My name is Cleo

24th January, 2022:

Guilty. 

Those were the only words uttered by 36-year-old Terence Darrell Kelly when a charge of child stealing was put to him as he appeared by video link from prison to the Carnarvon courthouse.

It was a stunning admission that not many were prepared for - especially so early in the court process.

But for many in the Carnarvon community, it was a welcome one.

Not only does it mean police found the right man, it also means Cleo and her family won’t have to be dragged through a long and traumatic court process - in which they would have most likely had to relive those 18 days over again.

We now know who took Cleo. But there are still other questions left unanswered- some which may be answered in court, others which might be left a mystery.

So who is Terence Kelly? Join Host Natalie Bonjolo alongside investigative journalist Kristin Shorten and The West Australian’s Legal Affairs Editor Tim Clarke as they take you through the life of Terence Kelly, and what happens now in the court case.

12.46am, 3rd November, 2021:

In the middle of the night in a house in Carnarvon, just 7 minutes away from the Smith family home, police barge their way into a locked house. 

The lights are off, except for one room. They enter, and what they find is a miracle.

A little girl, sitting down playing with toys.

One detective scoops her up into his arms, while Detective senior sergeant Cameron Blaine asks the little girl her name - three times. On the third question, she answers:

“My name is Cleo.”

This is the case which Brough seasoned homicide detectives to tears. Happy tears. A lot of them, parents themselves, never stopped trying to find the four-year-old.

In this episode, hear how the incredible rescue unfolded from those who were there, as well as those we’ve spoken to along the way.

From the police minister who was woken in the middle of the night by the deputy police commissioner, to the reporter who ran out of his room in his boxers to wake up his colleague. Everyone has a story, and almost everyone will remember where they were when they found out Cleo Smith had been found alive.

A 36-year-old man was arrested on that night, and has since been charged with kidnapping. Now, WA watches as the court process continues.

Join Host Natalie Bonjolo, with regular guest Kristin Shorten, as well as 7 News reporter Ben Downie and Flashpoint host Tim McMillan as they take you through the incredible rescue of Cleo Smith.

Days 16-18:

The search for Cleo is getting desperate. Police have no leads and they’re trying anything to find the little girl.

That’s when they reveal they’ve used special agents to search the dark web for any signs of the four-year-old.

In this episode, journalists Ben Downie and Daryna Zadvirna reveal their trip to the pub one night led to a fortuitous meeting with police, and how they then worked with investigators to keep Cleo’s story in the news, to keep people engaged and aware of her disappearance.

This part of the investigation moves into the tech space, with police trailing through endless amounts of CCTV, mobile phone tower data accessed and drones mapping the Blowholes.

We hear from surveillance expert Philip Branch how mobile phone data can be used to solve a case, and just how intricate scouring through mobile data can be.

But the search also kept a physical element, with police digging through mountains of rubbish, from bins in a 600km radius from Carnarvon, trying to find any clue at all.

The desperation of the search was really highlighted through more of Ellie’s social media posts, and as Ben and Daryna try to keep Cleo’s story on the front page and at the top of the news bulletin, police keep chipping away at any of the clues the can find.

Join Host Natalie Bonjolo, regular guest Kristin Shorten and guests Ben Downie, Daryna Zadvirna and Philip Branch as they take you through the final three days in the search for Cleo Smith.

Days 13-15:

Cleo’s been missing for two weeks now, and the police, her community and her parents are getting even more desperate.

It’s now that the head of Taskforce Rodia, Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde lands in Carnarvon.

Seven News crime reporter Joey Catanzaro, who’s been covering this case, speaking to detectives and getting inside, intimate knowledge of the case tells the podcast that Rod’s arrival is just as much about providing moral support to his team, as it is seeing the investigation from the ground.

Joey spent almost 18 days in Carnarvon, following every development and looking into leads of his own while, covering Cleo’s disappearance for 7 news.  He tells Host Natalie Bonjolo and regular guest Kristin Shorten of the immediate concern police - and the Carnarvon locals had that Cleo had been abducted, just hours after her disappearance.

Two weeks later, that concern has turned into an investigation.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, a woman who knows all too well the heartache Cleo’s parents are going through is asked about how parents with missing children deal with the worry, devastation and trolling. Lindy Chamberlain, who was wrongfully convicted and publicly scrutinised after her daughter Azaria was taken from her tent in the Australian outback more than 40 years ago. 

As the police continue to tell the public that Ellie and Jake are not suspects, the trolling and abuse continues, all while Cleo spends another night away from her family.

Join Host Natalie Bonjolo and guests Kristin Shorten and Joey Catanzaro as they take you through days 13-15 of Cleo’s disappearance.

Days 11 and 12:

One of the biggest questions on the public’s mind as the search for Cleo approaches two weeks is: How did Ellie and Jake not hear the tent being unzipped as they slept right next to Cleo?

In this episode, reporter Jackson Barrett and Producer Sandra Di Girolamo have possible answers.

Jackson was sent up to Carnarvon to cover the search, and even spent a night at the Blowholes, while Sandra produced a heartbreaking second interview with Ellie and Jake. Both spent a significant time at the Blowholes, and both said the wind and sound of the ocean crashing overpowered almost any other sounds around the campsite.

As the search for Cleo stretches into 12 days, Cleo’s desperate parents face the camera a second time to plea for their daughter’s safe return. As the producer of that interview, Sandra told of how tired, heartbroken and desperate the parents were, and why she thought Ellie would never give up hope of finding her daughter.

And as that heartbreaking interview aired, Cleo’s disappearance began to gain international attention, especially in the UK, where the parallels between Cleo’s case and that of missing girl Madeline McCann were too similar to ignore.

Senior broadcast journalist with the BBC, Laurence Zadvriew tells Host Natalie Bonjolo how Cleo’s disappearance, coupled with the backdrop of the vast, arid Australian outback gripped the minds and hearts of those all over the world.

Join Host Natalie Bonjolo, and guests Kristin Shorten, Laurence Zadvriew, Jackson Barrett and Sandra Di Girolamo as they take you through days 11 and 12 in the search for Cleo Smith.