HTTP/1.1 200 OKServer: nginxContent-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8X-Powered-By: WordPress VIP Host-Header: a9130478a60e5f9135f765b23f26593bX-Content-Type-Options: nosniffX-XSS-Protection: 1x-rq: syd3 123 242 443Cache-Control: must-revalidate, max-age=300Expires: Tue, 11 Feb 2025 18:43:33 GMTDate: Tue, 11 Feb 2025 18:38:33 GMTTransfer-Encoding:  chunkedConnection: keep-aliveConnection: Transfer-EncodingSet-Cookie: nk=d4fd537ff29480321d64cc0d8815e26d; expires=Wed, 11-Feb-2026 18:38:33 GMT; domain=.theaustralian.com.au; secure; SameSite=NoneSet-Cookie: theAusShortlist=DELETEME; expires=Thu, 01-Aug-2024 12:40:38 GMT; secure; HttpOnly; SameSite=StrictStrict-Transport-Security: max-age=600 ; includeSubDomainsContent-Security-Policy-Report-Only: frame-ancestors 'self'; report-uri https://www.theaustralian.com.au/csp-reportsContent-Security-Policy: block-all-mixed-content; style-src https: 'unsafe-inline'; script-src https: blob: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; img-src https: data:; frame-src https:;BlaizeHappened: trueX-ARRRG5: /blaize/decision-engine?path=https%3a%2f%2fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2fweb-stories%2ffree%2fthe-australian%2fmissing-girl-cleo-smith-found-alive-and-well-in-carnarvon%3fnk%3dd4fd537ff29480321d64cc0d8815e26d-1711775422&blaizehost=v4-news-au-theaustralian.cdn.zephr.com&content_id=&session=d4fd537ff29480321d64cc0d8815e26dX-ARRRG4: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/X-PathQS: TRUEVary: User-AgentAkamai-GRN: 0.4e4e6168.1739299113.228b3c6c
'MY NAME IS CLEO'
Remarkable tale of little girl lost - then found
Col Blanch
WA Police Deputy Commissioner
After more than two weeks of frantic searching, police delivered some extraordinary news: missing girl Cleo Smith had been found.
Source: Twitter/WA Police
On October 16, the four-year-old disappeared from the family tent at the Quobba Blowholes camping ground in Western Australia's north.
The case gripped the nation for more than two weeks, with WA authorities offering a $1 million reward for information leading to her rescue.
The odds seemed increasingly hopeless — until the morning of November 3. 
At about 1am on November 3, police officers broke into a home at Carnarvon, about 900km north of Perth, and found Cleo locked in a room.
THE RESCUE
Tonkin Cres, Carnarvon
Neighbours said they saw Cleo being carried out of the home in the early hours of the morning by police, looking “shocked and frightened”.
The news of Cleo's rescue reverberated around the nation as soon as it broke. 
THE REACTION
The house where Cleo was found was just a short drive from her family home in Carnarvon, at the north-western edge of town.
Authorities revealed that phone data and a trail of forensic data helped lead them there.
Police were armed with a crowbar and battering rams as they entered the house.
Inside they found the little girl — alone. 
THE DISCOVERY
The search for Cleo was one of the biggest mobilisation of resources ever seen in WA.
One hundred detectives were joined by communication and tech analysts, specialist investigators, drone operators and hundreds of volunteers searching the long stretch of coastline.
A 36-year-old Carnarvon man is now in custody. Police said he has no connection to Cleo's family.
Swipe up to follow the latest updates on this investigation
																															

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/web-stories/free/the-australian/missing-girl-cleo-smith-found-alive-and-well-in-carnarvon