As the investigation into the abduction of Cleo Smith continues, Western Australia police have formally ruled out one theory about her alleged kidnapping.
Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine said earlier this week that police were trying to “ascertain whether there was anyone else involved” in the four-year-old girl’s alleged kidnapping.
After claims emerged that Cleo told police a she was looked after by a female after she was taken by her parents, authorities looked into whether the accused man, Terence Darrell Kelly, had an accomplice.
However, after investigating the “mystery woman” claims, Mr Blanch told reporters he could “rule that one out” as a theory.
When asked if anyone else knew about Cleo’s alleged abduction, he said, “That’s all part of the investigation at the moment … my comment is I’m making no comment on the investigation.”
After being pressed further about whether police had now ruled out a second person being involved, Mr Blanch said, “The investigation is ongoing — that’s all I’ll say at this time.”
Mr Blanch also told reporters he has deliberately stepped away from the high-profile investigation.
“I’ve let the Task Force Rodia team conduct their investigation. As I said earlier, a man has been charged,” he said.
“It’s before the courts. The less I say about it, the better it is to have a fair and transparent trial.”
Mr Blanch went on to warn people to not speculate about the case and upcoming court proceedings, and rather let the court process play out.
“We certainly had so much help from the community, certainly from the media,” he said.
“We all celebrated together as a community, as a state, but the police are back at work doing an investigation.”
Cleo Smith vanished from her family’s tent while on a camping trip at the Quobba Blowholes on October 16th, and was rescued 18 days later.
Terence Darrell Kelly has been charged with two offences, including one count of forcibly taking a child aged under 16.
He will remain in a maximum-security prison in Perth until his next court appearance on December 6th.
Image credits: WA Police / Getty Images
