Police investigating whether another person was involved in Cleo Smith’s abduction
A 4-year-old kidnapping victim found safe and alive earlier this month told authorities a woman took care of her after she was abducted from her family campsite by a man described as an avid Bratz doll collector.
Cleo Smith’s claims have prompted authorities to wonder whether or not Terence Kelly acted alone when he snatched the young girl from a campground in Australia the night of Oct. 16.
Authorities found her more than two weeks later, playing alone with toys inside a room in Kelly’s Carnarvon home, about 30 miles from where she’d last been seen. He was arrested Nov. 3 on a number of criminal charges, including one count of forcibly taking a child under 16.
Det. Senior Sgt. Cameron Blaine during a press conference on Monday said the investigation into Cleo’s abduction is ongoing. He told reporters authorities are particularly interested in whether or not anyone was involved in the crime, according to People.
“Our focus this week is for us to ascertain if there was anyone else involved. That’s why we’re still here,” Blaine said.
“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.”
Cleo’s disappearance sparked a massive search effort by both land and sea, initially spanning a few miles before spreading further into western Australia. In the days before she was discovered, authorities issued a call to citizens all over the nation for help in finding the missing girl.
About a week into the search, the Western Australia government offered a reward of 1 million Australian dollars — $750,000 — for information leading to Cleo’s discovery. It triggered a slew of tips, including more than 200 reports of possible sightings of the missing girl.
