Cleo Smith case: False media stories surrounding Cleo Smith frustrating those close to the case

Increasingly outlandish media stories surrounding Cleo Smith and her family — including a claim the little girl’s name could be changed by her family — are frustrating those close to the case. Two stories appeared on the Daily Mail website this week, which claimed the family were considering the name change, and that they were also being encouraged to “talk about Cleo’s future with the parents of other children who have experienced traumatic events.” Both stories are understood to have been emphatically denied. And those unsubstantiated stories followed others in the same outlet which were also proved wrong — including an allegation accused abductor Terence Kelly had been bashed by another prisoner while being held in custody. In fact, Kelly had self-harmed, and is now charged with assaulting a police officer. Another Daily Mail report suggested a second person may have been involved in the alleged kidnapping, before then reporting WA Police’s frank rebuttal of the original speculation. And the outlet also suggested a second child may have been in the room where Cleo was found, which was again proved to be entirely wrong. WA Police remains in regular contact with the Cleo’s mother Ellie and stepfather Jake Gliddon, including about continued media coverage of the case. Detectives allege after abducting Cleo on October 16, Mr Kelly held her captive inside his two-bedroom Tonkin Crescent home as the little girl’s disappearance made headlines around the world. Described as a “loner”, Mr Kelly is also understood to have had a room inside his house filled floor to ceiling with dolls.