The family had been camping at the remote Point Quobba when Cleo was taken from her tent in the early hours of October 16, 2021.
The case quickly gained international attention as search efforts intensified, with police deploying horses, helicopters and ground crews to comb through the rugged terrain.
As the search dragged on, and with leads dwindling, many experts believed the girl was dead.
However, Cleo was found alive 18 days later inside the home of Terence Darrell Kelly, who lived 3km from her family’s house.
Viewers around the world watched footage of the emotional moment a police officer asked a young girl for her name.
“My name is Cleo,” she responded.
Kelly pleaded guilty to kidnapping Cleo and holding her in his home and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Police investigations revealed he had an obsession with Bratz dolls, filling a room in his house with the figurines.
Gliddon and Smith sat down for an interview with Nine Network in 2022, for a reported A$2 million.
They told 60 Minutes journalist Tara Brown they were disgusted by a psychologist report that detailed Kelly’s motives behind the kidnapping – it found he snatched Cleo to fulfil an idealised fantasy of having a girl to dress up and play with.
“She still has her sad nights, her nightmare nights,” Smith said.
“She doesn’t have the words to explain what she’s sad about, she just knows that’s how she feels, so they’re just sad nights.
“Obviously, we’re still sad, hurt, scared, angry, terrified, but we try not to let it rule our life.”
In 2024, Kelly lost an appeal to have his sentence reduced.
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