Cleo Smith, the little girl at the centre of one of Australia’s most high-profile missing persons cases, is thriving nearly five years after the traumatic events that shocked the nation.
Her family has told 60 Minutes that Cleo, now eight, is doing well and enjoying life as a loving big sister. They say she is also embracing extra-curricular activities, including swimming and gymnastics.
Footage shared with 60 Minutes shows Cleo confidently jumping, gliding and performing handstands on the gymnastics floor and balance beam. The family recently took their first overseas trip together, with Cleo travelling abroad to compete in an international junior gymnastics tournament.
Cleo was just four years old when she was taken from her family’s tent during a camping trip on October 16, 2021, near Carnarvon in remote Western Australia, about 900km north of Perth. Her disappearance sparked a massive police and SES search operation and drew intense attention from across Australia and around the world.
After 18 days, police raided a house in Carnarvon and found Cleo alive. The rescue footage was widely broadcast, with many Australians sharing in the relief of seeing her safe. The home where she was found was only a few streets from her family’s house.
Terence Darrell Kelly, who was in his mid-30s at the time, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to forcibly taking a child under 16. Two days after Cleo was found, he was transferred to Western Australia’s maximum-security prison outside Perth.
In April 2023, Kelly was sentenced to 13½ years in prison and must serve at least 11½ years before being eligible for parole.
In September 2024, the Court of Appeal rejected an attempt to reduce that sentence. His lawyers had argued that Kelly’s mental impairments and severe personality dysfunction were not properly taken into account. They also said the sentencing judge had not given enough weight to his childhood disadvantage and trauma. State prosecutors opposed the appeal.
Now, with time and the support of her family, Cleo’s story is no longer defined only by the horror of her abduction, but by the joy of seeing her flourish.
