Cleo Smith search: Acting WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch says parents Ellie and Jake Gliddon not suspects

Ongoing forensic examinations at the Carnarvon home of missing four-year-old Cleo Smith are routine practice and part of eliminating everyone who was at the Blowholes campsite as a suspect, acting WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch says.

Detectives and forensic officers revisited the Smith family home on Tuesday, this time turning their attention inside the house scouring through it for several hours for evidence.

But Mr Blanch said the search at the home of Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon was a routine investigative practice. After seven hours, forensic officers left the home with two evidence bags. It remains unclear as to what was in them.

“We must do a thorough investigation,” Mr Blanch told 6PR. “The parents have been nothing but helpful. We’ve worked very closely with them, they’ve let us into their home, they’ve let us into their cars, their phones, everything.

“Our job is to eliminate everyone that was at that campsite, and that is a systematic and thorough approach in doing so in any investigation. And that really is the focus of the investigation at the moment.”

Mr Blanch said despite the little girl being missing for 12 days it was everyone still held hope Cleo would come home safely.

He said police would not stop until they had answers.

“There’s a massive police team up in Carnarvon, up at the blowholes still working everyday,” he said. “I think it’s important we all have hope that we can bring Cleo home.

“The team are focused on finding Cleo, getting the evidence and doing the best we can to solve this and that’s really our priority.”

Cleo being potentially abducted is the “highest probability” of what happened according to Mr Blanch, but police remain open-minded.

The complex investigation is focusing around CCTV footage of businesses and houses that could have captured the car that was reported leaving the Blowholes campsite and turning right onto North West Coastal highway, at 3am the Saturday Cleo went missing.

Mr Blanch said the evidence of the car leaving the Blowholes was “independent” but they have no reason to not believe that it was false.

He is asking the public that if anyone saw car movements at, or around, 3am heading south on the North West Coastal Highway from Blowholes road to come forward and speak with police.

“It’s not to say that it is the person (who took Cleo), but certainly driving around at 3am coming out of there (campsite) would peak our interest as to who it was and what they were doing there, and maybe what they saw themselves,” Mr Blanch said.

Mr Blanch said the whole of Australia has come forward offering their services to help. Including the AFP who are reportedly using secret technology to aid investigators, as well as Telstra who have offered their phone services and tracking abilities to WA Police.

“Australia has stepped up and come to ask how can we help, and as tragic as this incident is, it is comforting to know that Australians and Aussies and businesses step forward to help when they can,” Mr Blanch said.

Addressing bounty hunters trying to cash in on the $1 million reward money, Mr Blanch said people were still actively looking for Cleo and that’s the main thing.

“The $1 million reward was put out there to find Cleo, and I think people, whether it’s for the money or do the right thing, are up there trying to find out what happened,” he said.

“There is still a lot of land to cover but I just ask people don’t put themselves in any danger doing so.”