Cruel online trolling has been accusing Cleo Smith’s parents of being involved with the girl’s disappearance. Detectives have confirmed that they are not suspects, and the WA premier must defend them.
‘We want to make it clear — they are not suspects in this investigation. They have been helping us. Rod Wilde is the Detective Superintendent and is leading this investigation.
Four-year-old Cleo disappeared from her family’s tent at the Quobba Blowholes campsite, near Carnarvon in Western Australia in the early hours of October 16.
Premier Mark McGowan spoke on Sunday to say that Cleo’s stepdad Jake and Ellie were experiencing a lot of worry and suffering. He should not have had to endure any more cruelty.
Cleo Smith (pictured), was reported missing from her tent at a WA campsite, October 16. This prompted a massive police search.
WA Premier Mark McGowan (pictured), said he was shocked by the abuse and accusations directed at the distraught parents of the four-year old.
“They say the most horrific and shocking things they would never say otherwise.” McGowan stated that he urged them to stop.
He added those who hurled anonymous insults online were nothing but cowards and there needed to be a return to treating people with decency and respect – particularly in a case like this where people were distraught.
While most of the online commentary is well-intentioned, there have been some people who have made abuse of Cleo parents and made accusations.
The Sunday Telegraph was told by Det Supt Wilde that Jake and Ellie had been engaging in’very disgusting behaviour online and making comments online.
He stated that they were able keep it together despite extreme stress and had relied on their family and friends to support them.
“We keep in touch with them every day, keeping them informed and doing everything we can to help. But it is a terrible place that no one wants.
Cleo’s parents Ellie, and Jake (pictured) were ruled out by the lead detective in the case as being involved with Cleo’s disappearance.
Det Supt Walde also ruled out Cleo’s biological father Daniel Staines, who was in Mandurah (where he lives about 1,000km from the Quobba Blowholes).
He said that Mr Staines has never had anything to with Cleo, and he was nowhere near the area.
Cleo disappeared in two weeks. Cleo’s remains have not been found. Cleo offered a $1million reward to anyone with information about her whereabouts, and a huge police operation.
Dave Sadecky, the owner of a nearby shack gave the CCTV footage of Cleo to police. This placed her at the campsite the night before she disappeared.
Little Cleo Smith has been missing since two weeks. She was last seen at the Blowholes campground in Carnarvon, WA.
Dave Sadecky, who owns the nearby shack at campsite, captured Cleo’s voice on his shack’s CCTV system and gave it to police
The motion-sensitive camera is installed inside the beach shack that was only 20 metres from the family tent. It takes wide-angled photos of everyone who enters or exits it.
The camera records audio and images inside a painted wooden box with glass front. This would not be apparent to passers-by.
After learning of the news, Mr Sadecky and his wife immediately jumped onto their quad bikes to join in the search.
According to Mr Sadecky, ‘I didn’t know the intricacies of what was happening, but everyone was panicked.’
‘People dropped everything and came to help … they were everywhere on Saturday like ants — it’s not a normal sight.’
Cleo was last seen by the couple on the day they left.
She had woken up Saturday morning at 1.30am to ask Ellie for water. But when her parents woke at 6am, Cleo was gone.
Cleo, four years old, woke up Saturday morning at 1.30am to ask Ellie for water. But when Ellie woke her parents at 6am, Cleo was gone
Detectives discovered that the zipper on the tent Cleo was staying in had been opened. It was too high for Cleo to reach.
“Everyone was emotional. People were clearly stressed and anxious, but they wanted to help. We have never seen anything like this before. We’re there every other Saturday, we’re kicking our selves that we weren’t there that night,” Mr Sadecky said.
He stated that the campsite would now be “tainted” by what had happened to Blowholes, a local.
He said that there was a tight-knit neighborhood in the area, and that people often left their doors unlocked.
Cleo’s stepdad Jake Gliddon and Ellie Smith are close friends. They say detectives do not want to give them false hopes.
“There’s nothing worse than telling someone, “We’re going find her” or, “We think we have the person”, and then they don’t have the person or don’t find her,” the friend told West.
Cleo is pictured with her mother Ellie Smith. Anyone with information about her disappearance is eligible for a $1million reward
“Police aren’t going give you false hope and this is what we said from the beginning.”
Cleo was missing from the campsite when her family friend was there and he helped search the area for Cleo.
He said that her distraught parents also had to deal in the aftermath with online trolls, who pointed fingers at them in the days following the disappearance of their daughter.
Police have ruled that Ms Smith as well as Mr Gliddon are not suspects. Daily Mail Australia isn’t suggesting that they had any involvement in her disappearance.
“I know it’s affecting their lives,” the friend said. “I hope they don’t look at this too much,” the friend said.
This comes after it was revealed that detectives from the 100-strong taskforce responded to 200 possible sightings of Cleo within the two weeks since her disappearance.
This comes after it was revealed that detectives from the 100-strong taskforce responded to 200 possible sightings of Cleo within the two weeks since her disappearance.
Detective Superintendent Rob Wilde stated that “Unfortunately, all of those have proven ineffective.”
“That’s been a national effort, and other policing jurisdictions helped us follow those leads, so we are very grateful.
Although none of the leads are accurate, he still calls on the public for Cleo to continue his search and report any useful information.