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Published 10:04 3 Nov 2021 GMT
Updated 10:14 3 Nov 2021 GMT
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The team of officers had used battering rams and a crowbar to storm into a locked house in Carnarvon, Western Australia which was only seven minutes from her family home.
Finding her in a bedroom alone, they were in disbelief that she was even there.
"I wanted to be absolutely sure it was her, so I said ‘what’s your name?’ And she didn’t answer and I said ‘what’s your name?’," Senior Sergeant Blaine told WA Today.
"She didn’t answer again, so I asked her a third time and she looked at me and said, ‘my name is Cleo’. And that was it."
Police have since released footage of the moment Cleo was brought out of the house and you can see Sergeant Blaine introducing himself to Cleo as she clung to another officer.
"My name’s Cameron, how are you? We’re going to take you to see your mummy and daddy, OK? Is that good?" he said in the video.
Nodding along to his questions, the officers could barely describe the shock and relief they felt as they discovered the little girl.
"To see her sitting there and in the way that she was, it was just incredible," he said. "We’d always hoped for that outcome but still we just were not prepared for it, so it was absolutely fantastic."
https://twitter.com/WA_Police/status/1455784205548359682
Telling the family to make their way to the hospital and they would meet there, Blaine said there was no better feeling than giving them that news, and it was an "honour" to witness the reunion.
As she was reunited with her parents, Cleo shouted "mummy" as Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon showered her in hugs and kisses.
A 36 year old man from the area has been taken into custody. Police plan to ask Cleo some questions but are being mindful of her mental health and welfare.Her Money Diaries: A 43-year-old Garda on €80,000 a year
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