At 5 a.m. the day Cleo Smith disappeared from the family tent, her kidnapper wrote an encrypted message on Facebook. Terrence Daryl Kelly’s account – in which he posed as a man with a family – also followed Cleo’s mother Ellie on social media. He had an obsession with dolls and created profiles to share his collection with the outside world.
The 36-year-old who was arrested for the kidnapping of young Australian boy Cleo Smith has now been formally charged. Maybe he was acting alone, the police said. He was arrested three days later The little girl was found in his locked home in Carnarvon.
Kelly’s Facebook profile shows that hours before Cleo’s mother found out her daughter was missing, he posted information about his need for privacy. I read his message at 5 a.m. on October 16, the day of the kidnapping: “I cannot accept friend requests from strangers…I live a private life and I respect those on my friends list to ensure their privacy is respected as well.” “We adults have to be careful online,” she said. He explained that he would not become “friends” with people just because they are family members or know other friends.
Kelly may have written the mystery post shortly after he kidnapped Cleo. At three in the morning, eyewitnesses saw a car driving away from the camp site in the direction of Carnarvon.
Striking: Kelly’s Facebook account responded with a “sad” emoji to a news story about the missing four-year-old. His profile also followed Cleo Ellie’s mother on social media at the time of his arrest. It’s unclear if he was actually following Ellie before Cleo’s kidnapping.
The man also had a separate Facebook profile that showed off his obsession with dolls. In a video posted to this account, Kelly can be seen smiling in a room full of dolls. Bought it at the local toy store long before he got it. Australian media reported that his account has since been deactivated. It is unclear if the police did this.
The man had no children, although he pretended to be on social media. Locals assumed he was buying gifts for his extended family. Some recent purchases, when Cleo was still missing, caught the attention of the police. Investigators have already asked the toy store owner to hand over the camera images. The man was also seen buying diapers.
Additionally, the Daily Mail learns that he has been caught driving without a license in the past. The court learned that Kelly did not have a driver’s license in Australia.
Detective Rod Wilde, who led the investigation into the disappearance, told reporters Thursday that the suspect had been taken to hospital due to injuries sustained after his arrest. The hijacker showed little emotion in court on Thursday when he was charged.
Who is the suspect in the kidnapping of Cleo Smith? The man with a house full of dolls and nappies (+)
See also: “My name is Cleo”
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