Forensic leads led detectives investigating the case of a missing four-year-old to a house where she was found in an incredible rescue.
Cleo Smith who went missing from an Australian outback campsite more than two weeks ago has been found "alive and well" in a locked house, authorities said on Wednesday, and she has been reunited with her family.
Police said a tip off and forensic leads they'd followed up on had led them to the house - said to be a seven minute drive from Cleo's family home.
Officers collected thousands of pieces of evidence, intelligence, data, CCTV, witness statements, analysed thousands of calls and trawled through social media as part of their investigation.
"There was some information we followed up on," Western Australia police commissioner Chris Dawson told ABC radio.
"We had been following a lot of the forensic leads and it led us to a particular house. We put everything we had at it.
"Hope was never lost and the fact she's been found alive, I think Australia is rejoicing. It is such a wonderful outcome."
Deputy Police Commissioner Col Blanch said phone data also played a key role in presenting their "needle in a haystack".
"It's a big jigsaw, you know, everything contributed, certainly phone data helped us and that will come apparent.
"But there were lots of things, that when we put the puzzle together it all led to one place, and that's where we found Cleo."
He said information received Tuesday night rapidly "snowballed" into finding Cleo, the NZ Herald reports.
Police broke into a house in Carnarvon, a town about 100 km (62 miles) south of the campsite, early on Wednesday morning and found Cleo in one of the rooms.
A 36-year-old man has been taken into custody in relation to the disappearance, he said.
Western Australia Police have confirmed the man arrested at the property is not connected to Cleo's family.
Police said the abduction appears to have been opportunistic and they expect to file charges later in the day.
"She is physically OK. That was evident from the start," said state police homicide squad Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine, who was one of four people to rescue the child.
"Taking her to the hospital we got assurance of that from people that know what they are doing."
