Witnesses have reported to police that they saw a car close to the campsite where Cleo Smith, the missing girl, vanished. This was around the time that the tires were squeaking.
Rod Wilde, the lead detective superintendent, stated Sunday that the car was seen around 3am on Oct 16 when Cleo vanished.
The car was headed towards Carnarvon, turning south from Blowholes Road.
Other campers have reported that they heard screeching tires leaving the campsite at 3am, which coincides with the timing of the car sighting.
Police say that witnesses have claimed to have seen a car at Cleo Smith’s vanished scene. This coincides well with evidence of screeching tires being heard at the campsite where she disappeared.
Rod Wilde, Detective Superintendent, is the lead in the case. He said that a car was seen at 3am on Saturday, October 16, when Cleo vanished. The car turned south off Blowholes Road, near where the family was camping, and headed towards Carnarvon.
Superintendent Wilde stated that the evidence was credible and that the witnesses only came forward after learning about the possible abduction. They didn’t consider their sightings of the car to be significant at the time.
He said, “Obviously at the time it was observed by the people, it wasn’t anything of great importance.”
They just came forward after hearing the news about Cleo, and they realized the significance.
‘Fortunately, they have come forward and passed it on to us so now we are keen to talk to the person driving and anyone else in that vehicle to talk to us.
The new witnesses were travelling north on the North West Coastal Highway on their way to work when they spotted the mysterious vehicle leaving the camping ground.
The four-year-old Carnarvon local has been missing since Saturday October 16
Drone vision shows the Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon where Cleo disappeared
Unfortunately, they couldn’t give a description of either the car or how many were inside because it was too dark.
Superintendent Wilde stated, “We want the person/persons who were in that car to come forward and contact police.”
“We want information about who they were and their activities.
Although the time is not precise, we believe it to have occurred between 3am-3:30am. It was a passenger vehicle and not a truck, according to us.
Another major piece of evidence police received is Cleo’s voice being heard on CCTV footage near the beach shacks a day before she disappeared.
This is significant because it eliminates any suspicion that the child was not brought to the camping grounds by her parents.
“It was just after they arrived. It’s motion-sensitive, so it was by [their vehicle],’ Superintendent Wilde said.
‘It’s very limited… we’ve reviewed that and we believe it’s Cleo’s voice that’s heard on the CCTV.’
Cleo Smith disappeared mysteriously. The top cop investigating this case (pictured) said that he believes the little girl is still living in her home state.
While detectives admit that young Cleo could be “anywhere” by now, they believe it is more likely she’s still in WA.
‘It’s always possible but it’s more likely that if someone has taken Cleo that they would still be within WA,’ Supt Wilde told the West Australian.
‘If they had crossed the border, it would imply that someone from the Eastern States had committed the offence, when it’s more likely that — if that is what’s happened – the offender would be from here.’
Although initially thought that the little girl had wandered towards the ocean or the rugged scrublands near her, detectives now believe Cleo was abducted from her by a child predator.
According to the most popular theory, she was abducted while sleeping in a tent on a remote camping site with her mother Ellie Smith or her stepfather Jake Gliddon.
Her parents woke to find her missing, as well as her adult-sized red & grey sleeping bag. This suggests she may have been taken out and loaded into a car in the middle of the night.
Jake Gliddon (pictured), Ellie Smith, and her partner Jake Gliddon were fronted by the media for the first-time Tuesday after Cleo, four-year old, went missing from the Blowholes campsite north Carnarvon in Western Australia.
Cleo (pictured) was initially thought to have wandered towards the ocean or the rugged scrublands near the coast. However, detectives now believe that Cleo was abducted from her by a brazen child predator
According to the WA police, they are still in contact with federal agencies across the country to ensure that the little girl doesn’t slip through the cracks.
“Photos, posters, and descriptions of Cleo have been widely publicized throughout the country, but there are no credible sightings or leads to indicate that she has been taken into interstate custody,” Supt Wilde stated.
The detective stated that if Cleo were abducted, the person responsible would be bold and brazen to take her as she lay beside her family.
He said that it would have seemed ‘opportunistic’ for the abductor not to take Cleo out of the tent within hours after her family arrived at campsite.
Police are still investigating ‘all avenues’ to find the little girl, believing she could be ‘anywhere’. However, a top cop stated that it’s more likely that Cleo (pictured) is still in her home.
Cleo (pictured together with her mother Ellie Smith), disappeared from a tent at a camping spot near Carnarvon on Western Australia’s northwest coast on October 16.
Police are still not sure if the little girl was taken by an individual or a group of accomplices. Additional detectives have been sent from Perth to assist in the search.
Superintendent Wilde said that the family did not see anything suspicious at the campsite, and that there was no evidence Cleo was in the beach shacks just a few meters from the campground.
He encouraged anyone with information on the disappearance of the four-year-old to come forward and claim the $1,000,000 reward.
He said, “If not for the fact that there is a small child missing then for the monetary rewards available,”
After police were seen at the family’s home on Saturday, they stated that they are investigating all avenues.
She was in the tent with her stepdad, mother, and baby sister Isla (pictured), when she vanished.
Supt Wilde asked anyone with information on the 4-year-old’s mysterious disappearance to come forward and claim $1million.
One theory suggests that Cleo may have been taken from the tent by someone who had visited the home before, which would indicate that the abduction was premeditated.
Police have not entered the house after spotting a green spray that was used to detect fingerprints on the fence.
Cleo’s mom also posted on her Instagram: ‘Please come back to me. Any information, big or small. Find my little girl.
Although detectives have confirmed that there were known sex offenders in the area at Cleo’s disappearance, they are not currently looking for any suspects.
Crime Stoppers is available at 1800 333 000 for any information.
Cleo Smith woke up in middle of the night, asked her parents for water, and disappeared hours later.