Two weeks later in the search for Cleo Smith and the police, along with the rest of the country, still asking: where is she?
The four-year-old was camping with her family when she disappeared from a tent at Blowholes Campground sometime early in the morning of October 16th.
In the video above, police use new technology in their search for Cleo
While the investigation continues, detectives are in a race against time to find information about Cleo’s whereabouts.
It told forensic psychologist Tim Watson-Munro Sunrise the police are throwing a lot of resources on this case and suggesting that they are “closer to solving this case then we may be aware of it”.
“I think they probably know more than they let on,” Watson-Munro said Saturday.
“It could be a ploy to flush out other people who think they are not in the frame at the moment.”
“I think they keep their cards close to their chests. And strategically it’s wise.”
He said investigators would likely withhold information from the public to avoid giving people “red flags” about the investigation.
“I think they know more than they let on, and I think they are closer to resolving this issue than we may be aware of,” Watson-Munro added.
“I hope I’m right.”
With about 200 possible sightings reported to police, the case continues to grow, apparently more complex day by day.
Police have continued their focus on the community in which Cleo lived after returning to her family home for the third time to search for clues.
Police left the home in Carnarvon with evidence bags, but little is known yet whether this evidence has brought police closer to solving the case.
The police continue to use many different resources in their search, as the longer the time passes, the more difficult the case becomes.
“They’re throwing a lot of resources at this case, and a million-dollar reward was offered within days of her disappearance because they have to get on top of this quickly,” Watson-Munro said.
“Australia is a big country and the child could easily be taken to the other end of the nation.
“When the trail gets cold, it gets harder.
“The longer the time, the colder the track, and cold cases are notoriously hard to crack.”
Cleo Smith Search Update
Western Australian police have defended their initial search for the four-year-old, saying it was immediately given the highest priority.
Detective Inspector Rod Wilde, who heads the task force of more than 100 officers investigating Cleo’s disappearance, stood in front of the media on Friday to outline how police responded to the first report of missing children.
He said a police car with lights and sirens was sent from Carnarvon minutes after Cleo’s mother Ellie Smith called for triple-zero at 6:23 p.m.
The officers arrived at 7.10, shortly after followed by another police car. A third arrived about an hour later.
Officers cordoned off a spot with the tent around 7.26am, and a helicopter and drone were deployed for the search. Detectives went to the family home to hunt for signs of Cleo and began stopping vehicles near the campground.
But a roadblock was not established until at. 8.34, which opened up the possibility that other campers had already left the site.
“The first officers on site did a really good and thorough job. When they had some more resources, there was a roadblock at the entrance to the exit, ”Supt Wilde told reporters in Carnarvon.
“It was taken very seriously from the start.
“We not only did a search on land, at sea and in the air for the little girl, we also considered … there may be crime. That’s why we lined up with a team of detectives, not just in Carnarvon. , but also in Perth. “
Detectives have made several visits to Cleo’s family home in Carnarvon and collected samples from a campfire at Blowholes.
Police have stressed that the girl’s mother and her partner, Jake Gliddon, are not suspects.
Locals in the Carnarvon community, the wider community, the state police and even international agencies like the FBI have offered to help search for Cleo.
Taskforce Rodia’s senior detective Rod Wilde said police have not yet heard from the driver of a car seen leaving the campsite about two hours after Cleo was last seen in his family’s tent.
“It’s definitely a priority for us to identify who was in that vehicle,” Wilde said.
The apparent lack of response comes despite the WA government offering a $ 1 million reward for information leading to Cleo’s location.
But Supt Wilde insisted that the investigation was not hit by a dead end.
“We have lots of information, lots of leads that we follow through.”
“We interview people, identify who they are, build a clear picture of who was there and what happened.”
Police have questioned more than 100 campers who were at the scene around the time Cleo disappeared, but are asking others who were at the campground and who have not yet turned up to do so.
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