Cleo Smith missing update – First picture of suspect kidnapper in back of AMBULANCE as girl, 4, found ALIVE after raid
THE man suspected of kidnapping Cleo Smith has been pictured for the first time – in the back of an ambulance with apparent head injuries.
The 36-year-old man was pictured lying down in the ambulance with his bandaged head covered in a blanket.
It has emerged the suspect was seen uncharacteristically buying nappies in the last few days.
Police say no charges have yet been brought against the man, and no further details on the suspect are being released.
It comes as little Cleo, 4, was found ALIVE and well in a locked house after weeks of frantic searching for the tot, after she vanished from the Blowholes campground site in Western Australia, in October.
After 18 days of desperate search, the little girl was last night found, with West Australia Police confirming cops broke their way into a locked house in Carnarvon, Western Australia around 1am where she was found.
Read our Cleo Smith live blog below for the latest updates..
- Joseph Gamp
Cleo’s best friend pleaded for her return
During the 18 days she was missing, Cleo Smith’s best friend pleaded for the “abducted toddler” to come home because “she needs to stay with her family”.
Lenaya “Naya” Forbes posed beside a drawing she made for her pal who had vanished.
“I still miss her,” little Naya told 7News. “And I reckon she got taken from the tent.
“I still miss her cause she’s lost and I want her to come back.”
- Joseph Gamp
Neighbours ‘shocked’ by discovery
Shocked neighbours have described seeing a “quiet man” buying nappies just two days before Cleo was found inside a locked home.
The neighbour told Sunrise: “The other day – on Monday – we saw him in Woolworths buying Kimbies [nappies] and that.
“But we didn’t click on what he was buying them for.”
Speaking about the man who was arrested, he added: “Everyone knows the person who stays at that house, but no one would have thought it would be him.
“We were shocked.”
- Joseph Gamp
Mapped: The hunt for Cleo Smith
Missing Cleo Smith was carried to safety as she was found safe 18 days after vanishing from a campsite.
Police cameras show the four-year-old in an officer's arms as she's taken outside after cops burst in at 1am following a sudden tip off.
A suspect who has no connection with her family, has been arrested in connection with her disappearance.
- Joseph Gamp
Cleo 'physically ok' but being cared for in hospital
Police say Cleo Smith appeared to be "physically ok" after cops resuced her from a Carnarvon address but is currently being cared for in hospital.
Cleo's mum Ellie Smith spoke out for the first time since the little girl was found, posting the emotional message to Instagram: "Our family is whole again."
Her biological dad Daniel Staines said he is "overjoyed" she has been found alive.
- Joseph Gamp
Cleo Smith: The latest
- Cleo Smith, four, has been found alive and well after 18 days
- Police broke into a locked house in Carnarvon at 1am
- They found little Cleo in one of the rooms
- The four-year-old has reunited with her family
- Police arrested a man in connection to Cleo’s disappearence
- The man is in custody and is being questioned
Search had been getting close as cops closed in on Cleo's location
Just days ago, it was reported that police were close to cracking the missing child case as officers were seen probing the family home for a third time.
Police were searching rugged terrain near the remote campsite for the missing girl and said they had “grave concerns for Cleo’s safety”.
Authorities previously also offered a $1m reward for information leading to Cleo’s location.
‘Our prayers answered’
Following the amazing news Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, released a statement thanking police officers for helping find the 4-year-old.
He said “What wonderful, relieving news.Cleo Smith has been found and is home safe and sound. Our prayers answered.
"Thank you to the many police officers involved in finding Cleo and supporting her family.”
18 days of searching draws to a close
After weeks of desperate search, the little girl has now been found.
Western Australia Police confirmed tonight that cops broke their way into a locked house in Carnarvon, Western Australia around 1am where she was found.
Police says suspect assisting with inquiries but remain silent on identity
Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said the man, who was not known to Cleo’s family, was assisting police with their inquiries.
“I’m not going to elaborate further in terms of that man, other than to say he is a local man from Carnarvon, and we will be having something further to say later,” the commissioner told reporters.
“I once again want to reinforce my thanks to a great team, assisted by a great community — the town of Carnarvon can stand strong.
“Yes, we have one man in custody but that is not the town of Carnarvon — that is one person.
“I want the town of Carnarvon and everyone else to come together as a community as we move forward.”
- Joseph Gamp
First pic of Cleo suspect shows man bandaged in back of ambulance
A 36-year-old man has been taken into custody and is being questioned by police – but no charged have yet been made.
Australian network 7 News released video footage of the man in the back of an ambulance.
A photo provided to NCA NewsWire shows the man under heavy police guard.
He appears to have head injuries and has a bandage around his head.
- Joseph Gamp
Timeline – The Search for Cleo
- October 15 – Cleo arrives with her parents and baby sister at Blowhole Campground in Carnarvon, Western Australia
- October 16 1.30am – The four-year-old wakes her mum up for a drink before going back to sleep in the tent she shared with her parents and sister
- October 16 6.30am – Cleo's mother Ellie wakes to find her daughter has vanished without a trace
- October 18 – Locals urged to check their bins for the missing child's sleeping bag
- October 21 – Police offer $1million reward to anyone with information that leads them to Cleo
- October 24 – Cleo's voice is heard on CCTV 20 metres from where she disappeared from the campsite
- October 25 – Cops look for the driver of a car seen between 3am and 3.30am on the morning she vanished
- October 30 – Police launch an air, land and sea search for the four-year-old
- November 2 – Cleo is found by police "alive and well" locked in a room in Carnarvon – just 43 miles from the Blowholes camp
Australian PM praises WA cops for rescuing girl
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison praised the police force for their work in rescuing the little girl.
"What wonderful, relieving news," he wrote.
"Our prayers answered. Thank you to the many Western Australia Police Force officers involved in finding Cleo and supporting her family."
Police say suspect has no connection to Cleo family
After weeks of searching in the Outback, Cleo was yesterday found in a room inside a locked house.
Her first words were "my name is Cleo" as cops busted open the door and found the girl – 18 days after she vanished from her tent at Blowholes campground site in Western Australia.
The suspect, who police say has no connection with the family, was arrested at the property.
He was seen with his head bandaged after reportedly being attacked by a fellow prisoner who learned what he'd been taken into custody for.
Cleo's story sent shockwaves through Australia
Cleo's disappearance sent shockwaves through the community in Australia.
The police were called around three hours after she was found to be missing as the family had hoped the girl was just hiding nearby – searching the area with other campers.
Police were searching rugged terrain near the remote campsite for the missing girl and said they had "grave concerns for Cleo’s safety".
Authorities previously also offered a $1m reward for information leading to Cleo’s location.
Local resident believes she heard a child crying
Local resident Sahntayah McKenzie said she heard the sound of a child crying recently.
She told The West Australian: "Not last night, the night before it…I heard a little girl crying but I wouldn't expect it to be Cleo.
"I didn't expect it would happen in this little neighbourhood, a lot of people know each other."
- Joseph Gamp
What happened in the case of missing Cleo Smith?
Dubbed the 'Aussie Maddie McCann,' cops launched a desperate hunt for the child after she went missing from the remote campsite in her pink pyjamas.
Her mum Ellie last saw her at 1.30am when she gave her a drink of water, and then her and her partner Jake Gliddon awoke to find the tot missing – sparking a frantic search.
Cleo's disappearance sent shockwaves through the community in Australia.
The police were called around three hours after she was found to be missing as the family had hoped the girl was just hiding nearby – searching the area with other campers.
Police were searching rugged terrain near the remote campsite for the missing girl and said they had "grave concerns for Cleo’s safety".
Authorities previously also offered a $1m reward for information leading to Cleo’s location.
- Joseph Gamp
WA commissioner statement as Cleo is found
Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch said in a statement last night: "It’s my privilege to announce that in the early hours of this morning, the Western Australia Police Force rescued Cleo Smith.
"Cleo is alive and well. A police team broke their way into a locked house in Carnarvon about 1am. They found little Cleo in one of the rooms."
He revealed that one of the officers picked the four-year-old girl up in his arms, before asking what her name was.
The tot, who police and civilians in Australia have been desperately looking for, replied: "My name is Cleo."
Commissioner Blanch added: "Cleo was reunited with her parents a short time later. This is the outcome we all hoped and prayed for. It’s the outcome we’ve achieved because of some incredible police work.
"I want to thank Cleo’s parents, the Western Australian community and the many volunteers. And of course, I want to thank my colleagues in the Western Australia Police Force.
- Joseph Gamp
Cleo's mum says her 'family is whole again'
Cleo's mum Ellie Smith spoke out for the first time since the little girl was found, posting the emotional message to Instagram: "Our family is whole again."
Police confirmed the four-year-old was found "alive and well" – which is the "outcome we prayed for."
The suspect, 36, was arrested at the property and is currently being questioned by detectives, police said.
He has no connection to the family, it was confirmed.
- Joseph Gamp
Neighbour's shock
Police have arrested the suspect – who was described by neighbours as "quiet" and was seen uncharacteristically buying nappies in the last few days.
"The other day – on Monday – we saw him in Woolworths buying Kimbies [nappies] and that," neighbour Henry Dodd told Australia's 'Sunrise' news show.
"Everyone knows the person who stays at that house, but no one would have thought it would be him,' he said. We were shocked."
- Joseph Gamp
Cleo Smith: The latest
- Cleo Smith, four, has been found alive and well after 18 days
- Police broke into a locked house in Carnarvon at 1am
- They found little Cleo in one of the rooms
- The four-year-old has reunited with her family
- Police arrested a man in connection to Cleo’s disappearence
- The man is in custody and is being questioned
Mapped: Cleo Smith found seven-minutes away from home
The property where the little girl was found was just a seven-minute drive from her family home.
She vanished from the Blowholes campsite on October 18.
Western Australia Police confirmed that cops broke their way into a locked property at around 1am in Carnarvon, Western Australia.
- Joseph Gamp
'My name is Cleo'
Cleo has been found as police arrested a 36-year-old "childless loner" described as an "oddball" by neighbours, one of whom heard crying coming from his home.
After weeks of searching in the Outback, Cleo was yesterday found in a room inside a locked house.
The four-year-old's first words were "my name is Cleo" as cops busted open the door and found the girl – 18 days after she vanished from her tent at Blowholes campground site in Western Australia.
- Joseph Gamp
WA Premier elated over Cleo's rescue
State premier Mark McGowan expressed elation at receiving the news overnight.
He first received a call at 1:38 am, but sheepishly admitted: "I didn't answer it, I was asleep." Still, within a few hours, he had received the "lovely" image of the girl smiling from a hospital bed.
"There will be movies made about this," he said. "You never know what to expect, you hope for the best, but you prepare for the worst."
- Louis Allwood
'Our family is whole again'
Little Cleo has now been reunited with her family after a heartbreaking 18 days.
She is receiving care in hospital following her disappearance.
Cleo's mum Ellie Smith spoke out for the first time since the little girl was found, posting the emotional message to Instagram: "Our family is whole again."
- Louis Allwood
Man arrested has 'no connection to family'
The man, 36, was arrested at the property and is currently being questioned by detectives, police said.
He has no connection to the family, it was confirmed.
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