Hero cop who led the team that rescued Cleo Smith visits her mother ahead of a week of detailed interviews with the little girl about her 18 day ordeal
- WA Detective Sergeant Cameron Blaine was pictured visiting Cleo Smith's home
- Detective led the team that stormed the house where she was allegedly found
- The top cop will spend a week in Carnarvon as crucial interviews are conducted
- Sources say Cleo will be asked carefully-worded and non-threatening questions
- She had disappeared from the Blowholes campsite 75km away on October 16
- Carnarvon man Terrence Kelly, 36, has now been charged with Cleo's abduction
The hero police officer who led the team that stormed the home of Cleo Smith's alleged abductor has visited her mother ahead of a week of crucial interviews.
A smiling Detective Sergeant Cameron Blaine was pictured receiving a friendly send-off from Cleo's mother Ellie Smith from her Carnarvon home on Monday.
The top cop is currently preparing for a painstaking week of interviews with the brave four-year-old to learn more details of her 18-day ordeal.
He led the team that broke down the door of a duplex occupied by local man Terrence Darrell Kelly, 36, and allegedly found the little girl playing with toys.
Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine was seen visiting the home of Cleo Smith's mother Ellie (pictured) ahead of a week of crucial interviews with the little girl
Sergeant Blaine was welcomed by a flurry of photographers and reporters as he stepped off a police jet that flew in to the small town from Perth (pictured)
Det Sgnt Blaine was welcomed by a flurry of photographers and reporters as he stepped off a police jet that flew from Perth to the small town.
It comes just days after the top cop paid Cleo and her family a visit last Friday, just 48 hours after he led the team that liberated the little girl from her captivity.
He was dressed in a casual polo T-shirt and pants as he made a low-key visit to the property - his casual look a striking contrast to the suit and tie he wore on the night he helped rescue the four-year-old.
Police broke down the door and found the little girl alive as Detective Sergeant Cameron Blaine asked her three times to tell him her name.
He earlier opened up about the incredible moment she was rescued to reporters, which he has described as the 'best moment' of his career.
It comes just days after the hero detective paid Cleo and her family a visit last Friday, just 48 hours after he led the team that liberated the little girl from her captivity
He earlier opened up about the incredible moment she was rescued to reporters, which he has described as the 'best moment' of his career
'I just wanted to be absolutely sure that, it certainly looks like Cleo, I wanted to be sure it was her,' he said.
'I said, "what is your name?" She didn't answer, I asked three times and then she looked at me and said, "my name is Cleo." And that was it.
'Then we turned around and walked out of the house. Not long after that, we got into the car and the officer I was with called Cleo's parents and said ''we've got someone here that wants to speak to you''.
'It was a wonderful feeling to make that call. They were ecstatic.'
The top cop will spend a week in Carnarvon as officers from the Western Australian Police Force's child abuse squad conduct interviews with the four-year-old.
The detective was also seen visiting the dilapidated Tonkin Crescent home of Cleo's alleged abductor as officers organised bags of evidence outside the property.
Sergeant Blaine (pictured) will spend a week in Carnarvon as specialist police prepare to hold short 'conversational' sessions with Cleo to learn more details of her 18-day ordeal
The top cop was pictured receiving a friendly send-off from Cleo's mother Ellie Smith at her Carnarvon home on Monday (pictured)
He also visited the dilapidated Tonkin Crescent home of Cleo's alleged abductor as officers organised bags of evidence outside the property
Mr Kelly has since been charged with with kidnapping Cleo from a camping ground 75km north of Carnarvon on September 16 and remains in a Perth jail.
Specialist police have already begun delicately interviewing the brave four-year-old about the time she spent in the home in short 'conversational' sessions.
Daily Mail Australia understands detectives have restricted their chats with the four-year-old girl to no more than 20 minutes at a time to limit any further trauma.
A source familiar with the investigation said officers would be asking Cleo carefully worded, non-threatening questions such as what she liked and didn't like about her alleged abductor.
The interviewing style would be conversational, with breaks after 15 to 20 minutes. If there was any sign of tiredness or frustration from the child the interview would stop.
Police tasked with interviewing children of Cleo's age in criminal investigations often employed props such as colouring pencils during the process.
Cleo Smith and her mother Ellie Smith are pictured on Thursday just a day after her dramatic rescue from a run-down Carnarvon home
As he stepped on the plane, a charter Cessna 441, Terrence Darrell Kelly - who has been charged with the kidnapping of Cleo Smith - appeared to wink at photographers (pictured)
Senior Sergeant Blaine said last week that discussing the details of events could jeopardise the prosecution's case by diluting the accuracy of Cleo's information.
It's not always the case that people understand that, but we want to see a successful prosecution at the end of the day for the people who are responsible,' he said.
'We've given them advice around that, and that must be incredibly hard for them, so we appreciate their assistance and cooperation with that.'
Cleo was awake and 'playing with toys' when detectives broke down the door of Kelly's house, just after 1.30am on November 3.
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Bodycam footage showed the brave little girl being carried out of the property with her hair clean and brushed and her pyjamas appearing freshly washed.
Uncovering what happened during the 18 days Cleo was away from her parents could take several weeks, according to sources.
Meanwhile, forensic officers spent all day Sunday combing through Kelly's house and gathering evidence for laboratory examination.
Meanwhile, forensic officers spent all day Sunday combing through Kelly's house and gathering evidence for laboratory examination
Two trailer-loads of evidence were bagged up and removed from the alleged abductor's home
Detectives broke down a locked door inside this home on Tonkin Crescent in Brockman, WA, where they found Cleo in a well lit room playing with toys
Two trailer-loads of evidence were bagged up and removed from the alleged abductor's home as forensic teams spent their fifth day combing through the property.
The top to bottom search of the roped-off housing commission property is likely to go on for several weeks as prosecutors build their case against Kelly.
Since his arrest, it's been revealed Kelly had an obsession with collecting dolls and boasted about his love for girls' toys on various social media pages.
Several photographs he posted showed Bratz and Disney princess dolls stacked in a room from floor to ceiling.
A tradie who worked on Kelly's house has told investigators the loner had a room decorated for a little girl, and had claimed he had a young daughter.
The man who was hired to paint the rented duplex was interviewed by police in the days following Kelly's arrest and said he had seen a room with doll-lined shelves.
CLEO DISAPPEARANCE TIMELINE
By Olivia Day for Daily Mail Australia
Friday, October 15
Cleo along with her mother Ellie Smith, her partner Jake Gliddon and her little sister Isla Mae arrive at the Blowholes campsite around 6:30pm.
They had a 'quiet' night and arrived at sunset.
Saturday, October 16
1:30am: Parents' last sighting of Cleo in the tent she shared with her parents and baby sister when the four-year-old asks for some water.
6.23am: Ellie calls 000 to report her eldest daughter missing as she continues to search the camp ground.
6.30am: The first two officers are dispatched from Carnarvon police station. They travel to Blowholes as a matter of priority, with sirens and lights.
6.41am: A second police car with another two officers is sent to Blowholes, also with lights and sirens.
7.10am: The first police car arrives. The second is only minutes behind.
7.26am: Police on the scene establish a protected forensic area which is taped off to the public, surrounding the family tent where Cleo was last seen.
7.33am: A drone operator is called upon to search from the skies.
7.44am: A third police car is dispatched to the Blowholes.
8am: Family and friends of Cleo's parents begin to arrive to help with the ground search.
Another group of detectives briefly searches Cleo's home to make sure she's not there.
They then head to Blowholes and begin stopping cars coming into and leaving the area.
8.09am: A helicopter from a local company arrived at the scene and started searching as police request an SES team attend the Blowholes search.
8.24am: Police air-wing and volunteer marine searchers are called in to assist with the search.
8.34am: Roadblocks are set up at the entrance of Blowholes as detectives gather the names, registration details and addresses of people coming and going. Police search cars.
9.25am: Nine SES personel arrive at the Blowholes to assist with the search.
Investigators, bounty hunters and officers from the Australian Federal Police have spent two-and-a-half weeks searching for missing four-year-old Cleo (pictured)
9.30am: Detectives sit down with a distressed Ellie and remain by her side for the rest of the day while other search crews hunt for Cleo.
11am: Homicide detectives from the Major Crime Division are called and begin travelling from Perth to assist with the search.
1pm: More homicide detectives and search experts are flown in from Perth.
3pm: Officers and search experts arrive in Carnarvon to offer their expertise.
Sunday, October 17
Ms Smith takes to social media to plead for help finding her missing daughter.
A Facebook post uploaded at 1:45am on Sunday which said: 'It's been over 24 hours since I last seen the sparkle in my little girl's eyes.
'Please help me find her!
'If you hear or see anything at all please call the police!'
Police suggest Cleo may have been abducted.
Monday, October 18
Police release an image of the red and grey sleeping bag missing from Cleo's tent.
Cleo's biological father is interviewed by police in Mandurah and is asked to provide a statement, which he does so willingly.
WA Police with the help of SES members, volunteers and aircraft continue the land hunt for Cleo, with officers searching nearby shacks and vehicles in the area.
Tuesday, October 19
Cleo's mother Ellie Smith and her partner Jake Gliddon front the media for the first time and describe the terrifying moment they realised the little girl was missing.
Ms Smith says her four-year-old would never have left the tent by herself.
Police release new images of Cleo and the pink and blue one-piece she was wearing the night she went missing to aid the investigation.
Investigators urge anyone who was at the campsite or in the vicinity on October 15 to get in contact with police.
Wednesday, October 20
Police reveal the zip of the family tent, which was found hanging wide open by her mother at 6am on Saturday morning, was too high for Cleo to reach.
Officers say they 'haven't ruled out' reports from campers who heard the sound of screeching tyres in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Deputy Police Commissioner Daryl Gaunt confirms officers are investigating the whereabouts of 20 registered sex offenders in the Carnarvon area.
Thursday, October 21
The WA Government offers a $1million reward for information that leads to Cleo's location announced by WA Premier Mark McGowan.
'All Western Australians' thoughts are with Cleo's family during what is an unimaginably difficult time,' Mr McGowan said.
'We're all praying for a positive outcome.'
The speed of the reward being issued - within days of her disappearance - was unprecedented.
Pictured: Police are seen examining rubbish left near the Blowholes campsite in remote WA
Monday, October 25
WA Police confirm Cleo was definitely at the camp site - on CCTV footage on a camera installed inside a beach shack just 20 metres from the family tent she disappeared from.
Tuesday, October 26
Forensic officers and detectives spent much of the day at her home in Carnarvon, 900km north of Perth, on Tuesday and left with two bags of evidence.
Although investigators had been to the home before, this was the first time they thoroughly searched inside with a forensics team.
Acting WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the search of the family home was 'standard practice' and did not indicate they were suspects in Cleo's disappearance.
Wednesday, October 27
WA Police forensics officers return to the Blowholes campground and are seen collecting soil samples from a number of campfires near shacks in the area.
The federal government announce Australian Federal Police officers had been drafted in to support forensic and intelligence efforts.
Friday, October 29
Police return to the Blowholes camp to analyse the area with drones.
Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde returns to the Blowholes campsite to join the search for Cleo as the search hit the two-week mark.
He confirms national and international agencies are engaged in the search for Cleo.
Sunday, October 31
Detectives go door-knocking at a number of homes along the North West Coastal Highway in the North Plantations, 5km from Cleo's hometown on Sunday.
Monday, November 1
Detectives sort through mounds of rubbish from roadside bins located hundreds of kilometres away from the campsite she vanished from.
The material was transported to Perth, where forensic officers and recruits sorted through hundreds of bags in search of items that may have helped them find Cleo.
Officers issue a plea for dash cam and CCTV footage from within a 1000km radius of where the four-year-old disappeared.
Police renew an appeal for more businesses in Carnarvon to provide footage and go door to door in an industrial area on the outskirts of the town.
Her elated mother, Ellie, (pictured, with Cleo, her partner and younger daughter) broke her silence the morning Cleo was found, sharing a series of love heart emojis on Instagram
Wednesday, November 3
After two-and-a-half weeks of searching Cleo Smith is found alive and well in the early hours of November 3.
WA Police Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch confirmed just before 7am AEST that little Cleo is alive and well and had been reunited with her relieved parents.
'One of the officers picked her up into his arms and asked her 'what's your name?' he said. 'She said: 'My name is Cleo'.'
Ellie Smith posted to social media: 'Our family is whole again'.
A Carnarvon man is taken in custody and questioned by detectives.
On October 19, Ellie Smith (pictured) and her partner Jake Gliddon fronted the media for the first time and begged the public to report any information 'big or small'
Thursday, November 4
Terry Darrell Kelly, 36, was charged with multiple offences including forcibly taking a child under 16 and appeared in Carnarvon Magistrate's Court barefoot and wearing a black T-shirt.
