THE man suspected of abducting Cleo Smith was spotted with a car full of dolls after the four-year-old went missing, his neighbour claims.
Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, appeared in court on Thursday after he was charged with forcibly taking a child under 16.
Kelly was arrested on Tuesday night just before officers swooped on a property where they found Cleo, who has now been reunited with her family.
But just over a week ago, one neighbour told Daily Mail Australia that he saw the accused kidnapper with more than ten dolls in the back of his blue Mazda.
Read our Cleo Smith live blog below for the latest updates..
- Joseph Gamp
Cleo Smith found after 18 day search
Little Cleo was carried to safety when she was found safe 18 days after vanishing from Blowholes Campground – just 43 miles from Carnarvon.
She was discovered by police in the early hours of Wednesday after they received a sudden tip-off of her whereabouts.
Officers used battering rams and crowbars to kick in the door to the house – which was just seven minutes away from where she lives with her family.
- Joseph Gamp
Cleo Smith suspect screamed ‘I’m coming for you’ at media in court
THE suspect charged with abducting Cleo Smith appeared in court and shouted "I'm coming for you" at the media.
Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, was barefoot as he was charged with multiple offences including forcibly taking a child under 16.
Cops arrested Terry Kelly on Wednesday morning just before officers swooped on a property where they found Cleo.
He appeared at Carnarvon Magistrate's Court in Western Australia and the magistrate described the case as “notorious” as Kelly stood before him barefoot in a black t-shirt flanked by two cops.
Kelly nodded that he acknowledged the charges and didn't apply for bail. He was remanded in custody until December 6.
He also objected to reporters being in the hearing, asking the magistrate "what the f*** are the media doing here?"
Kelly then said “I’m coming for you” during the late afternoon hearing.
The magistrate told him it was an open court and that press were allowed to report the proceedings.
- Joseph Gamp
Dramatic arrest
Grainey dashcam footage shows the moment police swooped on Kelly on Tuesday night.
The doll-obsessed man was just metres away from his home where the four-year-old Cleo was locked inside.
On Tuesday at 11.24pm, over an hour before Cleo was rescued, police surrounded Kelly in front of shocked onlookers.
“It was like a high-speed chase first, there was one car and then police cars,” Deane Mitchell told 7NEWS.
“[I thought] something’s going on, that’s not right.”
It is understood that Kelly's female relatives were in the car when he was bundled out of the vehicle.
Another witness said that police were "chasing" the suspect before surrounding him.
- Joseph Gamp
Suspect seen 'with car full of dolls' after Cleo went missing
THE man suspected of abducting Cleo Smith was spotted with a car full of dolls after the four-year-old went missing, his neighbour claims.
Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, appeared in court on Thursday after he was charged with forcibly taking a child under 16.
Kelly was arrested on Tuesday night just before officers swooped on a property where they found Cleo, who has now been reunited with her family.
But just over a week ago, one neighbour told Daily Mail Australia that he saw the accused kidnapper with more than ten dolls in the back of his blue Mazda.
Henry Dodd said the dolls were brand new and were still in their packaging "as if they had been collected from the post office".
"There were around ten or twelve dolls… and it looked like he had picked them up after they were delivered somewhere," he told the publication.
"You could see them in their boxes like he ordered them online. They were all piled in the back of his car."
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Police elation (continued)
Blaine continued: “Finding her caused shock to start with, quickly followed by elation.”
“And having seen her a couple times this morning, she is a little energizer bunny.
“She’s just a very, very sweet, energetic girl, very trusting and very open with us.
“You know, we all wanted to take turns in holding her.
“It was a really good experience.”
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Police elation
Police who found Cleo Smith have described finding the four-year-old in high spirits as she played with toys in the locked house.
The team, who later admitted they had been expecting to find a body, described the girl as a “little energizer bunny” amid details of her miraculous rescue.
Detective Sergeant Cameron Blaine said his team were “elated” when they discovered the little girl – just 18 days after she vanished from her tent at Blowholes campground site in Western Australia.
According to Sky News, Blaine said: “Cleo is physically okay – that was evident from the start.”
“It was absolutely fantastic. To see her sitting there was incredible.”
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43 miles
After weeks of searching in the outback,Cleo was found in a room inside a locked house – which was just a seven-minute drive from her family home.
Western Australia Police confirmed that cops broke their way into a locked property at around 1am in Carnarvon, Western Australia.
That is an amazing 43 miles from where she disappeared.
The alleged kidnapper is not known to the family.
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'I miss my best friend'
During the 18 days she was missing, Cleo Smith’s best friend pleaded for the “abducted toddler” to come home because “she needs to stay with her family”.
Lenaya “Naya” Forbes posed beside a drawing she made for her pal who had vanished.
“I still miss her,” little Naya told 7News. “And I reckon she got taken from the tent.
“I still miss her cause she’s lost and I want her to come back.”
No doubt the little girl, who may not fully understand what is going on, will be delighted to she her friend very soon.
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'Opportunistic' crime
Lead investigator Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde told reporters police did not have any other suspects in the case.
“It appears as though it was opportunistic,” he said.
No one is exactly sure of why Cleo was kidnapped but there is no evidence so far that there was a sexual motivation to it.
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Mapped: Where was Cleo found?
The distance between Cleo's home and where she was found is about seven minutes by car.
But she went missing from a campsite much further north – how DID she end up there?
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Crying children heard
Local resident Sahntayah McKenzie said she heard the sound of a child crying recently.
She told The West Australian: “Not last night, the night before it…I heard a little girl crying but I wouldn’t expect it to be Cleo.
“I didn’t expect it would happen in this little neighbourhood, a lot of people know each other.”
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What do we still not know?
There are still several unanswered questions in the Cleo abduction case.
Although everyone is happy the 4-year-old now back with her family people will see be wondering the following:
- What was the suspect’s motive?
- Was she moved about or kept in the same house all the time?
- How did the kidnapper get in the tent without waking the rest of the family?
- Why was Cleo snatched and not her sister?
- What is the suspect “known to police” for?
- Who or what tipped off the police to that house?
- Had the suspect do or tried to do anything like this before?
'Giving us hope' (continued)
British cops have requested new funding to carry on the £12.5million global search for her which is set to be approved by the Home Office.
A source close to the family told The Sun that the couple were “willing” for little Cleo to be found alive.
They added: “Kate and Gerry knew about the case which has had a lot of publicity here and like many people were willing the child to be found safe and well.
“It’s the news every parent of a missing child hopes and prays for no matter how long it has been.
“They are thankful that she had been found, and share her parents’ joy and relief at the outcome."
'Giving us hope'
MADELEINE McCann’s parents have revealed that they “have hope” they will find their daughter after missing Cleo Smith was found alive and well.
The tot, dubbed “Australia’s Maddie”, vanished from a campsite but was found unharmed 18 days later.
Kate and Gerry McCann, both 53, had been following the case of the missing four-year-old which had some striking similarities to their own daughter’s disappearance.
Her discovery has given the McCanns newfound hope that their daughter could still be alive after vanishing over 14 years ago.
Maddie, 3, vanished from her bed on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her parents and family friends at a resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
Cops trawled tonnes of rubbish during hunt
Australian police searched through 50 cubic metres of rubbish from bins all over the outback as they desperately searched for clues – before finding her minutes from her house.
Speaking before Cleo was found, police said: "Police investigating the disappearance of four-year-old Cleo Smith continue to leave no stone unturned.
"As part of the investigation, officers collected more than 50 cubic metres of rubbish from roadside bins as far north as Minilya to as far south as Geraldton.
"The rubbish was packed into two trucks and transported to Perth, where four forensics officers and 20 officers spent two days sorting through hundreds of bags, in an effort to find any items that may assist in the investigation."
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AUS$1m reward
Dubbed the 'Aussie Maddie McCann,' cops launched a desperate hunt for the child after she went missing from the remote campsite in her pink pyjamas.
Authorities previously also offered a $1m reward for information leading to Cleo’s location.
Her mum Ellie last saw her at 1.30am when she gave her a drink of water, and then her and her partner Jake Gliddon awoke to find the tot missing – sparking a frantic search.
Cleo's disappearance sent shockwaves through the community in Australia.
The police were called around three hours after she was found to be missing as the family had hoped the girl was just hiding nearby – searching the area with other campers.
Police were searching rugged terrain near the remote campsite for the missing girl and said they had "grave concerns for Cleo’s safety".
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Beautiful girl is home
A close family friend also revealed that Cleo's mum had written to her loved ones to let them know her "beautiful girl is home."
"To be woken at 4.50am with my phone going crazy and see the words Cleo is home alive and safe," the friend wrote on Facebook.
"Seeing Ellie saying her "beautiful girl is home" is nothing short of a miracle. We are so happy for her to be home."
Police also confirmed the four-year-old was found "alive and well" – which is the "outcome we prayed for."
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What we know so far?
- Police broke into a locked house at 1am and found Cleo in one of the rooms
- The 36-year-old man arrested was rushed to hospital twice
- Acting on a sudden tip off cops swooped on the property
- Cleo's relieved mum Ellie said: "Our family is home again"
- Cops revealed Cleo was playing with toys when they burst in
Media anger
THE suspect charged with abducting Cleo Smith appeared in court and shouted “I’m coming for you” at the media.
Terry Kelly, 36, was barefoot as he was charged with multiple offences including forcibly taking a child under 16.
Kelly nodded that he acknowledged the charges and didn’t apply for bail. He was remanded in custody until December 6.
He also objected to reporters being in the hearing, asking the magistrate “what the f*** are the media doing here?”
Kelly then said “I’m coming for you” during the hearing.
Bratz obsession (continued)
On the page, posted a video of himself with a filter showing hearts with the words “I love my dolls”.
Another picture shows a room dedicated to the dolls, with shelves stacked to the ceiling showing a large number still in the boxes, the Sydney Morning Herald Reports.
Kelly is also pictured with one of the dolls in each hand wearing a Bratz t-shirt with the words: “Nothing beats chilling at home with by Bratz dolls”.
Bratz obsession
The Cleo Smith kidnap suspect was obsessed with Bratz dolls with pictures showing dozens of them in the house where she was found.
Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, was arrested just before officers swooped on a property where they found Cleo, who has now been reunited with her family.
One of Kelly’s many social media profiles is a Facebook page devoted to his obsession with Bratz dolls, an American brand featuring scantily clad teenage figures.
- Milica Cosic
‘I’m coming for you’
THE suspect charged with abducting Cleo Smith appeared in court and shouted “I’m coming for you” at the media.
Terry Kelly, 36, was barefoot as he was charged with multiple offences including forcibly taking a child under 16.
Kelly nodded that he acknowledged the charges and didn’t apply for bail. He was remanded in custody until December 6.
He also objected to reporters being in the hearing, asking the magistrate “what the f*** are the media doing here?”
Kelly then said “I’m coming for you” during the hearing.
- Milica Cosic
43 miles
After weeks of searching in the outback, Cleo was found in a room inside a locked house – which was just a seven-minute drive from her family home.
Western Australia Police confirmed that cops broke their way into a locked property at around 1am in Carnarvon, Western Australia.
That is an amazing 43 miles from where she disappeared.
The alleged kidnapper is not known to the family.
- Milica Cosic
Police allege that Kelly snatched Cleo from her family tent
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Cleo was carried to safety after she was found safe 18 days after vanishing from Blowholes Campground – just 43 miles from her home in Carnarvon, Western Australia.
Police allege that Kelly snatched the little girl from her family tent while she slept at the campsite with her family on October 16.
- Milica Cosic
Dramatic arrest
Grainey dashcam footage, obtained by 7News, shows the moment police swooped on Kelly on Tuesday night.
The doll-obsessed man was just metres away from his home where the four-year-old Cleo was locked inside.
On Tuesday at 11.24pm, over an hour before Cleo was rescued, police surrounded Kelly in front of shocked onlookers.
“It was like a high-speed chase first, there was one car and then police cars,” Deane Mitchell told 7NEWS.
“[I thought] something’s going on, that’s not right.”
It is understood that Kelly's female relatives were in the car when he was bundled out of the vehicle.
Another witness said that police were "chasing" the suspect before surrounding him.
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