out of WA but police were not ruling anything out.

“We’re doing everything we can,” he said.

“WA is the largest police jurisdiction by landmass in the world, so it’s a very, very large geographic area but at the same time we’ve had very strict border controls in place for now over 18 months.

“So I’m confident that we’ve got the main thoroughfares thoroughly controlled and that’s what’s kept Covid out.

“But at the same time, it’s a very large area and that’s why we want the community’s assistance.”

– with NCA NewsWire

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