Suspect ‘acting alone’ in Australian Cleo kidnapping case

After extensive searches on Wednesday, toddler Cleo was found in the bedroom of a house. Australia had been looking for the girl for weeks. He had disappeared from a tent 19 days back while camping overnight.

Detective Rod Wilde, who led the disappearance investigation, told reporters Thursday that the suspect had to be taken to hospital for injuries after being arrested. While the police are currently questioning the man, it is not yet clear what exactly he is being accused of.

An investigation eventually leads the police to a house in the town of Carnarvon, minutes from where Cleo lives with her family. In a short video of the police, it can already be seen that the girl is carried in the arms of a police officer. “We’ll take you to your mom and dad. Is that okay?” Another police officer asked Cleo, who nodded.

One of the officers who rescued him went to visit the family earlier in the day. “It was heartwarming to see him playing in the garden and being with his parents. I was amazed she adapted so quickly and seemed happy,” said the man. Cleo’s mother Ellie wrote on Instagram that “our family is intact again.”