Cleo Smith disappearance: How search for Carnarvon four-year-old unfolded ...

Cleo Smith disappearance: How search for Carnarvon four-year-old unfolded ...
Cleo Smith disappearance: How search for Carnarvon four-year-old unfolded ...

Search efforts at the campsite where little Cleo Smith was last seen were hampered from the very first moment detectives arrived.

The Blowholes campsite had been torn upside down as Cleo's mum, stepdad and other guests searched for the missing four-year-old on Saturday morning.

By the time police arrived 'about mid-morning', search parties had been out for hours, trampling all over potential clues to her disappearance.

Detectives have since confirmed they believe Cleo was abducted from the tent she shared with her mum, stepdad and baby sister Isla between 1.30am and 6am last Saturday.

After scouring the campsite and surrounds for six days - including extensive sea and air searches - police were confident that she was no longer in the area.

While they'll continue to check outhouses and shacks nearby for evidence, the land search was scaled back on Friday as the 100-strong taskforce directs efforts to casting a wider net. 

Here, Daily Mail Australia explains exactly how this week's events have unfolded.

Cleo Smith, four, was last seen at about 1.30am on Saturday at the Blowholes campsite on the coast at Macleod, north of Carnarvon, in Western Australia

Cleo Smith, four, was last seen at about 1.30am on Saturday at the Blowholes campsite on the coast at Macleod, north of Carnarvon, in Western Australia 

Search crews have decided to scale back the land investigation at the campsite

Search crews have decided to scale back the land investigation at the campsite 

FRIDAY

Cleo and her family arrived at Blowholes campsite about 6.30pm on Friday night for a quick weekend trip.

Cleo's mum Ellie used to visit regularly when she was a child and later confirmed her four-year-old was familiar with the area.

Her stepdad Jake Gliddon got straight to work setting up their two-bedroom tent, two mattresses and baby Isla's cot, which was in a room with Cleo.

The family ate dinner together and Cleo was in bed no later than 8pm, her mum later revealed.

While nobody else physically saw Cleo at the campsite, Superintendent Rod Wilde, who is in charge of the taskforce, said police determined she was definitely there via CCTV footage from a nearby shack.

It is not known if that camera caught any other movements during the timeframe Cleo disappeared.   

SATURDAY

The family were all asleep in the tent when Cleo stirred about 1.30am to ask her mum for a sip of water. Ms Smith quickly settled the four-year-old and, after her drink, she went straight back to sleep.

She didn't wake again until about 6am, when a restless Isla woke up for her bottle. As soon as Ms Smith entered the section of the tent where Isla and Cleo were sleeping, she realised her eldest daughter was gone.

The red and grey sleeping bag that Cleo had been sleeping in was also missing, while Isla was unmoved in her cot next to the mattress.

She woke Mr Gliddon up, telling him 'Cleo's gone' and together they alerted nearby campers and the search began.

A land search was suspended on Tuesday due to wild winds and an intense storm. It started again just hours later

A land search was suspended on Tuesday due to wild winds and an intense storm. It started again just hours later 

First, they checked around the tent and Ms Smith then checked anywhere she used to play as a kid, hopeful that Cleo was hiding. In the back of her mind, she knew it was unlikely. Cleo never wandered and would not have left the tent of her own accord, the distraught mother later confirmed.

Police didn't arrive on the scene until mid-morning. It's unclear exactly what time they were called, but by the time they arrived a full scale search was already underway.

Some campers had sent personal drones up to the skies while others were searching on their motorbikes. Ms Smith and Mr Gliddon had taken their car out to look as well. 

SUNDAY

Ms Smith revealed on Facebook that Cleo was missing in a distraught and lengthy post. 

Meanwhile, the search at the campsite continued as Inspector Jon Munday said cars leaving the campground were being searched for the child.

'We are trying to paint the picture of who was around here during the window of opportunity between the early hours of Saturday morning and 6am Saturday and what leads that could give us,' he said.  

A GoFundMe was set up to cover the costs of private helicopters which had cancelled bookings to help in the search for Cleo. 

The adult-sized sleeping bag Cleo was sleeping in has also disappeared, police confirmed

The adult-sized sleeping bag Cleo was sleeping in has also disappeared, police confirmed

MONDAY

Homicide detectives were brought in to assist with the land search for Cleo on Monday as wild theories emerged online about what happened.

Her biological father Daniel Staines spent nearly three hours in Mandurah Police Station on Monday, 1,000km south from where Cleo disappeared, after voluntarily coming in to give a statement.

He was almost immediately ruled out of having any involvement in Cleo's disappearance. 

Some of the initial wild theories included that she had been swept out to sea with the tides, fallen down a 'drop hole' toilet in the ground or fell off a cliff.

Some of the initial wild theories included that she had been swept out to sea with the tides, fallen down a 'drop hole' toilet in the ground or fell off a cliff

Some of the initial wild theories included that she had been swept out to sea with the tides, fallen down a 'drop hole' toilet in the ground or fell off a cliff 

Several people claiming to be mediums came forward to claim Cleo had been abducted. One woman insisted a 'green rusty tin door' is crucial to finding the four-year-old after seeing it in a vision.

'May I please have a map ASAP,' the woman who claims to be a professional medium said on social media.

'Green rusty garage tin door needs looking into.' 

There are mounting concerns for little Cleo Smith's (pictured with her mum Ellie and partner Jake Gliddon) safety after she went missing at a remote campsite on Saturday morning

There are mounting concerns for little Cleo Smith's (pictured with her mum Ellie and partner Jake Gliddon) safety after she went missing at a remote campsite on Saturday morning

TUESDAY 

The search in and around Blowholes campsite was temporarily suspended due to wild weather in the area, causing further concerns about Cleo's safety if she had wandered off in the area.

But by Tuesday afternoon, Cleo's mum and stepdad provided an update that offered the first indication that it was more likely than not that the four-year-old had been abducted.

The zipper leading to Cleo's room in the tent was completely opened from the top, which she wouldn't have been able to reach.  

Body language expert David Stephens from Critical Insights said the couple appeared to be trying to keep it together during the interview.

Body language experts have weighed in on the interview analysing the gestures, tone of voice and facial expressions of the couple

Body language experts have weighed in on the interview analysing the gestures, tone of voice and facial expressions of the couple 

Friends of Cleo's family said the smart four-year-old (pictured) 'wouldn't just wander' away from the tent

Friends of Cleo's family said the smart four-year-old (pictured) 'wouldn't just wander' away from the tent

He said the gesture, tone of voice and facial expressions seen during the interview indicated truth-telling while mirroring the couple's sadness and distress. 

Ms Smith's voice faltered as she relayed the moment she unzipped the tent to discover her four-year-old was missing. 

'Her gestures and illustrators, of which there are several, broadly match what she is saying, which is a good indication that she is being truthful,' he said.  

'The pitch of her voice, her tone and facial expressions generally match what she is saying verbally, which indicates distress and sadness.'

While Ms Smith fought back tears, Mr Gliddon sat quietly by her side. 

Cleo's stepdad Jake Gliddon was frantic, according to a camper on the scene who assisted with the search

Cleo's stepdad Jake Gliddon was frantic, according to a camper on the scene who assisted with the search

Cleo (pictured with her baby sister) was barely one when her stepdad met her mum and 'took her on as his own'

Cleo (pictured with her baby sister) was barely one when her stepdad met her mum and 'took her on as his own'

Mr Gliddon was frantic when he realised Cleo was missing, according to a camper on the scene who assisted with the search.

He started dating Ms Smith two-and-a-half years ago, when Cleo was barely one. It's understood he has raised Cleo as his own ever since. 

A close friend of the couple said Mr Gliddon 'absolutely adores Cleo [and] took her on as his own not long after she was born'.

'He may be a stepfather but those kids mean the world to him... He's a great dad.'      

WEDNESDAY

Detectives revealed up to 20 sex offenders live near the campsite where Cleo was last seen.

Assistant WA Police Commissioner Darryl Gaunt said detectives have been making inquiries about their whereabouts but officers believe that none were involved.

They also confirmed they are investigating nearby campers' claims they heard the sound of 'screeching' tyres in the early hours of the morning.  

Cleo's mother Ellie Smith revealed yesterday that Cleo had been sleeping in a separate area of the tent, with her baby sister Isla just metres away

Cleo's mother Ellie

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