Inside Cleo Smith’s disappearance: A timeline
As missing girl Cleo Smith was found ‘alive and well’, questions remain about the circumstances of her disappearance. Here is how it unfolded.
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As missing girl Cleo Smith was found ‘alive and well’, questions remain about the circumstances of her disappearance.
Here is how it unfolded.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CLEO SMITH:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15
6.30pm: Family arrives at Blowholes Campground in Macleod, 70km north of Carnarvon.
8.30pm: Cleo goes to bed about 8.30pm.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16
1.30am: Cleo wakes up and asks for some water, then goes back to sleep.
Ellie Smith checks on Cleo’s younger sister, Isla, before going back to bed too.
6am: Ms Smith wakes up to feed Isla, then notices Cleo and her sleeping bag are missing, and the tent zip is open.
She and Cleo’s stepfather Jake Gliddon and they begin searching the area but cannot find her, so they call the police.
Police begin their air, land and sea search. Police also launch an investigation to explore the possibility Cleo was abducted. Police alert the media about Cleo’s disappearance, saying she was last seen wearing a pink/purple one-piece sleepsuit with a blue and yellow pattern.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17
Search escalates, police say they have “grave fears” for Cleo, describing the situation as “extremely disturbing”.
Intelligence gathered includes CCTV and dashcam footage. Police also continue to collect information on people at the campsite.
A GoFundMe page is set up to help Cleo’s family and the search efforts, raising thousands of dollars.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 18
Cleo’s biological father Daniel Staines is questioned in Mandurah, but police say it is standard procedure and there is no suggestion Mr Staines has anything to do with the girl’s disappearance.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19
Wild weather hinders the search for several hours in the morning before getting back on track.
Ms Smith speaks publicly, describing the past few days as “horrendous”, and insisting Cleo would never wander off.
“She would never leave that tent alone,” she says.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20
Police confirm tent zipper was open beyond a height Cleo could have reached herself and her sleeping bag was missing.
Police speak to 20 registered sex offenders live in the Carnarvon area.
Reports of people hearing “certain noises” and seeing suspicious activity that night, including claims of a car screeching about 3am.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21
Police say 100 officers are working on the investigation
$1m reward announced for information that results in finding Cleo, or leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is involved in her suspicious disappearance.
OCTOBER 25
Travellers report seeing a mystery car turning out of the Blowholes road between 3am and 3.30am and heading south towards the town of Carnarvon on the morning Cleo went missing.
OCTOBER 26
Revelations a man tried to lure a girl into car at the same spot some years earlier.
OCTOBER 29
Australian Federal Police asked to use advanced technology – believed to be satellite imaging – to try and see the number plates of cars at the Blowholes.
OCTOBER 30
Police urge online trolls to stop attacking Cleo’s mum Ellie Smith and stepdad Jake Gliddon.
NOVEMBER 1
Four forensics officers and 20 police recruits spent two day sifting through piles of rubbish collected from the blowholes and roadside bins.
NOVEMBER 3
1.30am Police break down the doors of a locked house in Carnarvon and find Cleo Smith in one of the rooms.
Man taken into custody.
Ellie Smith posts to Instagram “Our family is whole again”
Originally published as Inside Cleo Smith’s disappearance: A timeline
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