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The mother and stepfather of missing four-year-old girl Cleo Smith, who disappeared from a WA campsite on Saturday morning, have spoken publicly for the first time.

Ellie Smith and her partner Jake Gliddon looked shell-shocked as they recounted the moment they realised their little girl had vanished from the Blowholes Campground in Macleod, about 50km north of Carnarvon.

In the video above, parents break silence as search for Cleo Smith continues

The couple - Carnarvon locals who regularly went camping in the same area when they were kids - said when they woke up at 6am their tent zip was 30cm from being completely open.

To their horror, Cleo - and her red and black sleeping bag - were gone.

Cleos last interaction with her parents was at about 1.30am on Saturday morning, when she woke up and asked for water before rolling over and going back to sleep.

When they discovered Cleo was gone, Ellie said the pair looked immediately around the tent before jumping in the car and searching the area.

Unable to find her little girl, Ellie realised she needed to call the police - and then the panic truly set in.

We grew up here, we literally grew up 100 metres from where we stayed at the same age, she said.

So we just looked everywhere that we went as kids and we couldnt find her.

We realised we had to call the cops because she wasnt here.

Absolutely everything was going through my mind, Ellie said.

Where is she? She needs breakfast, whats she doing? Everything was going through my head.

The last four days have been horrendous. We havent really slept.

Our friends and family have been so supportive, everyones asking us what we need, but all we really need is our little girl home.

We sit and watch the sand dunes and think shes going to run down it and back into our arms but were still waiting.

Ellie said she had no idea what had happened to Cleo.

I dont know and I wish I did. Theres a million different things that Ive thought of, she said.

The worst part is that theres nothing more we can do.

Its out of our hands now and we feel hopeless and out of control.

We just want our little girl home.

Where is she? She needs breakfast, whats she doing? Everything was going through my head.

Ellie posted an emotional plea on Facebook on Sunday, writing: Its been over 24 hours since I last saw the sparkle in my little girls eyes!

Please help me find her! If you hear or see anything at all please call the police, she wrote.

Ellie described Cleo as a beautiful, delicate, funny girl with a big heart.

She loves rocks, she collects rocks, she loves makeup and dressing up, every day she wants to wear a princess dress, her mum said.

Shes everything youd want in a little girl.

Ellie said Cleo would not have wandered off on her own.

She would never leave that tent alone, she said.

I live five minutes from the shops she wouldnt even walk that far.

She would never leave us, shed never leave the tent, she was wearing when she left a jumpsuit, and she cant go to the toilet without my help unzipping it and going.

Someone has to know where she is. Its been four days.

We hold hope that she is still around here somewhere. If I think about the idea of her being taken, a million things cross my mind.

How Im feeling is how I never want any mother to feel with her child.

We feel scared and terrified.

Ellie described the scenario on the night before Cleo disappeared.

The group arrived at the campsite on Friday night around 6.30pm, pitched their tent, and had something to eat before Cleo went to sleep around 8pm.

She said Cleo was on a mattress, her younger child, baby Isla, was in a cot nearby, and the adults were sleeping on a blow-up mattress with a divider in between.

The first thing Ellie said to Jake upon realising her four-year-old was not inside the tent was: Cleos gone, Jake.

Ellie, who works in a Carnarvon beauty salon, and Jake, who works for Rio Tinto, said they loved going camping, fishing, and visiting the beach - although Cleo didnt like to swim in ocean water.

Cleo was learning to ride her bicycle and attends St Marys Star of the Sea school in Carnarvon.

It was Ellie, Cleo and Jakes first camping trip with Ellies younger daughter.

7NEWS can reveal police spoke with Cleos biological father, who was more than 1000km away in Mandurah, for about three hours.

Its understood he was asked to make a voluntary statement.

There is no suggestion he has any involvement in her disappearance.

His family says the priority is getting the little girl home safely.

Police havent ruled out the possibility that Cleo has been kidnapped and taken interstate.

WA Police senior inspector Jon Munday said police were hopeful that Cleo was still alive.

We are throwing all stops at this, he said.

We hold grave concerns for Cleo.

Every hour and every day that goes on we get more and more concerned.

We have the best investigators from state crime with forensic working as hard as they can to cover all bases.

The search for Cleo was suspended for several hours on Tuesday due to wild weather conditions in the region but has since resumed.

I know shes strong, Ellie said.

Cleo was born eight weeks early and shes been strong since she was born.

I know she can get through whatever it is shes going through.

The pair urged anyone who had information but had not come forward to police to do so.

Just imagine if it was your child, what youd be going through, Ellie said.

Earlier on Tuesday WA Premier Mark McGowan said his thoughts were with the family.

Our thoughts are with Cleos family during what is undoubtedly an extremely difficult time for them and for everyone involved, he said.

To every officer and volunteer involved in search can I say thank you for your efforts on behalf of the Smith family.

To Cleos family and on behalf of West Australians, we are thinking of you at this difficult time.

Cleo is approximately 110 centimetres tall with honey blonde hair and hazel eyes.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 131 444.

See the article here:
HOPELESS AND OUT OF CONTROL: Distraught mum and step-dad of Cleo Smith who vanished from tent in WA camping spot speak - 7NEWS