Australian police rescued a four-year-old girl who went missing in a family camping tent on the remote west coast of the country more than two weeks ago, shocking the country.

After seeing a policeman picking up the girl Cleo Smith and hearing her say: "My name is Cleo", the officers breathed a sigh of relief.

A 36-year-old local man was arrested after raided a house in the coastal town of Caernarfon late at night and reported the incident to the police on Tuesday.

Soon after she was rescued, the girl was reunited with her mother Ellie Smith and stepfather Jack Glidon.

"Our family is complete again," my mother said on social media.

Western Australian Police Commissioner Chris Dawson stated that the girl was “as good as you think” and added: “This is an ordeal. I will not disclose more details, but only say We are very grateful that she is still alive."

Mr. Dawson said that “stubborn and methodical police work” led to the girl being found.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded from the United Arab Emirates on his way home from the Cop26 climate summit in Scotland, thanking the police for finding Cleo and supporting her family.

"This is the worst nightmare for every parent. In fact, the nightmare is over and our most worried thing is not realized. This is just a great relief and a very happy moment," Mr. Morrison told reporters. .

He added: “Obviously, this particular case has captured the hearts of Australians because we feel very sad for this family.”

Cleo's family lives in Carnarvon, a community of 5,000 people. On October 16, the girl disappeared with a sleeping bag on the second day of a family camping trip at Blowholes Campground, 47 miles north of Carnarvon.

Initially, large-scale land and sea searches were conducted in sparsely populated areas, assuming she had walked out of a tent. But more evidence began to support the theory that she was kidnapped.

According to reports, a car sped away from the area in the early morning. The zipper on the flap of the tent cubicle where Cleo and her sister slept was too high for the girl to reach.

Forensic scientists inspected the outside of the family's home to see if any predators followed Creo and tried to break in.

The upset Ellie Smith publicly appealed emotionally for information about her daughter's whereabouts, which was broadcast across Australia.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said that Mr. Dawson told him that when she was found, he was already in tears.

Mr. Fuller called all over the country from Sydney on the east coast to Perth on the west coast to congratulate Mr. Dawson on the results.

Mr. Fuller told Radio Sydney 2GB: “He broke down and cried. For a veteran policeman, you rarely see this.” “In terms of their efforts to find her, it’s very important."

"Although we all hope and pray over time, I think the chance of finding her alive is very slim," he added.

Mr. Dawson said that four police officers broke into the house with a search warrant and found the girl’s camcorder video that made him emotional.

"This is a very happy moment. We don't always get this result. Although we are very, very worried, we have not lost hope," Mr. Dawson said.

The Deputy Commissioner of the Western Australian Police, Col Blanch, described seeing experienced detectives as “openly relieved”.

"We are... looking for a needle in a haystack, we found it," he told Perth Radio 6PR.

"When she said:'My name is Cleo', I didn't think there was dry eye in the house. I was speechless when I saw Cleo being rescued this morning."

Five days after her disappearance, the state government offered a reward of A$1 million (£545,000) for information, but Mr. Blanche said that no one is expected to claim the money.

Mr. Blanche said the police received intelligence to guide them to the house on Tuesday, but the breakthrough was the result of investigators pieced together evidence.

"There are many things. There are cars moving, there are phones moving, and there are people's predecessors," he said.

Eddie Jones, President of Carnarvon Shire, said that the local community would be “ecstatic and grateful” when they heard the good news.

"I'm relieved. The nightmare of Cleo and her family is finally over now," Western Australia Governor Mark McGowan said in a social media post.

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