Terrifying moment Cleo Smith's mum knew she was gone: 'Someone has her'
The mother of abducted four-year-old Cleo Smith has told of the moment she realised her little girl was gone in a tell-all interview.
The girl was abducted from a Blowholes campsite in regional Western Australia in October before she was found in Carnarvon more than 70km south 18 days later.
In a preview for the $2 million interview with Nine’s 60 Minutes program, Cleo’s mum Ellie Smith said her heart told her the little girl had been abducted.
“She was basically nowhere near me and that was the second I realised that someone had her, and both my head and my heart connected to that. Someone has her, someone had my baby,” she told the program.
Journalist Tara Brown told The Today Show on Friday that from speaking with Ms Smith and her husband Jake Gliddon, they were “convinced pretty much from the start” that Cleo had been abducted.
Brown called Cleo’s story “extraordinary”.
“I think outside of the family, there didn't feel like there was much hope she would be found alive and she was,” she said.
Challenges for Nine ahead of Cleo Smith exclusive
The interview is an exclusive but it came with its challenges for the Nine Network.
With the WA border being closed, producers had an issue in filming and conducting the interview with Ms Smith and Mr Gliddon.
Brown, a veteran reporter with the network, was called in over a local WA journalist.
But it meant the interview had to be done over Zoom. The interview will also not feature Cleo but instead use footage of her, The Australian reported.
Regardless, Cleo’s abduction and survival captured the attention of the entire country.
Associate Professor of Criminology and forensic anthropologist Dr Xanthé Mallet with the University of Newcastle told Yahoo News Australia it was “remarkable” Cleo was found alive.
“This is once in a million, once in a million,” she said.
It also made Cleo a household name and her parents are considering changing it to take the spotlight off the young girl.
My Name is Cleo will air on 60 Minutes on Sunday at 8.30pm on Channel Nine.
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