The disappearance of Cleo Smith

This is a case which I have seen referred to as "another Madeleine McCann" one.

https://7news.com.au/news/missing-person/search-for-cleo-smith-brings-police-back-to-campgrounds-where-little-girl-went-missing-c-4351592

An upcoming Behaviour Panel video.

Amazing news - which will no doubt "buoy" the McCanns and their supporters.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/cleo-smith-missing-girl-found-western-australia/13344c4b-cbce-4ca9-957c-d467ed71b73f?ocid=Social-9News

Thank you, that's great news. I was thinking that this could be a very rare case where was no parental involvement.

https://news.sky.com/story/cleo-smith-missing-four-year-old-found-in-locked-house-detectives-say-they-were-shocked-and-elated-12458576

I'm of course delighted that Cleo has been found alive and apparently well - I saw TV coverage of her sitting up in hospital and smiling away.

But she was gone for over 2 weeks. A 35 year old (?) man has been arrested. What was his motive? To take a child from a tent where all her family were is quite an achievement. Surely the motive could only be to sexually abuse her. There was no ransom demand. What was he doing with her for all the time he was away?

Presumably we will know all the details in due course.

There was a case in England in the 1990s where a 4 year old boy was abducted from a park. Six weeks later he was found alive and apparently unharmed. He was with a teenage misfit who was lonely.

P.S. I have been reading opinions elsewhere on this case and some of them share your doubts, Antonia.

When I posted earlier, I did not realise that Cleo's mum's partner is not her father.

Could the mother have been difficult about access for the natural father and he felt so upset he took her? This would explain why, apparently, Cleo is unharmed.

Was the mother honest with the police about Cleo's parentage?

There's mention here of Cleo's natural father and where he lives. I think I was aware from very early on that Jake is not her natural father.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/missing-wa-girl-cleo-smith-found-alive-and-well-carnarvon-man-in-custody/news-story/c092b6ef256c120911f9dd69bf75afc5

Heard today the man arrested is Terence kelly, an unemployed man living in social housing who has had to be taken to hospital twice during his 2 days of questioning with self inflicted injuries.

A friend of the mother set up the gofundmepage to help pay for a search with any balance to go to the mother.....

The friend who set it up says the mother asked him to close it down now that Cleo is found. Well she could hardly do otherwise!

The fund raised over AUS$87,000.

Something stinks....?

Oh dear, why the need for a fund to help find Cleo when the police were going all out to do just that?

Thanks to a couple nearer home to those of us in the U K, we are never going to believe anyone again!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-59162188

Pat Brown's thoughts on the subject.

Guinea Pig wrote:Amazing news - which will no doubt "buoy" the McCanns and their supporters.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/cleo-smith-missing-girl-found-western-australia/13344c4b-cbce-4ca9-957c-d467ed71b73f?ocid=Social-9News

You were right!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/cleo-smith-update-terence-kelly-b1951521.html

Madeleine McCann’s parents say they have been given “hope” by Cleo Smith being found.

The four-year-old’s case was labelled “Australia’s Madeleine McCann” due to similarities to Madeleine’s disappearance during a family holiday in Portugal 14 years ago.

Kate and Gerry McCann are reportedly “thankful” that Cleo has been found well, a source close to the family told the Sun.

No news yet if the now closed gofundme page which raised over AUS$ 87,000 has returned the money to donors, given it to childrens charities or - most likely - given it all to Cleo's mum which was the intention according to the friend who set it up, if there was money left after the search costs.

The press should be asking this question until they get an answer - how can the mother take this money when there was no expenses paid out of it?

It was closed before Cleo was found at the request apparently of Ellie and Jake.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/major-blow-in-cleo-smith-search-as-87k-go-fund-me-shut-down-232056511.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAK7eGc6ZGbSwoP181gKDdSROS84EaNAX-7mWNzgSApHRQXzh5ahHOXSwJv-XhiMpZqAz-nKhocJKAcDqBVPdhO8hJH6qrCOzo126Su9gEeI8_C4LJXEuQZ0ZAX9_5E1-NeYg8cHsiIw-utILal4EVIUB35ZOcYzKPQSTkGRePm2e

In a media article I read, it states that Cleo's mum got Aus$2 million for the long interview.

Not bad And it makes me suspicious about the genuineness of the abduction. Was a mentally ill man manipulated into doing it?

Would she have to pay Australian tax on that money?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10483425/Cleo-Smith-mum-dad-plan-about.html

I know what you mean, Antonia.

I'm puzzled about the earlier reports that Cleo said there was a woman who looked after her. It's unlikely that Terence Kelly could have done so on his own.

A belated report on the sentencing. I am still puzzled by Cleo's statement that a woman looked after her.

https://news.sky.com/story/cleo-smith-man-sentenced-to-13-years-in-prison-for-abducting-four-year-old-12850806

Plus a new programme on the case.