An army of ordinary Australians led the hunt for Cleo Smith with a tireless online and real-life campaign to keep the case in the public gaze until she was found.
Mum Evelyn Fowkes set up the Bring Cleo Smith Home Facebook group on the day the four year old went missing from the Blowholes campsite in Western Australia.
By the time the toddler was found by police on Wednesday in a locked house in Carnarvon 18 days later, the group had grown to more than 65,000 members.
Made up of a mix of worried mums, wannabe bounty hunters, true crime obsessives and likely a handful of police officers, the group banned the trolls and conspiracy theories that had plagued the investigation since it began.
Admins endured death threats, stalkers and vicious personal attacks for blocking the liars and trouble-makers from the group.
An army of ordinary Australians led the hunt for Cleo Smith (pictured) with a tireless online and real-life campaign to keep the case in the public gaze until she was found
By the time the toddler was found by police on Wednesday in a locked house in Carnarvon 18 days later, the group (pictured) had grown to more than 65,000 members
And instead they focused on daily updates on the hunt for Cleo, scouring the outback in satellite images and news reports for possible clues.
They also banded together to create, print and pay for thousands of stickers, flyers and posters with her face and also a QR code to the police investigation tip-off line.
They also arranged for giant billboards and in-store displays to show Cleo posters.
In a show of unity with parents Ellie and Jake, group members changed their profile pics to pictures of little Cleo last weekend to spread the hunt far and wide.
By the time Cleo was found, the group boasted members from across the world, checking in frequently for the latest updates on the desperate hunt for the toddler.
Mum Evelyn Fowkes (pictured) set up the Bring Cleo Smith Home Facebook group on the day the four year old went missing from the Blowholes campsite in Western Australia
The Facebook group banded together to create, print and pay for thousands of stickers, flyers, t-shirts (pictured) and posters with Cleo's picture to spread the hunt nationwide
Despite doomsayers elsewhere online, the group never gave up on their belief that she would one day be found safe and well.
Just two days ago, one admin posted:
