Terrified neighbour who shared a wall with Cleo Smith's doll-obsessed alleged kidnapper moves out of his duplex amid fears furious locals will burn the house to the ground when police leave
- Neighbour who lived on the other side of alleged abductor's duplex fears attack
- Tavake Vaitaki believes angry locals will destroy the building when police leave
- He's now fled to a new home on the other side of town before police guard ends
- Detectives are continuing to search area for clues, including Cleo's sleeping bag
A neighbour in the dilapidated duplex where little Cleo Smith was allegedly held captive has fled his home in fear of a vigilante reprisal attack on the building.
Police allegedly found the four-year-old in one half of the property on Tonkin Crescent in the Carnarvon suburb of Brockman, Western Australia.
Now terrified Tavake Vaitaki has packed up and moved out over concerns angry locals will burn down the building - including his home - when police leave the area.
Detectives smashed their way into his neighbour's locked house around 12.45am last Wednesday after they arrested alleged abductor Terry Kelly, 36, in his car nearby.
They allegedly found Cleo playing with toys in one of the bedrooms, 18 days after she vanished from her family's tent at Blowholes campsite, 75km away.
Tavake Vaitaki (pictured) has packed up and moved out over concerns angry locals will burn down the building - including his home - when police leave the area.
Police allegedly found four-year-old Cleo, seen here with mother Ellie, in one half of the property on Tonkin Crescent in the Carnarvon suburb of Brockman, Western Australia.
Social media pictures posted by Kelly revealed he was obsessed with dolls, and had filled a room with them, lining the walls from floor to ceiling.
Police and forensic experts have since pored over inch of Kelly's home and garden while keeping it under 24 hour guard.
But Mr Vaitaki fears furious residents will strike as soon as the round-the-clock police presence ends.
'There are people who are angry, I know for sure they will come here at night and smash the house,' he told The West Australian.
'The house is only safe now because police are there.
'Once the police are gone, we expect something will happen. One hundred per cent sure they will come here and smash the house.'
Social media pictures posted by Terry Kelly (pictured) revealed he was obsessed with dolls, and had filled a room with them, lining the walls from floor to ceiling
Police allegedly found the four year old in the other half of the property, seen here, on Tonkin Crescent in the Carnarvon suburb of Brockman, Western Australia
Tavake Vaitaki (pictured) fears furious residents will strike as soon as the round-the-clock police presence ends
He's now been offered a new home on the other side of town in South Carnarvon and is in the process of moving his belongings across town.
Mr Vaitaki revealed friends had been staying at the address to look after the property for him in the days before the police raid next door.
They told him Kelly's dogs had been acting strangely, and his friends had said they were barking constantly.
'When they saw the house on the news, they called me and said, "What's going on?",' he said.
Tavake Vaitaki said he'd seen no sign of the toddler at the address
He's now been offered a new home on the other side of town in South Carnarvon and is in the process of moving his belongings across town (pictured)
But he said he'd seen no sign of the toddler at the address, although he has spotted Kelly moving around in the yard in the dead of night.
'Everyone was shocked,' he told 7News. 'It took me a while to absorb it.'
He said Kelly was normally the perfect neighbour who did not drink or smoke.
But Kelly blanked him on the day of his arrest when the pair bumped into each other while putting out their bins early in the morning.
He added: 'I wanted to say good morning but he avoided me.'
Despite the intensive police search at the home and around the campsite, police have still not located the sleeping bag Cleo was in when she was snatched.
Cleo Smith (pictured, left) was sleeping in a grey and red sleeping bag (right) when she was allegedly taken from her family's tent
Bags of evidence are seen outside Kelly's house (pictured) but detectives have found no trace of Cleo Smith's sleeping bag
It is believed to be a key missing part of the puzzle which is baffling detectives who have spent days at Kelly's property searching the home for clues.
It comes as locals recall seeing Kelly at the Carnarvon TAB betting on the Melbourne Cup just hours before he was arrested on November 2.
The locals, who knew Kelly as a former neighbour years ago, said he appeared relaxed as he spoke with some friends - including at least one woman - while he placed bets on the horses.
Kelly was stopped by police at 11.24pm that night while driving in his blue Mazda SUV down Robinson Street - the same street as the TAB - and arrested over the disappearance of Cleo.
Witnesses said two women were in the car with Kelly when police swooped.
Little Cleo Smith and her family (here with mum Ellie) have been briefed by detectives after Daily Mail Australia revealed a mystery woman may have been involved in the toddler's alleged abduction
A spokeswoman for Western Australia Police said they would not be making comments on the women seen in the car with Kelly.
'We can't confirm or deny that...it's before the courts now,' the spokeswoman said.
Kelly has been charged with one count of forcibly taking a child under 16. He is facing a second charge; details of which have not yet been released to the public.
Dashcam footage caught by a local taxi driver shows Kelly as he was pulled from his car, pinned to the ground and arrested.
A witness told 7News: 'The cops were chasing that car initially and they were all surrounding that car on the side of the curb.
'We saw one of the detectives on top of the guy, pinning him down.'
When Terence Kelly was arrested over his alleged involvement in the abduction of little Cleo Smith, he was in the company of two unnamed women, witnesses say
Dashcam footage caught by a local taxi driver shows Kelly as he was pulled from his car, pinned to the ground and arrested
Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealed the brave four-year-old told detectives a mystery woman came to the house to dress her and brush her hair.
A team of detectives landed in Carnarvon in the northwest of the state from Perth on Monday and are expected to remain in town for at least the remainder of the week as forensic specialists continue to scour the alleged abductor's home for evidence someone else could have been there.
Detective senior sergeant Cameron Blaine, who was captured on police bodycam vision rescuing Cleo from her nightmarish ordeal, has remained tight-lipped about the latest development's in the case but said police have 'more work to do.'
'Our focus this week is for us to ascertain whether there was anyone else involved. That's why we are still here,' he told reporters after stepping off the plane.
'So, we just ask that if there was anyone that had any contact with Mr Kelly, whether you saw him, whether you met with him, whether you spoke to him on the phone during the relevant period to please make yourself known to police.'
Police had initially stated no other suspects were being sought in relation to the matter, alleging Kelly acted alone.
Deputy Police Commissioner Col Blanch on Wednesday ruled out claims they're investigating a woman, but refused to entirely squash allegations a second person was involved.
'The investigation is ongoing, that's all I'll say at this time,' he said.
Specialist child interview officers attached to the child abuse squad in Perth began the delicate task of sitting down with Cleo on Thursday
Detectives combed through data from a mobile phone seized from Kelly in an attempt to ascertain exactly who he contacted in the lead up to Cleo's alleged abduction on October 16.
Police consider the mobile a vital piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation, with a second phone seized at Kelly's duplex also of interest to cops.
Specialist child interview officers attached to the child abuse squad in Perth began the delicate task of sitting down with Cleo on Thursday.
The process of uncovering what happened will likely take several weeks as interviews will only occur in short intervals.
Det Sgnt Blaine was pictured suiting up in blue forensic overalls around 10am on Tuesday, his visit marking the first time he has returned to the home since liberating little Cleo
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.
Monday, November 8
Specialist police return to Carnarvon to 'ascertain whether there was anyone else involved'
