THIS is heartbreaking moment Cleo Smith’s mum breaks down in tears as she opens up about her daughter’s harrowing abduction five years on.
Gut-wrenching footage shows Ellie Smith getting overwhelmed as she recounts the traumatic ordeal.
Ellie Smith broke down in tears as she described the moment she realised her daughter had been taken Credit: Youtube / 60 Minutes Australia
Cleo was rescued after authorities broke into the locked property in the early hours of the morning Credit: AP
In October 2021, Cleo was taken from a remote campsite north of Perth in one of ‘s most high-profile disappearances that stunned the world.
In an interview with 60 Minutes , Ellie described the moment she realised her daughter was missing.
She said: “The second we realised she was gone and her sleeping bag was gone … that was the second we knew she did not walk away.”
“There were no drag marks of the sleeping bag. We knew she couldn’t have carried it.
Kidnapper Terence Darrell Kelly winked to the camera as he was taken into police custody Credit: Getty
“We were hoping she was around the corner. Deep down, we knew she did not walk away.
“She was taken.”
The terrified little girl was then held just streets away from her family home in Carnarvon, Western Australia for 18 days.
Fighting back tears, Ellie said: “There was no way I thought it was anyone in Carnarvon that did it.
“We grew up there, I was born there, and someone that lived there was the person that did it.”
After discovering her whereabouts, authorities burst into a locked property at around 1am.
cameras show the moment Cleo was carried in an officer’s arms to safety.
In the audio clip, a male police officer can be heard saying “we got her, we got her”.
Ellie said she could not believe it when she found out the kidnapper was also from her hometown Credit: Youtube / 60 Minutes Australia
Cleo’s family say she is now a loving big sister who enjoys extra-curricular activities Credit: Facebook
Another cop says “come here, come here, I got you bubby” as another says “what’s your name sweetheart?”.
Terence Darrell Kelly later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a minimum of 13 and a half years in .
He must serve a minimum of 11 and a half years before becoming eligible for parole.
Cleo reportedly told cops while being held at the home of her kidnapper.
It also emerged that Kelly was obsessed with Bratz dolls, with pictures showing dozens of them in the house where she was found.
One of Kelly’s many social media profiles was a page devoted to his obsession with the figurines.
Kelly was also reportedly as she shared updates on the nationwide search.
His Facebook account interacted with news stories about the missing four-year-old.
Now eight-years-old, her family says Cleo is a loving big sister and enjoys activities like .
She even recently travelled overseas for the first time to compete in an international tournament.
In September 2024, the rejected a bid to reduce Kelly’s sentence after lawyers argued his mental impairments and severe personality dysfunction were not duly considered.
Kelly’s lawyers also argued the judge did not give enough consideration to his childhood trauma.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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