There's been a twist in the Cleo Smith case, with the young, recently rescued Australian girl claiming a woman would come to her accused kidnapper's house to look after her.
The allegation, reported by the Daily Mail Australia, comes as specialist police interview the four-year-old, who was missing for 18 days before being found last week at a property in the Western Australia town of Carnarvon. Resident Terence Kelly, a 36-year-old man seemingly obsessed with Bratz dolls, has been charged with forcibly taking a child under 16.
According to a source of the media outlet's, Cleo said a woman visited the Tonkin Crescent property while she was kept there. The woman allgedly helped care for her by dressing her and brushing her hair.
Investigators have now travelled back to Carnarvon from the state capital of Perth to probe whether another person may have been involved. According to the Mail, Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine said police had "more work to do" and their focus was to "ascertain whether there was anyone else involved".
"We just ask that if there was anyone that had any contact with Mr Kelly, whether you saw him, whether you met with him, whether you spoke to him on the phone during the relevant period to please make yourself known to police."
Cleo was found by officers last Wednesday playing in a bedroom at the property. Social media posts show Kelly pictured on several occasions with Bratz dolls while one photo features a room full of dolls and toys. It's unclear if this is the room Cleo was found in.
When Kelly appeared before the Carnarvon Magistrates Court last week, he swore at media, saying "I'm coming for you" and "why are they here?". Kelly didn't apply for bail and was transferred to a maximum-security prison in Perth. He will reappear before court in December.
Cleo went missing on October 16 while spending the night with her family at a campsite north of Carnarvon. Early in the morning, it was discovered that Cleo was not in her tent and her sleeping bag was missing. Her mother, Ellie, said Cleo wouldn't have left by herself and police agreed she had likely been abducted, noting the tent's zip was higher than she would have been able to reach.
After an extensive search operation and pleas to the public for information - including a AUS$1 million reward - a tip-off prompted police to raid the Carnarvon property last Wednesday. Police Commissioner Chris Dawson described it as "one of the most remarkable days in policing in Western Australia".
On Friday, Cleo's family released a statement thanking police for finding the girl.
"We are humbled by the love and support that we have received from not only our local community but the whole of Western Australia and across the country.
"We are so thankful that our little girl is back within our arms and our family is whole again."
