Cleo Smith found: Police forensics officers comb Carnarvon home where missing girl found

Police forensics have arrived at the Carnarvon house where Cleo Smith was found rescued in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Officers were seen setting up a marquee in preparation of a thorough search of the property, which is just 3km from Cleo’s family home.

Police unloaded a trailer full of evidence bags, cameras and other equipment to aid in the collection of evidence.

Workmen watched on as the scene unfolded, with the men saying they saw the man who has now been taken into custody on Monday and could not believe they had been metres away from the missing four-year-old.

A Carnarvon resident said the man in custody was well known in the community.

She said the man had always been “lonely”.

A neighbour said she would now keep a closer eye on her own children, who would not be allowed to play on the street unsupervised.

Neighbours who heard sounds similar to a cat screeching in the days after Cleo Smith disappeared are now saying they believe the noise to have been the little girl crying.

Rennee Turner said she had been standing out the front of her sister’s house - which is on the same street as the house where Cleo was found - when they heard the “screeching” sound.

“I can’t believe she was in that house... its thrown me,” she said.

She was not the only one to have heard strange sounds coming from the street, with neighbour Sahntayah McKenzie saying she thought she heard a child crying on Monday night.

“I heard a little girl crying but I wouldn’t expect it to be Cleo,” she said.

“I didn’t expect it would happen in this little neighbourhood, a lot of people know each other.”

Another woman said she had “sensed” Cleo was still in Carnarvon and had thought police should start door-knocking for information.

“It’s because there were so many police in town, I thought they had to have known something,” she said.

Henry Dodd was playing basketball with mates on Tuesday evening when he started to notice police circling the street.

“They pulled up they were driving up and down about 9pm, then they ended up cracking into the house around 1am,” he said.

It is understood WA Police homicide squad Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine has arrived at the house where Cleo was found, just 3km from her family home.

Police have started interviewing neighbours to gather information about the man who they now have in custody.

The West Australian was told a family member had been looking after the man before her death earlier this year.