The very first minute must have been terrifying for Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon, when they woke up to find their four-year-old daughter Cleo Smith had vanished from the family tent.
It got worse.
They then had to endure every painful minute, in all the agonising hours, making up each unimaginable day, for the next 18 days as one of the most monumental policing operations in Australian history swung into action.
A policing operation which led to the moment that everyone had hoped for, but few expected, when Cleo was rescued and reunited with her family.
Today's sentencing of Terence Darrell Kelly marks the closure of another important chapter in that remarkable story.
Kelly admitted to snatching Cleo from her family in October of 2021 while they slept at the remote Blowholes campsite, north of Carnarvon, on Western Australia's Gascoyne coast.
Two weeks and five days after Cleo had been snatched, police smashed their way into the Carnarvon home of 36-year-old Kelly and found the four-year-old in a locked room.
At the same time, Kelly was stopped by police just a few streets away, arrested, and later charged.
The man, who was a stranger to Cleo and her family, ultimately pled guilty to child stealing and was sentenced for that crime by the Chief Judge of WA's District Court Julie Wager this morning.
It has been an 18-month legal journey to reach this point, the culmination of the extraordinary 18-day search, investigation and rescue which captured the attention and emotions of Australia and people around the world.
Friday October 15, 2021
It was a Friday when Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon took their daughters, Cleo, and seven-month-old Isla on a camping trip.
Camping was a favourite pastime of the small family, and it was to be their first time since little Isla was born.
Ellie and Jake had both grown up in Carnarvon and had spent many childhood holidays with family at the nearby coastal campsite known as Blowholes, little under an hour's drive from town.
Now with a family of their own, the young parents were excited to carry on traditions and had bought a new tent for the occasion.
Their plans for the weekend getaway were to enjoy some quality time together in the sun and surf and teach four-year-old Cleo to ride her bike.
Arriving about 6:00pm, they set up camp as the sun set over the Indian Ocean and the evening light began to fade, then it was dinner time for the children before Cleo and Isla were tucked into bed.
Ellie and Jake ate together, checked on the girls and went to sleep themselves.
Saturday October 16 (Day 1)
About 1:30am Cleo woke her parents asking for a drink of water and Ellie tended to her, before tucking her back into bed.
Soon the four of them were sleeping peacefully again amidst the sound of wind and waves.
About 6:00am seven-month-old Isla stirred and Ellie woke, knowing her youngest daughter wanted a bottle.
Ellie then opened the internal divider in the tent to where her daughters had been sleeping.
She saw Isla in her cot where she had been all night next to Cleo's mattress.
But Cleo was gone. Her sleeping bag was missing too.
And the zippered opening of the tent was wide open to the outside world.
Ellie and Jake could not find any trace of Cleo in the area, and they called 000.
Fellow campers quickly began to help search, and police arrived shortly after and joined in, establishing a protected forensic zone around the tent.
A roadblock was set up, vehicles leaving the camp were searched and the details of campers taken.
A small army of SES volunteers, police, friends and family, and other Carnarvon locals joined the search of the rugged coastal area.
The ocean was scoured, and a local helicopter company joined emergency services, flying lap after lap searching from above.
Efforts continued through the day and into that night, including by the AMSAR search and rescue jet and its heat detection equipment, but there was no sign of Cleo.
Sunday October 17 (Day 2)
The extensive land search continued into Sunday.
Police had not yet ruled out the possibility Cleo may have wandered off, with experts suggesting the four-year-old could have walked up to 5.2 kilometres away.
Police drones were deployed to survey the area and Australian Defence Force army personnel joined the land search.
Meanwhile dozens of detectives were simultaneously investigating the possibility Cleo had been abducted.
Inspector Jon Munday was in charge of the scene and provided an update to media.
"We are gravely concerned for the safety of Cleo, we're not leaving anything to chance we're trying to cover all of our bases and we're not ruling anything out," he said.
"It is extremely concerning and not something we come across very often at all."
Meanwhile, the community had taped missing person posters to every shopfront in Carnarvon and they were also displayed at roadhouses up to 1,000 kilometres away as police appealed for information.
Monday October 18 (Day 3)
By day three the land search was becoming more urgent, with bad weather on the way.
Cleo's distraught parents remained at the Blowholes campsite where police had set up a portable headquarters.
By now the state's best investigators from WA Police's homicide squad had been assigned to the case and Carnarvon was awash with detectives in their signature black suits.
The message from police was that it was looking more and more likely that Cleo had been abducted.
Her description and her photo, along with images of the pink pyjamas she had been wearing and of her red and grey sleeping bag were distributed far and wide.
Tuesday October 19 (Day 4)
A powerful storm arrived, and the search had to be suspended for several hours.
When the skies finally cleared the police mounted squad were on the scene and began re-canvassing the area on horseback.
Officers also searched all of the haphazard holiday shacks scattered throughout the Blowholes, busting open locks where necessary.
DNA samples were collected from campers who had had been there over the weekend.
The campsite itself was closed and remained a crime scene.
"We have to hold hope that Cleo can still be found alive, we still have grave concerns for Cleo's safety, hence why time is of the essence and we're throwing as much as we can at this investigation," Inspector Munday said.
"The reality is – if we do explore the scenario that there is third party involvement and Cleo has been taken from this area by somebody – we are in day four … they could be anywhere."
Police across the entire state were put on notice to look out for any sign of the four-year-old, and the missing person alert was expanded nationwide.
Investigators had also decided it was time for Cleo's parents to make a public appeal for information.
Throughout the entire search they had remained at the campsite with police, hoping against all odds Cleo would be found nearby, and four days into the ordeal they remained very much in shock.
The couple sat for a television interview in a police truck and made an emotional plea for anyone with information to come forward, their voices shaking with the pain of not knowing what more they could do.
"I guess the worst part is, we can't do anything more, it's out of our hands, so we just feel hopeless and out of control," Ms Smith said.
"Everyone asks us, what do we need — really, all we need is our little girl home."
Ms Smith smiled through tears as she described her "princess".
"She's beautiful, delicate, she has the biggest heart, she is just so funny," she said.
"She loves rocks, collects rocks, loves make-up, dressing up, every day wants to wear a princess dress."
Ellie and Jake spoke of how they thought every phone call might be bringing news that Cleo had been found.
"We sit and watch the sand dunes and we just think she's going to run down it and back into our arms, but we're still waiting,'' she said.
"How I'm feeling is how I never want any mother to feel with her child."
Ms Smith said her daughter had been strong from the day she was born.
"I know she can get through whatever she's going through," Ms Smith said.
By now social media was filled with theories on what might have happened to Cleo, many of them totally unfounded – including a number of people suggesting Ellie and Jake were responsible.
Police were at pains to stress that the couple were not suspects and were cooperating in every way.
Wednesday October 20 (Day 5)
By day five, the army was using specialist drones to assist the massive search.
Inspector Jon Munday also revealed one of the key causes of police fears foul play was involved.
He explained when the tent had been found open it was unzipped to a height that Cleo could not have reached on her own.
Thursday October 21 (Day 6)
By day six police were all but certain they were dealing with a kidnapping and they moved quickly to make sure the case was at front of mind for people throughout the entire country.
Premier Mark McGowan announced the state would provide a $1-million-dollar reward to anyone who provided information which led to locating Cleo or those responsible for her disappearance.
"Her disappearance strikes at the heart of West Australians, and I am here to reassure the community that everything that can be done, is being done," Acting Commissioner Col Blanch said.
"Someone in the community knows what happened to Cleo."
Police explained that if Cleo was still in the area, searchers would have found her by now.
"For six days they have been out there, there's been a lot of anguish, I know there's been a huge outpouring of grief from the community," Acting Commissioner Blanch said.
A 100-person police taskforce 'Rodia' was launched to manage the case.
Friday October 22 (Day 7)
The police appeal for roadside CCTV footage and dashcam recordings from the weekend of Cleo's disappearance was expanded to capture a 1,000-kilometre radius from the Blowholes campsite.
Carnarvon was by now flooded with detectives, and everywhere in sight were missing persons posters and bumper stickers featuring Cleo's description.
While the search for evidence continued, the land search in hope that the girl may have wandered off and be lost nearby was officially wrapped up.
It was a painful moment for the family, and for those who had spent day after day in the elements looking for Cleo, including many locals who had close personal ties to the family.
Saturday October 23 (Day 8)
Forensic investigators visited Cleo's family home and dusted it for fingerprints.
Detectives assured the community this was routine with any major missing persons investigation and her parents were not suspects.
Police also spoke with all known sex offenders in the Carnarvon area.
Meanwhile, anxiety continued to grow in Carnarvon and further afield, as people described keeping their children close and making sure doors were locked.
Sunday October 24 (Day 9)
Investigators revealed their first and only major lead in the case after members of the public reported seeing a vehicle turning off Blowholes Road about 3:00am on the morning Cleo disappeared.
But calls for the driver to come forward went unheeded and hundreds of hours of CCTV footage failed to reveal where that car went or who was behind the wheel.
Wednesday October 27 (Day 12)
The head of task force Rodia, Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde, visited Carnarvon and the remote Blowholes campsite, meeting with Cleo's parents and detectives.
By this time there had been more than 200 reported sightings of Cleo from around Australia but none proved reliable.
Friday October 29 (Day 14)
The search continued for the driver of the mystery car seen on Blowholes Road and police continued canvassing Carnarvon, going business to business, requesting any CCTV recordings that might be of use.
A fortnight into their investigation, police insisted they had many leads, but remained without any suspects.
Monday November 1 (Day 17)
Trucks arrived in Perth carrying 50 cubic metres of rubbish collected from roadside bins stretching along 1,000 kilometres of highway from Minilya Roadhouse to Geraldton.
Police sifted through it all looking for any items of interest but found nothing of significance.
Tuesday November 2 (Day 18)
Police efforts now also included analysing satellite imagery and data gathered from mobile phone towers.
"It's a big jigsaw puzzle, we're getting closer and closer," Acting Commissioner Col Blanch told ABC Radio Perth.
"I look at my phone every morning, hoping that we've got an answer, and it hasn't come yet, and I hope it does.
"It is difficult to keep the hope up, there is no doubt about it, the longer it goes, but I know those investigators are still focused absolutely on this case and trying to bring Cleo home."
Wednesday November 3
Shortly after 1am in the morning Ellie Smith woke to her phone ringing.
It was the Homicide Squad's Detective Sergeant Jason Hutchinson.
"We've got someone here that wants to speak with you," he says.
It was Cleo, safely in the hands of detectives who had just rescued her from the home of Terence Kelly.
That house was just minutes from Cleo's family home in Carnarvon, and the girl was reunited with her parents moments later, on the way to the local hospital to be assessed.
At 4:15am Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch broke the news to the world in a video released by police.
"It is my privilege to announce that in the early hours of this morning, the Western Australia Police Force rescued Cleo Smith," he said.
Carnarvon erupted with joy as people celebrated from the early hours, with the town quickly plastered with pink and purple balloons and celebratory banners reading "Welcome home Cleo".
In Western Australia, people woke to the incredible news and across the country it was celebrated on breakfast radio and television.
The ABC was inundated with calls and messages from people in joyous disbelief, complete strangers brought to tears with a shared relief and happiness.
People everywhere were eager to express their gratitude to WA's police and emergency services, and to voice their support for Cleo and her family.
The news led global headlines as people around the world, many of whom had been following the agonising mystery disappearance, now delighted in the remarkable outcome.
News so incredible it had to be seen to be believed, police soon provided a photograph of a smiling Cleo Smith sitting upright in a hospital bed enjoying an icy-pole.
Later an audio recording was released of the moment officers found the four-year-old and she told them "My name is Cleo", and a video was shared of her being carried out of the home.
The officer whose arms she was in was Detective Senior Constable Kurt Ford.
"We didn't really know what we were going into, if anything our expectations weren't great, it was an emotional experience and a good result," he said.
Addressing media in Carnarvon that day WA Police Minister Paul Papalia praised the operation.
"If you feel the need to thank God today, thank God for the WA Police," he said.
A beaming Commissioner Chris Dawson admitted shedding a tear himself and declared he was 'the proudest police commissioner in the world.
"She's alive, she's safe, and she's back with mum and dad," he said.
WA Premier Mark McGowan thanked the hundreds involved in the operation and made sure to thank the team of analysts within task force Rodia.
It is understood their role in making sense of huge amounts of data, and information gathered online and from mobile phone towers, played a crucial role in identifying Terence Darrell Kelly as a suspect.
Posting to social media later that day Ellie Smith said, "Our family is whole again."
