Australian police have charged a 36-year-old man on suspicion of kidnapping a 4-year-old Australian woman who was camping with her family, saying he “acted alone”.
Cleo Smith, who disappeared from her tent on October 16 in a remote part of Western Australia, was found by police on Wednesday at a house in Carnarvon, near where she was staying with her family.
The main suspect, who has no connection to the family, was arrested on Wednesday and appeared in court in Carnarvon the next day.
Indicted on several charges, including the forcible abduction of a child under 16, he remains in detention until his next court appearance on December 6.
Injured after his arrest, the man was hospitalized, which delayed his indictment.
The head of the investigation, Commissioner Rod Wilde, said he would have “acted alone”, believing that this kidnapping would not have been planned and that the thirty-something would have seized an opportunity to commit his misdeed.
The disappearance of Cleo Smith had aroused immense excitement and a surge of solidarity in Australia.
The announcement of his discovery “safe and sound”, in a locked house, aroused the joy of many Australians who feared a tragic outcome.
“Our family is complete again,” said her mother, Ellie Smith, in a message accompanying a photo of her daughter posted on Instagram.
The home of the girl’s family, which is also in the small town of Carnarvon, a few kilometers from the house where she was found, was immediately decorated by the locals with balloons and welcome signs.
One of the officers who tracked down the girl, Cameron Blaine, said Cleo, whom he visited upon leaving the hospital where she underwent medical examinations, appears to be doing well.
“It was heartwarming to see her interacting and playing in the garden, just being herself, with her parents,” he said, “I’m amazed that she seems to be so balanced and happy”.
Cleo’s mother had woken up at 6 a.m. on October 16 to find that the family tent was open and her eldest daughter was missing, prompting a major search by land, air and sea.
The intense research had mobilized a hundred police officers for two weeks.