FOUR–year–old Cleo Smith is in good spirits after her dramatic ordeal as West Australian police prepare to lay charges against her alleged abductor.
Cleo was found alive and well early on Wednesday, 18 heartbreaking days after she went missing from her family's tent at the remote Blowholes campsite.
She was rescued from a property just minutes from her family home in Carnarvon, a coastal town almost 1000km north of Perth.
The little girl has returned home with her mother Ellie Smith, stepdad Jake Gliddon and baby sister Isla and is said to have been happy and playing.
A 36–year–old Carnarvon man is being questioned over the suspected abduction. He is expected to be charged later on Thursday.
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Police have confirmed the man was twice taken to hospital after self–harming while in custody.
He has since returned to the local police station and is expected to face a magistrate in Carnarvon once charges are laid.
"It'll probably be later today but there's still some work that's being undertaken, some interviews that are occurring," Superintendent Rod Wilde told reporters in Carnarvon.
"I would imagine that those interviews will conclude today, possibly this afternoon."
Officers found Cleo, alone in a room and physically unharmed, after breaking into the locked–up house and the remarkable moment was captured by an officer's body camera.
"My name is Cleo," she said when asked for her name.
The accused man was arrested on a nearby street around the same time.
Supt Wilde said police were yet to establish whether Cleo was kept at the property for the entire 18 days she was apart from her family.
Homicide detective Cameron Blaine, who was among Cleo's rescuers, spent time with the family on Thursday and said the little girl appeared to be holding up well.
"I can only see her from the outside. But from that point of view, I'm amazed that she seems to be so well–adjusted and happy," he said.
"It was really heartwarming to see that she's still bubbly and she's laughing.
"She's falling asleep in her mother's arms. There was one occasion where she asked if she could lay next to mum and have Ellie look at her while she fell asleep.
"It's really good to see that she's adjusted, she's getting some sleep, she's playing in the backyard exactly how you would expect." –AAP
