For more than two weeks it cast a pall over Australia, fears mounting with each passing day.
The mysterious disappearance of Cleo Smith was called Australia’s Madeleine McCann story and it’s not hard to see why: a family on holiday, a little girl snatched in the night, distraught parents, a nation united in desperation and an extensive police hunt proving fruitless day after day.
But unlike Maddie, Cleo Smith’s case has had a happy ending – and the four-year-old is now the most famous child in Australia, her story captivating people around the world.