Cleo Smith search: Taskforce Rodia boss Rod Wilde to fly to Carnarvon

The top cop in charge of the massive police taskforce dedicated to finding Cleo Smith is expected to fly into Carnarvon within days.

In a sign the police investigation is further ramping up, Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde will fly to the Gascoyne town to join his officers on the ground, 7NEWS has reported.

Supt Wilde — a police veteran of nearly 40 years — leads about 100 officers in the operation as head of Taskforce Rodia.

Before his most recent assignment, Supt Wilde led Taskforce Ravello, the investigation launched in December to investigate the fatal shooting of former Rebels boss Nick Martin — which has led to a former Australian soldier pleading guilty to the gangster’s murder.

Prior to that, Supt Wilde oversaw the fresh police investigation into the 1997 abduction and murder of Gerard Ross.

When police last week turned to the theory Cleo may have been abducted, Supt Wilde said cases don’t “get any worse”.

“Look, it doesn’t get any worse,” he said at the time.

“We know that. We really feel for the parents.”

It comes after Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews on Wednesday confirmed that Australian Federal Police were aiding Supt Wilde’s taskforce — on the 12th day of the search for Cleo.

“Our thoughts are with the family, and I can assure them that the advanced capabilities of Federal law enforcement are being deployed to aid local efforts to find Cleo,” Ms Andrews told the Australian Parliament.

“Australians can be certain that we will continue to equip our law enforcement and intelligence agencies with the tools and the resources that they need to combat this very serious crime — and especially crimes against children.”