Amazing audio of Cleo's rescue, plus Premier owes her a new pair of shoes
WA Police have released audio of the moment 4-year-old Cleo Smith was rescued. One officer can be heard reassuring Cleo as they pick her up, saying “I’ve got you bubby”, while another asks Cleo, “What’s your name, sweetheart?” To this, she responds, “My name is Cleo”, to which the officer responds, “Your name is Cleo”, while another says “Hello Cleo”.
It’s a heartwarming moment, as is the moment Cleo is carried outside the house she was found in, which police released video footage of on Wednesday soon after announcing she had been safely located and returned to her family.
In a press conference earlier today, Detective Senior Sergeant Blaine said that Cleo was found awake in a room with the lights on, playing with toys. The home was in Carnarvon, the Western Australian town where the Smith family lives. She had been missing for 18 days when she was finally found around midnight on Wednesday.
Blaine said that Cleo appeared to be in good spirits, "From our point of view, I'm amazed she seems to be so well-adjusted and happy, it was really, heart-warming to see.
“She is playing in the backyard, exactly how you would expect, like how my daughter did when she was four-years-old."
Premier Mark McGowan had the opportunity to meet her on Thursday, bringing with him two teddies – one for Cleo, and one for her younger sister Isla. They named the teddies Cameron and Rod, after the detective who rescued her and the lead investigator on the case, but he wasn’t sure if those names would stick, joking to reporters that “Cleo didn’t seem too enamoured with those names.”
McGowan also revealed an embarrassing moment that transpired during the meeting. “I unfortunately trod on her new Barbie shoes and broke one of them, so I owe her a pair of shoes,” he said. Despite that unfortunate incident, the Premier said she was a “very bright, upbeat, sweet little girl” and described the Smith family as “very humble” and “very well adjusted” considering their ordeal.
“It was a lovely experience to meet her. She was, I thought, very well adjusted considering and the family were very appreciative of everything that has been done for them. They’re ... fundamentally decent, honest human beings ... they’re really lovely people and it’s great to meet them and acknowledge what they’ve been through.
“Obviously, there’ll be a way to go from here but they’re certainly on the right pathway.”
Image: WA Police