The first desperate days

Days 1 and 2:

A family holiday turns to a nightmare.

When Ellie Smith, her partner Jake Gliddon and their two daughters packed their bags for a weekend trip to the Blowholes, just outside Carnarvon in WA’s north, they could have never imagined the next 18-days would be a living hell.

As the family went to bed on the first night on their camping trip, in the morning they’d awake to find four-year-old Cleo missing.

Almost every parent has experienced the panic of not being able to find a child, and Mum Ellie’s panic turned to dread as their camping spot was metres from rugged cliffs and the rough, dangerous ocean below.

A full-scale land, sea and air search began, as emergency services swarmed the blowholes. Even locals dedicated their time to try and find little Cleo.

In this episode, Coral Coast helicopter services pilot David Ammann describes the early call he received to take the helicopter and fly to the Blowholes to search for a little girl in a pink jumpsuit.

While Geraldton Guardian reporter Phoebe Pin, who was the first journalist on the scene details her experience, driving five hours with no idea what to expect and what she’d be met with when she arrived at the Blowholes.

But what was known, a desperate family frantically searching for their daughter who disappeared in the middle of the night without a trace.

Join podcast Host, executive producer Natalie Bonjolo who will step though the search for Cleo Smith, and journalist Kristin Shorten, who brings her investigation skills to analyse what police would have been doing at the time.

In this episode they’re joined by helicopter pilot David Ammann and reporter Phoebe Pin as we look at the first two desperate days after Cleo went missing.

Don't miss the next episode, subscribe to My Name is Cleo wherever you get your podcasts as we take you through the 18-day search for Cleo and the police miracle.

For more on the Cleo Smith search, head to thewest.com.au and perthnow.com.au

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