Police find 4-year-old Australian girl kidnapped from campsite after 18-day hunt

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A four-year-old Australian girl abducted from a campsite 18 days ago was found to be safe and well when police rescued her after a raid on a locked house in a nearby coastal town on Wednesday.</p>
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Cleo Smith disappeared from her family's tent when they were camping in a  remote Western Australia bushland last month after which a frantic search on air, sea and ground was launched involving 100 officers and scores of volunteers.</p>
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Many feared the search would end in tragedy, but after a night raid on a home in the coastal town of Carnarvon — just a short drive from where she disappeared — police announced the little girl had been found alone, but alive, according to an AFP report from Sydney.</p>
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Detective Cameron Blaine, one of the four rescuers, said that after the initial shock he asked the little girl her name three times before receiving her electrifying response: "My name is Cleo."</p>
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Police admitted "seasoned detectives" were "openly crying with relief" at the discovery and when Cleo was reunited with her parents at a hospital a short time later, the AFP report said.</p>
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Her mother Ellie took to social media to express her relief. "Our family is whole again," she posted on Instagram under a photo of Cleo.</p>
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Police later released an image of the beaming youngster on a hospital bed holding an ice pop, waving and smiling.</p>
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It is believed the abduction was unplanned and "opportunistic". The suspect was not on a local list of sex offenders and only became a person of interest a day ago.</p>
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Police last month had offered Aus$1 million (US$750,000) reward for information leading to Cleo's recovery.</p>