The search for 4-year-old Cleo Smith who vanished from a campsite in rural Western Australia is still ongoing.
The family said that when they woke up on Saturday morning, at around 6am, the girl wasn’t there. She was wearing a one piece pajama suit and they last saw her at about 1.30am on Saturday near the Blowholes Campground at Macleod, some 50km north of Carnarvon where the family was staying. According to the police, she woke up at that time to ask for a glass of water and then fell asleep again.
WA Police senior inspector Jon Munday said they are all hoping the little girl is still alive.
“We are throwing all stops at this,” he said. “We hold grave concerns for Cleo. Every hour and every day that goes on we get more and more concerned.
“We have the best investigators from state crime with forensic working as hard as they can to cover all bases.”
The search, which started on Saturday, was resumed on Tuesday afternoon after a three-hour stop because of the bad weather.
SEARCH FOR CLEO: First light and private helicopters have wasted no time searching the Blowholes north of Carnarvon for missing 4-year-old girl Cleo Smith who was last seen in her tent at 1:35am yesterday. @7NewsPerth pic.twitter.com/SHHB02bz83
— Ben Downie (@Ben_Downie) October 16, 2021
Land, air and sea crews led the search up and down the coastline and around the campgrounds where the family had been camping. The entire area has been covered in posters as locals and other campers also joined in the extensive search for the little girl. SES and helicopter crews have been deployed as well.
Thousands of people are sharing Cleo’s mother, Ellie Smith’s, Facebook pleas in an attempt to help with the search.
Speaking to news.com.au, Inspector Munday said “It’s a very, very harsh environment. Until today it has been quiet warm, and there’s limited freshwater around. If she is out in the area, we do have grave concerns for her.”
At the time, the police and everyone involved are considering two scenarios, Cleo either wandering off, or being taken by someone.
Munday added that their concerns are getting more and more grave.
According to the family, who spoke publicly for the first time on Tuesday morning, Cleo’s sleeping bag was also missing at the time they realized the girl had vanished.
We are all praying for a positive outcome.