Missing three-year-old found alive

Chloe Campbell's mother says she's overjoyed after the three-year-oldturned up out of the blue in Childers overnight

CHLOE Campbell's mother has expressed joy at hugging her daughter for the first time this morning after the three-year-old was found alive and well overnight.

The Courier-Mail reported the Childers toddler was found by police when she "appeared" at the showgrounds, opposite the family home, just after midnight, calling out "mummy" as she crouched in the dark.

Abduction? ... Chloe was sleeping near an open window when she went missing. Source: Supplied

Tammy O'Donnell has visited her girl, who is undergoing checks at the Bundaberg Base Hospital and afterward addressed the media, saying she was "overjoyed".

"(I'm) over the world; there is no other word to really describe how I'm feeling, just overjoyed," said Ms O'Donnell as she grinned from ear to ear.

"Thank you to everyone, and everyone that called in to help bring Chloe home safe and happy."

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Missing three-year-old found alive

Ms O'Donnell said she raced from Childers to Bundaberg hospital as soon as she heard the news and then ran into her daughter's room to cuddle and hold her for the first time since Wednesday night.

"I was just in tears... I ran in the room basically. I didn't care if she woke up or not and then I just laid on the bed with her and gave her cuddles for a while and then we just came home to let everyone know," said the mum of four.

Search is over ... SES and police gather at the local showgrounds, where Chloe was reportedly found. Source: News Corp Australia

She said Chloe was aware of Tammy's presence in the hospital but too tired to remain awake.

"She opened her eyes a little bit and (said) 'mummy want to go home now' and passed out," said Ms O'Donnell.

READ THE FULL STORY FROM THE COURIER-MAIL

Rick O'Donnell cuddles daughter Tammy, mother of Chloe Campbell, 3, who was found near the Childers show ground overnight. Picture: Paul Beutel

"She's physically fine but really tired at the moment."

Chloe's older sisters Brittney, 6, and Janae, 7, were also ecstatic at the news.

"My eldest one broke into tears, burst into tears and the littlest one has the biggest smile on her face in the world," Ms O'Donnell said.

"They're both laying in bed awake just really happy knowing their sister's okay."

Ms O'Donnell said her daughter's return was an Easter gift that was much better than chocolate.

Distraught ... Chloe's mother, Tammy O'Donnell, phoned police when the three-year-old went missing on Thursday. Source: Supplied

Chloe Campbell: found safe this morning.

At around 2am, The Courier-Mail reported that Chloe Campbell, who was abducted from her Childers home on Thursday had been found alive.

Police confirmed the three-year-old "wandered home" near the Childers Showground about 1am and was taken to Bundaberg Base Hospital for a check-up.

Inspector Kev Guteridge this morning confirmed Chloe simply "appeared" at the showgrounds opposite the family home - where police have established their base - shortly after midnight.

"It's really amazing news. Shortly after midnight Chloe was located at the Childers showgrounds by police that were in attendance," he said.

"Chloe was examined by ambulance before being taken to the Bundaberg Base Hospital where she's been reunited with her mother.

"I'm very very happy to report Chloe is safe and well and in very good health."

The mother of Chloe Campbell, Tammy O 'Donnell, rushed to her daughter's side at the Bundaberg Base Hospital.

Inspector Guteridge said the dog squad immediately undertook a search of the area - which is ongoing - as friends suspected she was dropped there by her abductor.

He could not confirm if she was wearing the same clothes or carrying her favourite blue plush puppy or blanket.

Police State Crime Command officers are with Chloe and her parents Tammy O'Donnell and Garth Campbell at the hospital and will be hoping to interview the girl today.

"Obviously how she came to be at the showgrounds will be part of the investigation," Insp Guteridge said.

"The last couple of days our focus has been locating her and locating her safe and well.

"Now we will transition to the investigation phase and focus more on that, as to the circumstance of her disappearance."

Garth Campbell, father of Chloe Campbell, speaks to media at the Bundaberg Base Hospital shortly after his daughter was found by police. Photo Paul Beutel

"We're sincerely hoping to speak to Chloe and anyone that might have any information that can help us.

"As you can appreciate at the moment our whole focus is Chloe's well being.

"While we are happy to get her back we also have to make sure she's okay before we progress too much with her."

Inspector Guteridge said police were interested in any information that may assist in the investigation following rumours that the person or persons of interest may be close to the family.

"We are searching for any information. People out there will know things and we are encouraging them to come forward.

"There's a lot of rumour at the moment and certainly anyone that may have (information) should bring that to us so we can examine that thoroughly."

Chloe Campbell's mum Tammy O' Donnell and grandmother Heather Robertson before Chloe was found.

'Taken by a friend' ... Chloe's father Garth Campbell first suspected she had been taken by someone who knows the family. Source: Supplied

While he had not spoken to the mother Tammy, he said she would be thrilled.

"We obviously saw her yesterday she had been traumatised by this experience so to have her reunited with her baby is really a remarkable thing," he said.

Earlier, Chloe's mother Tammy O'Donnell drove to Bundaberg to see her daughter.

A close family friend Melissa Small this morning said Tammy and the family were overjoyed at the news.

"We had the call from the detectives and they said 'We've got Chloe and we're taking her to the Bundaberg Hospital, meet us there," said Ms Small.

Chloe Campbell, and parents Garth Campbell and Tammy O'Donnell.

"Within two seconds she was down in the driveway and taking off."

"We're just so happy. Thank you to everyone, the police, the SES the volunteers, absolutely everyone.

"This is such great news."

Ms Small said privately friends and family had been starting to fear the worst but Tammy had refused to give up hope.

"We didn't say anything but we were talking amongst ourselves and considering the worst possibilities because time was getting by."

Chloe's parents Tammy O'Donnell and Garth Campbell returned to the house they are staying at at 4.20am without their daughter, who will remain in hospital for a few more hours.

Chloe was discovered missing in her Childers home about 7am Thursday.

Earlier, The Courier-Mail reported that security footage has emerged of two men and a young child walking about 200m from where Chloe Campbell disappeared in Childers.

A residential security camera captured the vision very early on Thursday, the morning the three-year-old is believed to have been abducted from her house.

As fears for Chloe's safety intensified yesterday, her inconsolable mother Tammy O'Donnell described her anguish at not properly locking the lounge room sliding window the night before.

The glass window was found open and Chloe missing about 7am on Thursday after she and two siblings fell asleep on a lounge room mattress.

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Ms O'Donnell said she usually checked that all windows of the medium set house were clicked shut before retiring to bed.

"I shut the house up that night but I don't think, when I've closed it, I don't think it's clicked," Ms O'Donnell said.

"I think I just shut it and I usually check it before bed and I don't know why I didn't that night.

"I just think if I had have checked, she'd still be here."

The extensive search for any sign of the blonde toddler has expanded further around Childers as Ms O'Donnell said she did not believe her daughter was in the town but "further out".

Police will sift through the local tip where the family's and town's waste was dumped after collection on the morning of the little girl's disappearance.

Inspector Kev Guteridge said yesterday the team of police, SES and volunteers had not located anything by air or on land.

Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage from town and following leads from the public.

Childers resident Les Fennell handed his own personal security footage to police after they requested he scan it for anything unusual.

Mr Fennell said he uncovered two men and a young child walking south by the railway line behind Pioneer Park, a travellers' resting park on the Bruce Highway.

The location on the northern end of town intersects Ridgway Street where Chloe went missing.

Mr Fennell said the child was walking about 15m ahead of the men as they passed behind a toilet block as dawn approached.

About twenty minutes later the men returned north in the direction they had come but without the child.

"What I saw was the council worker doing his work, and left. Then came two men and a child. It could have been for any reason and anyone's child," he said.

"The sun had just started coming up yesterday morning and it was about the same time the child was missing."

Mr Fennell said the child seemed to know the men as he or she appeared to be leading they way.

"She or he was very small," he said. "The child looked like it knew where it was going and the two men followed."

Mr Fennell said he compared that morning's discovery with footage from the previous four days but did not see the trio on any other day.

The footage, which was wavering between night vision and regular, was not clear enough to determine if the child was a girl or boy, whether it was carrying a toy or the ages of the men.

The discovery comes as Ms O'Donnell is convinced someone knows where Chloe is, pleading for made an emotional plea for them to be "honest enough" to return her.

"I'm hoping she comes home safe, it's all I've got at the moment is hope and hoping someone will be honest enough to bring her home," she sobbed.

"Have the guts to bring her home. They were gutsy enough to take her, now have the decency and the guts to being her home."

Overcome by grief and tears, Ms O'Donnell said she hadn't been able to eat or sleep as she lived out this nightmare.

She said the family usually lived a quiet life, revolving around school and home and did not have enemies.

Ms O'Donnell affirmed her husband's belief that whoever took the child was known to Chloe, and she was unlikely to have wandered.

"They carried her out while she's been asleep, she's obviously known them to not scream or yell out," she said.

"I'd just like to say if anyone out there had any info please come forward and can you please just please bring her home ... or just drop her somewhere and ring up ... she needs to be home with her family."

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