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Remarkable police video shows moment Cleo Smith was rescued
Video of the moment missing girl Cleo Smith was rescued after a frantic 18-day search has been released by Western Australia Police.
Footage from an officer's body camera shows the four-year-old being carried out of a house in the town of Carnarvon, where she was found.
The 12-second clip shows Cleo being carried by an officer in a hat and a hoodie, being greeted by a detective in a dark garden after the night-time rescue.
LIVE UPDATES: Police details Cleo Smith rescue in WA
"Cleo, my name's Cameron, how are you?" Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine said to her.
"Are you okay?
"We're going to take you to see your mummy and daddy, okay?
"Is that good?"
The little girl nods, but does not appear to say anything.
READ MORE: Missing WA girl Cleo Smith smiles and waves in first photo since her rescue
She's clinging onto the shoulders of the officer who is carrying her.
Police this afternoon revealed more details of how they found Cleo, after she disappeared from a remote WA campsite.
READ MORE: Four-year-old Cleo Smith found alive after vanishing three weeks ago
CLEO SMITH FOUND: WHAT WE KNOW
- At 12.46am (AWST) overnight, police broke into a locked home in Carnarvon, Western Australia, where four-year-old Cleo Smith was found alive and well.
- A 36-year-old man was found not far from the home, and has been taken into custody. He is assisting police with inquiries.
- Police have said the man has no connection with Cleo Smith's family.
- Investigators were acting on information received that night, but it has not been disclosed yet what led them to that address.
- Cleo has been reunited with her family.
Tonight on Channel 9 at 8.40pm Finding Cleo: A Nine News Special will have all the latest updates from a remarkable day. Watch live on Channel Nine or 9Now here
QAnon conspiracists pack Texas park to see dead Kennedy emerge as new vice president
It's not an uncommon sight in the United States – hundreds of supporters turning out to see their preferred candidate announcing a politician run.
But a massive crowd in Dallas, Texas, were left disappointed when their candidate didn't show up at all.
But there's a very good reason for his absence – John F Kennedy Jr has been dead for 21 years.
LIVE UPDATES: Cleo Smith found – latest developments
Nevertheless, hundreds QAnon conspiracy theorists showed up at Dealey Plaza in the expectation that Mr Kennedy would emerge.
He would then be named as vice president to a re-appointed Donald Trump.
According to a social media post by an influential QAnon conspirator, Mr Trump would then resign, Mr Kennedy would take the presidency, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn would be named as Vice President.
And while such a move would defy both the laws of nature of the constitution of the United States, a large crowd clearly believed it to be possible.
READ MORE: QAnon conspiracy theorists may become more violent: FBI
https://twitter.com/michaeldamianw/status/1455611366560178181
"I believe at 11.55, JFK Jr will be our next vice president," one woman told the Dallas Morning News.
"And President Trump will be our president."
She added that she believed President John F Kennedy was not killed in 1963, and that he is also still alive.
President Kennedy would be 104-years-old if still alive.
Dealey Plaza would be a macabre choice for the late Mr Kennedy to appear. The park in downtown Dallas was the location his father, President John F Kennedy was shot.
The hundreds gathered specifically around the spot the elder Mr Kennedy was shot, near the Texas Book Depository building and the notorious "grassy knoll".
The crowd was seen waving banners and wearing T-shirts saying "Trump Kennedy" in the style of a presidential election logo.
An evolving theory among QAnon conspiracists is that Mr Kennedy is the mysterious Q himself.
This in spite of the fact that Mr Kennedy died in a plane crash in 1999 at the age of 38.
In spite of his pedigree, Mr Kennedy was far less political than his family at large.
The magazine journalist was far better known as a New York socialite and casanova, having dated Cindy Crawford, Sarah Jessica Parker and Daryl Hannah.
READ MORE: How believers helped a mother kidnap her own daughter
His brief forays into politics involved campaigning with his uncle Teddy Kennedy, and his cousin Patrick Kennedy, both Democrats.
QAnon is a far-right wing conspiracy theory that believes a group of Satanic, cannibalistic paedophile celebrities are operating a global sex trafficking ring.
The gathering in Dallas is the latest of failed QAnon predictions. Many of the recent predictions are centred around Mr Trump being reinaugurated as president.
EXPLAINER: What is QAnon? How a conspiracy theory led to storming of US Capitol
Man arrested over Cleo Smith's disappearance 'known to police'
A man arrested by police after four-year-old Cleo Smith was found "alive and well" inside a Carnarvon home in the early hours of this morning, was "known to police", Homicide Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde has revealed.
"He is known but I have to be very careful around that," Det. Supt Wilde said when questioned by reporters this afternoon.
The missing four-year-old, who disappeared from her family campsite on October 16, was found inside a locked home at Carnarvon just before 1am, ending an intensive two-and-a-half week police search.
LIVE UPDATES: Cleo Smith found – latest developments
Cleo was inside the home alone and a 36-year-old man was arrested nearby. Police have said he has no connections to Cleo's family.
Police said he had only become a suspect in the case yesterday.
The man in custody sustained head injuries while in his holding cell and has been taken to hospital by police.
Bodycam footage of Cleo's rescue 'just amazing'
Det. Supt Wilde said seeing the bodycam footage of Cleo being found was "just amazing".
"We obviously had real concerns for Cleo's welfare. And as time passed by, they grew worse. So to see that, it was just amazing," he said.
He confirmed Cleo was taken from the campsite and that police didn't believe anyone else had been involved except the man.
"It appears to be opportunistic."
READ MORE: Remarkable police video shows the moment Cleo Smith was rescued
Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blayne of the Homicide Squad was one of the four officers who rescued Cleo, describing his discovery of her as "complete shock".
"Quickly followed by elation," he said.
"To see her sitting there in the way that she was, it was incredible."
The Senior Sergeant said "it was an honour" to be able to witness the reunion of Cleo and her family at the hospital shortly after Cleo was found.
After seeing Cleo hours after her rescue, he described her as "a little energiser bunny".
"How she has that much energy, I wish I did, I am about ready to go to sleep. Very sweet, energetic girl."
He said Cleo was "very trusting and very open" will all the police.
"We all wanted to take turns holding her. It was a really good experience."
'Our family is whole again': Cleo's family rejoice
Today Cleo's biological father, Daniel Staines, released a statement on the incredible news of her rescue.
Cleo's parents are separated and she lives with her mother Ellie Smith and stepfather Jake Gliddon.
"We are all absolutely overjoyed at the good news this morning and so happy that Cleo has been reunited with her mum and dad," Mr Staines said in a statement provided to the West Australian newspaper.
"Thank you to everyone who helped look for her and bring her home, particularly the WA Police, SES and the Carnarvon community."
Cleo's mum Ellie Smith posted about the family's reunion with the little girl on Instagram this morning.
"Our family is whole again," she wrote.
In a statement, Cleo's school St Mary star of the Sea Catholic School said they were extremely grateful for the efforts of police.
"We are beyond relieved to hear this news – every member of our school community shares my feelings of gratitude for this outcome," said school principal, Steve O'Halloran.
"We will continue to pray for Cleo and her family, with respect for their dignity and privacy as they process this event and as the investigation continues."
WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said a crucial lead about a car had led to police to the house where Cleo was found.
"We followed every lead we could. We had some important information, I can say that the information about a car was really important," he told 6PR.
Cleo was alone in the locked home when she was found and told one of the officers who picked her up: 'My name is Cleo'.
Western Australia Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch has said the bodycam footage of Cleo Smith's overnight rescue will be "burned into his memory for life".
"I saw detectives see Cleo in a room, and the look on their faces, and the care that was expressed immediately, and the cuddling, and her looking almost directly at the camera saying, 'My name is Cleo'," Deputy Commissioner Blanch told Gareth Parker on 6PR.
Cleo was "alive, well and smiling" in footage he had seen of her after her rescue, Mr Blanch said.
LIVE UPDATES: Cleo Smith found – latest developments
Police officers in tears
Mr Blanch said senior detectives involved with the case were "breaking down and crying" after Cleo was found.
"I know when the officers picked up Cleo and asked 'What's your name?' And a little voice said 'My name is Cleo', I think there was no-one that I know in this state that wasn't crying at that point in WA police force," he said.
Mr Blanch said police had acted straight away last night after finding a "needle in a haystack".
READ MORE: Cleo Smith rescue makes front pages all over the world
READ MORE: Police searching for Cleo Smith worked 'hierarchy of suspicion'
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said Police Commissioner Chris Dawson notified him overnight about the successful rescue.
"He sent me a photo of little Cleo in a hospital bed sitting there smiling, it was a wonderful piece of news," Mr McGowan said.
He joined the nation in expressing his relief that Cleo had been found.
"It is a very exciting day," Mr McGowan said.
"We are all so pleased and so happy with the great news that little Cleo Smith has been found alive and well. It's a remarkable, exciting, uplifting news."
Mr McGowan said the investigation would provide a leading example to law enforcement agencies around the country and the world.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Cleo's rescue was a moment of great joy.
"The fact that that nightmare has come to an end and our worst fears were not realised, is just a huge relief," Mr Morrison said in Dubai this afternoon.
"Thank God that Cleo is home and that she is safe."
READ MORE: Finding of Cleo Smith 'a miracle', leading criminologist says
Mr Dawson said Cleo's family had never given up hope.
"They're strong people," he said.
"They have good support around them and we will continue to walk them through – this is a wonderful result today, but it will still be a tough journey for them."
Police have not ruled out further arrests.
Speaking to Ben Fordham on 2GB, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller revealed that Commissioner Dawson had "broke down and cried" after getting the call that told him Cleo had been found alive.
READ MORE: Community celebrate little Cleo's rescue
"That speaks volumes," Commissioner Fuller said.
"I thought the chances of finding her alive were so slim.
"(Commissioner Dawson) said to me, 'West Australian Police never gave up on Cleo'. It was good old fashion police work that resulted in her being found alive."
The home where Cleo was found, in Tonkin Crescent, is just a seven-minute drive from her home in Carnarvon.
Police have sealed off the area.
One of the neighbours spoke to Today reporter Joshua Dawe, saying she was shocked to learn Cleo had been "so close".
"I actually got a call about 4.30am from my nephew and he said, 'Aunt, I just put the news on and she's been found'," the woman said.
"I got up and then I also had a call from my son who was on his way to Perth Airport to go to work. And he said, 'Mum, the kid's been found'. I jumped out of bed and I've been awake since then."
Another man said he had seen the moment Cleo was carried out of the house.
"One (neighbour) reached out and said, 'They got a little girl. It might be Cleo'," he said.
"We came out and we saw the detective holding her in his arms and, yeah, put her in the back of the detective's car."
Another woman said the situation made her frightened for her young son.
"My mother lived in this house for 17 years and nothing like this ever happened before," she said.
"It's a quiet street, everybody knows everybody."
A Carnarvon baker who works with Cleo Smith's grandmother has said she was too overwhelmed to speak when he got in touch this morning.
"Overwhelming, I can tell you," Joseph Nguyen said.
"Even this morning, very early in the morning we called Cleo's grandma and she's just so happy. She can't say anything. She's just like 'We are so happy'."
Carnarvon Shire President Eddie Smith released a statement praising Cleo's parents and the work of the police.
"This is a joyous day," he said.
"Cleo is back home safely with her family, our hopes and prayers have been answered.
"To the Carnarvon community – you have shown what community is all about.
"You have supported Ellie and Jake, you have supported the police, you have taken every measure to help bring about this result.
"I have never been prouder to be the Shire President of Carnarvon."
Missing for weeks
Cleo disappeared from her family's campsite early in the morning of October 16 at the Carnarvon Blowholes.
She and her sleeping bag were both gone from the family's tent, prompting initial fears Cleo had wandered off and was lost.
The Blowholes campground is very isolated, situated just behind a beach and surrounded by sand dunes and a lighthouse.
But after a mass search of the area, police announced they believed Cleo may have been abducted.
Detectives door-knocked homes in the Carnarvon region this week in a search for answers.
A $1 million reward was announced during the search for any information leading to the missing girl.
Her mother, Ellie Smith, posted repeatedly on social media pleading for the return of her child.
In a public plea last week she spoke about the pain the family was going through.
Ms Smith described the situation as "heartbreaking", "heart-wrenching" and "completely scary".
"How are you meant to feel?" she said.
READ MORE: Finding of Cleo Smith 'a miracle', leading criminologist says
"The whole time, you're trying to look through tears. It's nothing that I'd ever wish upon anyone."
The family's ordeal struck a cord with the town of Carnarvon, which provided an outpouring of support.
Vigils were held, while shops and cars were plastered with posters and stickers calling for anybody with information about Cleo to report it.
READ MORE: Nation weeps and celebrates as little Cleo found 'alive and well'
A hundred police officers were involved in the investigation, with 50 in Carnarvon alone.
Just yesterday, police confirmed they were looking into using satellite vision in an attempt to establish what had happened to Cleo, due to limited CCTV in the isolated area.
There were thousands calls to Crime Stoppers during the investigation as well – but it's not yet known what led police to the house where Cleo was found.
Expert insight into police hunt
Criminologist Xanthe Mallett told Today police deserved to be applauded over the successful end to a very complex investigation.
"There was lack of technological help. There weren't any CCTV cameras, there were no dash-cam footage on people's cars, it wasn't in suburbia for example," Associate Professor Mallett said.
"The police have a lot of persons of interest look at. Anyone in the campsite anyone with family travelling there. Anyone with relevant criminal history in the local community. There were a lot of leads to follow in the early days."
She said police had opted for the right course in bringing on a large task force early.
"They learnt some of the mistakes from other child abduction cases from here and abroad and determined not to allow that happen in Cleo's case," she said.
"The feel was that Cleo would be the next William Tyrrell and next Madeleine McCann. We would never find out what happened."
Associate Professor Mallett also slammed online trolls who had targeted Cleo's family in the wake of her disappearance, saying this kind of pressure could "break a family apart".
"It puts them under pressure day in and day out with everyone looking at them," she said.
Police said throughout the investigation that they did not suspect Cleo's family had anything to do with her disappearance.
Associate Professor Mallett said the Cleo Smith case could potentially throw a wrench into current law enforcement presumptions.
She said if it was found that Cleo had been abducted, it was "extraordinary" that she had been kept alive for so long.
"She's obviously been fed and given water and kept physically safe for the last 19 days," she told 9News.
"That is not to speak to any psychological trauma as a result of being taken away from her family."
"If a child is taken, the likelihood of them being found safe and well diminishes over time and the first few hours are key to finding them," she said.
"This is really going to test all of the behavioural knowledge we have of these type of offenders."
Criminologist and former detective Terry Goldsworthy suggested the remote location may have actually benefited police once the investigation shifted its focus.
"So it limited, in reality, the suspect pool for them once they determined it was looking like a kidnapping or a homicide potentially," Dr Goldsworthy told Today.
He said the timing of the raid overnight could indicate that police were acting on information they had only just received.
"The circumstances of how (Cleo) got there will now be the focus of their investigation," Dr Goldsworthy said.
"So they'll be trying to work back from the locating of her this morning, back to her disappearance 19 days ago and the role that person played and I guess the role any other person may have played in the last 19 days."
Dr Goldsworthy said proactive policing had given investigators an advantage.
The early posting of a $1 million reward, normally only resorted to after traditional techniques had been exhausted, ensured incoming tips and information stayed at a high volume.
Dr Goldsworthy also praised the police's media campaign, which kept the Cleo search at the front of the national consciousness.
Murdoch University forensic biologist Paola Magni said it would be "really important" to preserve the scene at the Carnarvon home where Cleo Smith was found.
"Because we have degradation of evidence. With evidence, they don't stay still as stone all the time," Ms Magni told 9News Perth's Tracy Vo.
"It is important that nobody goes and (modifies) whatever is there.
"Because in some cases we can find the evidence but we can not backtrack from how long the evidence is there."
Ms Magni said it is important to "understand the dynamic of what happened in all of these 18 days".
CLEO SMITH FOUND: WHAT WE KNOW
- At 12.46am (AWST) overnight, police broke into a locked home in Carnarvon, Western Australia, where four-year-old Cleo Smith was found alive and well.
- A 36-year-old man was found not far from the home, and has been taken into custody. He is assisting police with inquiries.
- Police have said the man has no connection with Cleo Smith's family.
- Investigators were acting on information received that night, but it has not been disclosed yet what led them to that address.
- Cleo has been reunited with her family.
Tonight on Channel 9 at 8.40pm Finding Cleo: A Nine News Special will have all the latest updates from a remarkable day. Watch live on Channel Nine or 9Now here.
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Police officer details the moments of Cleo's rescue
One of the four police officers who saved Cleo Smith has detailed the moments of the rescue.
Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine recounted how the officers forced open the door of a house in Carnarvon, in WA, to find the little girl sitting there.
LIVE UPDATES: Cleo Smith found – latest developments
"I asked three times and then she looked at me and said, 'my name is Cleo'. And that was it. Then we turned around and walked out of the house," he said.
After that, he took her to a police car and called her parents.
"It was a wonderful feeling to make that call," he said.
"To be able to give them that news and say they can make their way to the hospital and we will meet them there. That was fantastic. It was an honour to be able to witness that reunion."
After seeing Cleo hours after her rescue, he described her as "a little energiser bunny".
"How she has that much energy, I wish I did, I am about ready to go to sleep. Very sweet, energetic girl."
He said Cleo was "very trusting and very open" with all the police.
"We all wanted to take turns holding her. It was a really good experience."
The senior sergeant said it was "no doubt" the best moment of his career.
WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson expressed his profound gratitude to the community of Carnarvon in a joyous press conference after the rescue of little girl Cleo Smith, releasing the first picture of the little girl in hospital.
In the picture, she is smiling and waving on a hospital bed.
Mr Dawson also praised Cleo's family, the police, the wider community and the media for their support.
"To those of you who have been hoping, wishing, and praying that we were able to find little Cleo alive and give her back to you in your arms is just a wonderful, wonderful day, and it is a day that we all hope for," Mr Dawson said.
"I am just so proud of the team I have behind me."
Cleo is now safe and well.
"As you can see, she is alive, she is safe, and she is back with mum and dad," he said.
"We said we wouldn't give up, we said we would keep on searching, and we dared to hope."
Police Minister Paul Papalia heaped praise on the officers involved in the search.
"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 a sighting, a suspicious event, it was the result of hard police grind."
READ MORE: Moment Cleo Smith found caught on bodycam
READ MORE: Finding of Cleo Smith 'a miracle', leading criminologist says
CLEO SMITH FOUND: WHAT WE KNOW
- At 12.46am (AWST) overnight, police broke into a locked home in Carnarvon, Western Australia, where four-year-old Cleo Smith was found alive and well.
- A 36-year-old man was found not far from the home, and has been taken into custody. He is assisting police with inquiries.
- Police have said the man has no connection with Cleo Smith's family.
- Investigators were acting on information received that night, but it has not been disclosed yet what led them to that address.
- Cleo has been reunited with her family.
Tonight on Channel 9 at 8.40pm Finding Cleo: A Nine News Special will have all the latest updates from a remarkable day. Watch live on Channel Nine or 9Now here
Missing WA girl Cleo Smith smiles and waves in first photo
The first photo of missing Cleo Smith has been released by police after she was dramatically rescued 18 days after disappearing from a remote WA campsite.
The striking image of Cleo, four, in hospital in a photo was released by police, hours after she was found.
It shows a smiling Cleo, covered with a blanket, lying on a bed while eating an icy pole.
READ MORE: Four-year-old Cleo Smith found alive after vanishing three weeks ago
LIVE UPDATES: Cleo Smith found – latest developments
She's waving at the camera and appears happy and healthy.
Her mother, Ellie Smith, wrote on social media Cleo has seen the photo and "thought it was beautiful".
The mum was responding to a post on a Facebook page for Carnarvon, where somebody suggested the town should take down the missing Cleo posters now she has been found.
READ MORE: Police detail how Cleo Smith was rescued.
"Cleo has seen her photo she thought it was beautiful," Ms Smith wrote.
Her mother had posted repeatedly on social media pleading for the return of her child.
Earlier today she expressed her joy in an Instagram post, showing a photo of Cleo and a caption which read: "Our family is whole again".
READ MORE: Nation weeps and celebrates as little Cleo found 'alive and well'
CLEO SMITH FOUND: WHAT WE KNOW
· At 12.46am (AWST) overnight, police broke into a locked home in Carnarvon, Western Australia, where four-year-old Cleo Smith was found alive and well.
· A 36-year-old man was found not far from the home, and has been taken into custody. He is assisting police with inquiries.
· Police have said the man has no connection with Cleo Smith's family.
· Investigators were acting on information received that night, but it has not been disclosed yet what led them to that address.
· Cleo has been reunited with her family.
READ MORE: Cleo Smith rescue makes front pages all over the world
Tonight on Channel 9 at 8.40pm Finding Cleo: A Nine News Special will have all the latest updates from a remarkable day.
Watch live on Channel Nine or 9Now here
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