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2 months ago
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The family of Cleo Smith have shared a miracle update on their little girl three years after she was kidnapped.
Cleo made international headlines when she was snatched from her sleeping bag as she slept alongside her mother, stepfather and baby sister inside a tent at the Blowholes campsite, about 960km north of Perth, Western Australia, on October 16, 2021.
A mammoth police operation was launched for Cleo, who was four years old at the time, which led to her dramatic rescue 18 days later.
Now aged seven, Cleo has adjusted to a normal life following the horrific abduction and intense media scrutiny.
A collection of photos, shared to Instagram on Wednesday by 60 Minutes Australia showed a beaming Cleo enjoying life with her family.
One photo showed Cleo smiling along with her mother, Ellie Smith, stepdad Jake Gliddon, and little sister, Isla.
The snapshots revealed happy moments of Cleo's life, including a family fishing trip, Isla's first birthday, her seventh birthday and the sisters' first day at school in 2024.
'Cleo Smith, all grown up. The seven-year-old is enjoying life in Western Australia, loving school and being a big sister to Isla,' 60 Minutes Australia wrote.
The family of Cleo Smith have shared happy snaps of their seven-year-old daughter adjusting to a normal life after she was kidnapped in 2021
The smiling seven-year-old was pictured with her mum, stepdad and little sister (pictured)
Pictured, Cleo and her little sister Isla
Photos showed Cleo and Isla on a fishing trip
Cleo appears to share a very special bond with her younger sister
The photos received an overwhelming response from social media users all around the world, with many sharing well wishes for the family and for Cleo.
'Beautiful to see the family so happy and healthy,' one person wrote.
'Bless your heart, so glad you are living your best life,' another person commented.
A third person wrote: 'It's so good to see her happy! I followed her story from Argentina. Keep enjoying life Cleo!'
Cleo was reunited with her family after police officers rescued her from a home 18-days after her kidnapping.
Police smashed down the locked door of a house in Carnarvon - just 3km from her family's home - at 12.46am on November 3, 2021, freeing the little girl.
Cleo and her sister Isla pictured before the first day of school
The Smith sisters enjoy an ice block after a colour run
Cleo, then four, was rescued from home (pictured) 18 days after she was abducted from her sleeping bag while inside a tent with her family at a campsite in Western Australia
Terrence Darrell Kelly (left) held Cleo captive by locking her in a bedroom at a home in Carnarvon. Kelly was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in jail
Cleo was held captive by Terrence Darrell Kelly and locked alone in a bedroom of the home.
They found the four year old in a bedroom playing with toys, and immediately asked her name three times before she finally replied: 'M-my name is Cleo.'
Terence Kelly was arrested and subsequently charged with one count of forcibly taking a child under 16.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced on April 5, 2023, to 13-and-a-half years behind bars. The sentence was backdated to his arrest in November 2021.
Kelly will be 48 by the time he's eligible for parole in May 2032.
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