Cleo Smith Parents? Meet Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon
by Janani
Updated May 15, 2023
Who is Cleo Smith?
In October 2021, Cleo Smith was a four-year-old girl from Australia, who was taken from a campsite in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia (WA). After an intensive search, she was miraculously found alive and in good health on November 3rd. The police located her during a raid at the residence of Terence Darrell Kelly in the nearby town of Carnarvon.
Cleo's safe recovery after being missing for eighteen days was an incredibly rare occurrence and garnered significant attention from both domestic and international news outlets as well as social media. Terence Darrell Kelly was subsequently convicted of child abduction and received a prison sentence of 13 years and 6 months.
Cleo Smith Parents
Cleo Smith's parents, Jake Smith and Ellie Smith were escorted into court for a hearing regarding her abduction. Cleo was last seen by her mother and stepfather when she woke up in the middle of the night and asked for water. The next morning, they discovered she was missing from their tent, which had its zipper open. The court described the incident as highly serious, stating that the taking of a four-year-old from a secured tent in the middle of the night was deeply concerning.
Search for Cleo Smith
After Cleo Smith's disappearance, her family searched the campsite and contacted the police at 6:23 a.m. when they couldn't find her nearby. Police arrived at the campsite at 7:10 a.m. and initiated an extensive search operation by air, land, and sea throughout the day. Ellie, Cleo's mother, stated that Cleo would never leave on her own, emphasizing her belief that Cleo had not left the tent.
Initially, the case was treated as a search and rescue operation rather than an abduction, but concerns were raised about Cleo's safety due to the positioning of the tent's zipper, which was open higher than Cleo could reach. On October 21, it was announced that the police believed Cleo had been abducted, leading to the offer of a A$1 million reward by WA Premier Mark McGowan for information about her disappearance.
This reward attracted bounty hunters to the area, as reported by various Australian media outlets. Taskforce Rodia, involving more than 100 police officers led by Superintendent Rod Wilde and assisted by the Australian Federal Police, was established to investigate the case. Although the possibility of Cleo being taken out of Western Australia to another state was not ruled out, Police Commissioner Chris Dawson acknowledged that strict border controls due to the COVID-19 pandemic would make undetected travel out of the state difficult.
Cleo Smith Found Alive
On November 3, 2021, Cleo was found safe and unharmed by the police inside a locked house just minutes away from her family home in Carnarvon. A 36-year-old man was arrested when the car he was driving was stopped by the police. Cleo was discovered in one of the rooms after the police broke into the house at 12:46 a.m. She was reunited with her family later that day. However, Cleo's mother noticed that her hair had been cut and dyed.
Police Commissioner Dawson described the day of Cleo's discovery as one of the most remarkable days in policing in Western Australia. The police obtained a search warrant for the house based on forensic leads. The breakthrough came after a key clue of a car seen leaving the campsite in the early hours of October 16. The police had appealed for information about the car on October 25. The diligent work of the police, utilizing a significant amount of information in the case, played a crucial role.
The man taken into custody had no connection to Cleo's family but was known to the police. Neighbors described him as quiet and peculiar, but they had not suspected him. The police became suspicious of him the day before his arrest. The man's alleged crime was described as opportunistic by Superintendent Rod Wilde.
Cleo Smith Disappearance Case
Cleo's disappearance caused immense distress to her family, who spoke about their desperation and fear during the 18 days she was missing. The court recognized that Cleo's time in captivity must have been extremely traumatic for a young child. The abductor, Terrence Kelly, had a history of severe trauma and neurological impairment, which contributed to his actions. His deprived upbringing and the trauma he endured were taken into account during sentencing.
The court acknowledged that his time in prison would be challenging due to his personality dysfunction and neurodevelopmental difficulties. Kelly stated that he had not planned to keep Cleo permanently and expressed guilt for his actions. The sentence included a 25% discount for his early plea. The police commissioner labeled the crime heinous, and while acknowledging the mitigating circumstances, expressed that he believed the community would consider the sentence insufficient. The commissioner emphasized the emotional toll the case took on Cleo's family and the efforts made by the police during the 18-day search.
Cleo Smith Parents - FAQ
Cleo Smith is a four-year-old girl from Australia who was abducted from a campsite in Western Australia. After an extensive search, she was found alive and well on November 3rd, 2021.
Cleo Smith's parents are Jake Smith and Ellie Smith. They were involved in the court proceedings related to Cleo's abduction.
Cleo Smith was discovered by the police inside a locked house near her family home in Carnarvon. The police located her during a raid and she was reunited with her family on the same day.
After Cleo's disappearance, her family conducted a search of the campsite and contacted the police. A large-scale search operation involving air, land, and sea was initiated. The case initially began as a search and rescue operation but later transitioned to an abduction case.
The perpetrator, Terence Darrell Kelly, was convicted of child abduction and sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in prison. The court took into account his traumatic upbringing and neurodevelopmental difficulties, but the sentence received criticism from the community for its perceived leniency.