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Cleo Smith search: Mark McGowan tells kidnappers to ‘give her back’ amid $1 million reward for her return

Briana FioreThe West Australian
Mark McGowan has issued a fresh plea for Cleo’s return.
Camera IconMark McGowan has issued a fresh plea for Cleo’s return. Credit: Nic Ellis/The West Australian

Premier Mark McGowan has issued a personal plea to Cleo Smith’s abductor, asking them to “please give her back to her parents”.

Mr McGowan said, like everyone, he wast hoping for a “good outcome” after the four-year-old went missing from the popular Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon just over a week ago.

Amid a $1 million reward for information, the Premier said made his own plea for anyone had taken her to return her to her devastated family.

“If you’ve got her in your custody, please just give her back to her family,” Mr McGowan said on Monday.

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Mr McGowan said it seemed police had some strong leads in the case and said the State’s best detectives had been assigned to the case.

Cleo Smith has been missing for over a week.
Camera IconCleo Smith has been missing for over a week. Credit: facebook/supplied

About 100 officers are involved in the case, which is now focused on the belief she was not stalked beforehand.

Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde, who is leading the taskforce investigating her disappearance, said searching the family’s home was “standard practise”.

“We do that as part of a thorough investigation but that’s not indicating they’ve been stalked, nothing like it,” he said.

“In actual fact, if she has been taken, it’s more likely to have been a random event.”

Mr McGowan reiterated that authorities were leaving no stone unturned in the search for Cleo.

“None of us can understand how distressing this is,” he said.

“There’s a huge number of police allocated to this task and some of our best detectives are working on it.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll work out what’s occurred, if anyone knows, tell the police, you can get $1 million for that.”

The Blowholes campsite where Cleo was last seen.
Camera IconThe Blowholes campsite where Cleo was last seen. Credit: Phoebe Pin/Geraldton Guardian

Police are wanting to speak to the occupants of a vehicle seen leaving the area around 90 minutes after Cleo was last seen alive.

The passenger vehicle was seen driving towards Carnarvon between 3am and 3.30am on October 16.

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