At 1:58 in the morning on June 5th, 2002, a 9-year-old girl named Mary Catherine Smart lay frozen in her bed, pretending to be asleep.

Through barely open eyes, she watched a stranger press a knife to her 14-year-old sister’s throat, she heard Elizabeth whisper, “What is it?” Thinking the tap on her shoulder was Mary Catherine coming to wake her.

Then she watched that man force Elizabeth to put on her tennis shoes and walk out of their bedroom, out of their lives.

Mary Catherine didn’t scream.

She didn’t move.

For 2 hours, she lay there trembling, terrified the man would return.

And when she finally found the courage to run to her parents’ bedroom, her words shattered the summer night.

She’s gone.

Elizabeth is gone.

A man came and took her.

In the 9 months that followed, 14 million Americans would search for Elizabeth Smart.

Over 16,000 tips would flood police hotlines.

The entire country would hold its breath, praying for a miracle that statistics said was nearly impossible.

And then that miracle happened.

But what happened in between? The investigation that went wrong, the clues that were missed, the little sister whose memory would ultimately save Elizabeth’s life, and the survival story that would transform a terrified captive into one of America’s most powerful child safety advocates.

That is the story we’re telling today.

Welcome to Cold Case Desk.

I’m your host and this is the complete story of Elizabeth Smart.

To understand what happened to Elizabeth Smart, you first need to understand who she was before that June night and the world she came from.

Elizabeth and Smart was born on November 3rd, 1987 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The second of six children in a prominent Mormon family.

Her parents, Edward and Lois Smart, had met at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints function for young adults and married in 1986.

Ed Smart was a successful real estate developer and mortgage broker, owner of Smart Realy, and First National Mortgage.

He had graduated from George Washington University with degrees in finance and urban planning.

The Smart family lineage traced back to Charles C.

Rich, one of Brigham Young’s 12 apostles.

The Smarts lived in Federal Heights, an affluent neighborhood on Salt Lake City’s northeast bench in a sprawling home at 1509 Cristiana Circle.

The house had seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, and over 5,000 square ft of living space.

At the time of Elizabeth’s kidnapping, the home was listed for sale at $1.19 million.

Edmart had been renovating it for 6 years, cycling through approximately 60 construction workers during that time.

Elizabeth was, by all accounts, a typical teenager in the best sense of the word.

She was shy but confident, athletic, and academic.

She played the harp beautifully.

Just days before her kidnapping, she had performed Silent Night at her grandfather Myron Frankham’s funeral.

Her grandfather had passed away the Saturday before, and on the Monday preceding her abduction, Elizabeth’s music was the centerpiece of his memorial service.

The evening of June 4th, 2002, the Smart family attended Bryant Middle School’s endofear awards ceremony.

Elizabeth received recognition for both physical fitness and academics.

She was about to graduate from middle school, ready to begin high school in the fall.

Her brother Charles accepted her certificate of completion at that same ceremony on June 7th because by then Elizabeth was gone.

What the family didn’t know was that among the dozens of workers who had passed through their home during renovations, one man had been watching and waiting.

The evening of June 4th was unremarkable by every measure.

The smarts came home from the awards ceremony and Lois began preparing a late dinner.

In her rush, she burned some potatoes.

To clear the smoke from the kitchen, she opened the window to the right of the sink.

She would later testify about that window in court, how such a small, ordinary action may have sealed her daughter’s fate.

The family went to bed.

Elizabeth and her 9-year-old sister, Mary Catherine, shared a bedroom, as they had for years.

Outside, the warm Utah summer night settled over Federal Heights.

The only sounds were crickets and distant traffic.

Then, sometime between 1 and 2 in the morning on June 5th, 2002, a man named Brian David Mitchell approached the smart home.

He was 48 years old, a drifter who called himself Emmanuel.

In the fall of 2001, Lois Smart had encountered him panhandling in downtown Salt Lake City.

Feeling compassion, she gave him $5 and offered him work.

Mitchell had spent approximately 5 hours at the smart home, raking leaves and doing minor roof work.

5 hours.

That was all the time he needed to learn the layout of the house, to observe the family, to make his plan.

Now, eight months later, he returned.

He placed a rot iron patio chair beneath the kitchen window, the same window Lois had opened earlier.

He cut a U-shaped hole in the screen and climbed through over the counter without disturbing anything.

He moved through the dark house with purpose.

He knew where he was going.

When he reached the girl’s bedroom, Mary Catherine stirred.

She opened her eyes just enough to see a figure cross the room, a man moving toward her bed.

Ed Smart called 911 at 4:01 in the morning.

Within minutes, police were on their way.

But as officers began arriving at the Smart home, they found a chaotic scene.

Ed, frantic with worry, had also called family members and leaders from their church congregation.

By the time police arrived, the house was already filling with relatives, neighbors, and fellow churchgoers who had rushed over to help.

It was a mess.

Detective Cordon Parks later said it was an absolute mess.

The crime scene, critical in any investigation, was being compromised with every person who entered.

More than a dozen cars arrived before police could establish a perimeter.

Officers wouldn’t seal off the house until 6:54 that morning, nearly 3 hours after the 911 call.

Still, by 7:30, local television and radio stations were broadcasting emergency alerts.

Utah’s Rachel Alert system, a precursor to the Amber Alert, named after three-year-old Rachel Renan, who had been abducted and murdered in 1982, was activated for the first time in state history.

By 9 in the morning, more than 100 officers and volunteers were already searching the area.

State police helicopters swept overhead.

Search dogs were brought in, tracking Elizabeth’s scent up a hill in the backyard, then losing it when they reached the street.

The search for Elizabeth Smart had begun, but the trail was already going cold.

The first 48 hours of a missing child case are the most critical.

According to FBI research, 74% of abducted children who are murdered are killed within the first 3 hours.

90% are killed within 24 hours.

Every minute counted.

Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dins took command of the investigation, leading press conferences and public communications.

25 police and FBI detectives were assigned to the case.

FBI profilers from Virginia arrived by June 7th.

The investigation had resources.

It had manpower.

What it lacked was evidence.

Little usable evidence was found at the scene.

Officers reported no fingerprints, no DNA.

The cut screen was the primary physical evidence, and even that raised questions.

Some investigators initially believed it might have been cut from inside the house, suggesting the kidnapping could have been staged.

Mary Catherine was the only witness, but she was 9 years old, traumatized, and her descriptions of the kidnapper were understandably imperfect.

She said the man was white, about the height of her brother, Charles, around 5’8 in.

She estimated his age at 30 to 40 years old.

She described him wearing light colored clothes and a golf hat.

She noted dark hair on his arms and the backs of his hands.

What police kept secret was a crucial limitation.

Mary Catherine had never gotten a clear look at the man’s face.

That fact was kept secret during the investigation.

Records would later reveal.

It meant that while Mary Catherine could describe general characteristics, she couldn’t provide the kind of detailed facial description that might lead to identification.

Still, her account gave investigators something to work with, and the community response was extraordinary.

The Laura Recovery Center Foundation, a Texas-based nonprofit founded by Bob and Gay Smither in memory of their murdered daughter, Laura, sent executive director Robert Walcott to Salt Lake City the day after the abduction.

Typical searches coordinated by the Laura Center drew around 400 volunteers on a busy day.

The Elizabeth Smart Search drew up to 2,000 volunteers every single day.

They came from everywhere, neighbors, churchgoers, complete strangers who had seen the news and felt compelled to help.

They set up headquarters at Shriner’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.

They combed the mountains near the smart home.

They posted missing flyers by the thousands in malls, grocery stores, restaurants, hair salons, medical offices.

University of Utah football players hauled food and water for volunteer search teams.

100 LDS missionaries joined the search on a single day.

Powder blue ribbons and hearts covered the fence outside Bryant Middle School.

Candlelight vigils were held at Liberty Park.

Donations poured into a special bank account the family had established.

On June 6th, the Smart family offered a $250,000 reward for Elizabeth’s safe return.

Salt Lake City police added $10,000 more.

Tips began flooding in at the rate of one per minute.

But Elizabeth wasn’t in the mountains where searchers looked.

She was closer than anyone knew and further from rescue than anyone could imagine.

In those first days after the kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart was being held in a camp just a few miles from her home in Dry Creek Canyon.

Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzy had established a crude encampment there, hidden in the rugged terrain.

The horrific irony was that searchers actually came close to finding her.

Over 100 volunteers spent at least 2 days searching that canyon.

They called her name as they moved through the brush.

Elizabeth could hear them, but she couldn’t call back.

Mitchell had terrorized her into silence through threats of violence against her and her family.

He controlled her completely, not through physical restraints, but through psychological terror.

Elizabeth would later testify about the fear that paralyzed her, about the threats that made her believe any attempt to escape would result in the death of her entire family.

This is one of the most important aspects of Elizabeth’s story and one that she has spent years helping the public understand.

Captivity isn’t always about chains.

Psychological coercion can be just as effective as physical restraints.

Compliance and silence are survival mechanisms, not consent.

As summer turned to fall, Mitchell became bolder.

He began taking Elizabeth out in public, disguised in robes and a veil.

Part of his twisted religious delusion that required Elizabeth to dress in garments he claimed were mandated by God.

He called himself Emmanuel, and had given Elizabeth a new name, Augustine.

In August 2002, an incident occurred that would haunt investigators in Elizabeth herself for years to come.

A patron at the Salt Lake City Public Library noticed a strange trio, a man in robes with two women, their faces covered by veils.

Something about one of the women, the way she moved, her eyes visible above the veil, made the patron think of Elizabeth Smart.

She called the police.

A detective arrived and approached the group.

Mitchell calmly identified himself as a religious minister and claimed Elizabeth was his daughter, Augustine Marshall.

He explained that the women couldn’t remove their veils for religious reasons.

The detective accepted the explanation and walked away.

Elizabeth later testified about that moment.

I was mad at myself that I didn’t say anything.

I felt terrible that the detective hadn’t pushed harder.

He just walked away.

It would not be the last time Brian David Mitchell slipped through law enforcement’s fingers.

While Elizabeth remained hidden in plain sight, investigators were focusing on a different suspect.

One who fit a compelling narrative, but was ultimately the wrong man.

Richard Reachi was a 48-year-old handyman with an extensive criminal history dating back to 1973.

He had worked at the smart home during the renovations in 2001.

He knew the layout of the house.

He had access.

On June 14th, 2002, Richi was arrested on a parole violation.

initially for something as minor as drinking beer while on parole.

But when investigators searched his residence, they found $3,500 worth of property stolen from the smart home, jewelry, perfume, a wine glass with seashells.

Richi admitted to the theft.

More troubling was the mileage on his Jeep Cherokee.

Around the time of the kidnapping, his vehicle showed approximately 1,000 unexplained miles.

Richi refused to explain where he had been.

Police conducted 26 hours of interviews with Richi.

He consistently denied any involvement in Elizabeth’s kidnapping.

His wife Angela provided alibis.

Polygraph tests were administered, but investigators had a suspect who fit their theory, an ex-convict with access to the home, stolen property in his possession, and unexplained behavior.

The investigation increasingly focused on Richard Reichi.

There was just one problem.

Mary Catherine insisted Richi was not the man she saw in her bedroom that night.

The 9-year-old witness, the only person who had seen the kidnapper, was telling investigators they had the wrong person, but her voice identification wasn’t considered strong evidence.

Police continued pursuing Reichi as their primary suspect.

Then came July 24th, 2002.

Someone attempted to break into the home of Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle, Steve and Jeanie Wright, in Cottonwood Heights.

The method was eerily familiar.

A screen cut on the bedroom window of Elizabeth’s 15-year-old cousin, Olivia.

Two chairs placed outside, just like at the smart home.

Richard Reachi was in jail at the time.

The attempted break-in proved Reachi couldn’t have been responsible, at least for that crime.

It would later be confirmed that Brian David Mitchell had attempted to kidnap another member of the Smart family.

But investigators weren’t ready to give up on Richi.

On August 27th, 2002, Richi collapsed in his prison cell with a spontaneous brain hemorrhage.

He underwent 6 hours of emergency surgery, but never regained consciousness.

On August 30th, his family removed life support.

Richard Reachi died at 7:28 that evening, age 48.

He never explained the unexplained mileage on his Jeep.

He went to his grave, maintaining his innocence in Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapping.

For investigators, it was, as they put it, a big blow.

Their primary suspect was dead, and the case had hit a wall.

Little did they know that the breakthrough they needed had actually occurred 2 months before Richie’s death in the memory of a 9-year-old girl.

On October 12th, 2002, 4 months after her sister’s abduction, Mary Catherine Smart was flipping through a Guinness Book of World Records when something unexpected happened.

She saw a photograph of a muscular woman.

And suddenly, inexplicably, a memory surfaced.

She remembered a voice, the voice of the man who took Elizabeth.

And she remembered where she had heard that voice before.

“Dad,” she said to her father.

“I know who took Elizabeth.” “The man was Emmanuel, the homeless street preacher her mother had brought to the house to do yard work in November 2001.

Mary Catherine remembered meeting him while he was preaching downtown.

She remembered his voice.

She had heard it again on the night Elizabeth was taken.

Edmart was stunned.

The encounter with Emmanuel had been so brief, approximately 5 hours of work, that Ed had actually forgotten about the man entirely.

He wasn’t on any list of people with access to the home that police had compiled.

But Mary Catherine was certain.

The voice she heard in the dark belonged to Emanuel.

The smart family immediately contacted police.

They described Emmanuel as best they could.

A sketch artist created a composite drawing based on the family’s recollections and then something happened that would become one of the most controversial aspects of the entire investigation.

Police advised the family not to release the sketch.

Detective Cordon Parks later explained the reasoning.

Voice identification wasn’t considered strong evidence.

The encounter with Emmanuel had been so brief that the family’s memories might be unreliable.

The man wasn’t on any existing suspect list.

Most troublingly, if they went public with the sketch and it wasn’t the right person, they might scare away the actual kidnapper.

Captain Cory Lyman stated, “If we went public with it, we could scare the perpetrator away.

We knew a name, had a sketch, so the sketch was held back.

Days turned into weeks.

Weeks turned into months.

Elizabeth remained missing.” Meanwhile, Brian David Mitchell was very much out in public.

On September 27th, 2002, he was actually arrested in Salt Lake City for shoplifting.

He was processed and released without anyone connecting him to the Smart case.

In October, the same month, Mary Catherine remembered Emmanuel.

Edmart made a public plea for a national Amber Alert system, hoping it might help find children like Elizabeth.

President Bush announced a federal push for nationwide implementation.

In November, Elizabeth turned 15 in captivity.

Her family marked the day with prayers and hope.

The month’s ground on December, January, February.

The Smart family grew increasingly frustrated with the police’s reluctance to release the sketch.

They had given investigators their daughter’s kidnapper.

They were sure of it, and nothing was happening.

Finally, on February 3rd, 2003, Ed and Lois Smart had had enough.

They held their own press conference and released the sketch of Emmanuel to the media.

The release of the sketch set off a firestorm.

Police, caught off guard by the family’s independent action, tried to downplay its significance.

Sergeant Fred Lewis told reporters that Emmanuel was no more a suspect than anyone else.

Detective Parks reiterated skepticism about voice identification.

The family spokesman, Chris Thomas, later said, “The police told the media that I had concocted this story, that it was a ploy to get the story back in the news.” But the smart family didn’t back down.

The sketch appeared on Larry King Live.

It was distributed to media outlets across the country, and most importantly, it aired on America’s Most Wanted on February 15th, 2003.

The show identified Emanuel’s real name as Brian David Mitchell.

It revealed that he traveled with his wife, a woman named Wanda.

It suggested they might have headed south to warmer locations.

FBI agent Mcfinity had broken protocol to make sure Mitchell’s photographs reached FBI headquarters in time for the broadcast.

It was a decision that would prove crucial.

The day after the America’s Most Wanted episode aired, the phone started ringing.

Brian David Mitchell’s own sister called police to identify the sketch.

His stepson confirmed the identification.

Family members provided more recent photographs of Mitchell, photographs that were immediately distributed to the public.

For the first time in 8 months, investigators had a real lead on a viable suspect.

But there was still the question of where Mitchell, Barzy, and Elizabeth might be.

In September 2002, the trio had left Salt Lake City by Greyhound bus and traveled to the San Diego area.

They had spent months in Southern California, living on the streets and in encampments.

Then, remarkably, Elizabeth herself helped seal her own rescue.

According to later accounts, Elizabeth convinced Mitchell that God wanted them to return to Utah.

Whether this was a calculated move by Elizabeth, an attempt to get closer to home and potential rescue, or simply an argument that worked within Mitchell’s delusional framework, the result was the same.

In early March 2003, Mitchell, Barzy, and Elizabeth left San Diego County and headed back to Utah.

They were walking straight into the rescue that would end Elizabeth’s nightmare.

On March 12th, 2003, at approximately 1:00 in the afternoon, a couple named Alvin and Anita Dickerson were running errands in Sandy, Utah, about 18 miles from the Smart Family Home.

Alvin spotted a strange trio walking along State Street near the 10,200 block.

A man with long hair and a beard accompanied by two women in robes and veils.

Something about the man looked familiar.

Then it clicked.

He had seen that face on television on America’s Most Wanted.

The Dickersons called the Sandy Police Department.

Within a minute, another couple, Nancy and Rudy Mononttoya, made the same call.

They two had recognized Mitchell from the broadcast.

Officers Karen Jones, Troy Rasmusen, Bill O’Neal, and Sergeant Victor Kazada responded to the scene.

They found the trio walking along the road and separated them, taking Elizabeth about 50 yards from Mitchell and Barzy.

Elizabeth was disguised.

She wore a gray wig, large sunglasses, a veil, and a t-shirt wrapped around her head.

When officers approached her and asked her name, she denied being Elizabeth Smart.

I know you think I’m Elizabeth Smart, but I’m not, she said.

My name is Augustine.

Officer O’Neal later recalled that Elizabeth’s heart was beating so hard in her chest.

You could see it.

She was visibly terrified, her voice shaking for roughly 30 to 40 minutes.

Officers questioned her gently, but persistently.

Elizabeth continued to deny her identity, continued using the name Mitchell had given her.

Then Sergeant Kazada, his patients wearing thin, made one final appeal.

For your family’s sake, he said, “For your sake, for everybody that’s been looking for you around the country, just tell us you’re Elizabeth smart.” There was a long pause.

Then Elizabeth spoke two words that came straight from the Bible.

A phrase that essentially meant, “You say so.

Thou sayest.” Officers O’Neal and Quazada took that as a yes.

Elizabeth Smart had been found.

Word traveled fast.

Detective Cordon Parks contacted Ed Smart and asked him to come to the Sandy Police Department.

Family spokesman Chris Thomas called Ed while he was on route.

They think they found Elizabeth.

Ed Smart walked into a room at the police station where a young woman sat on a sofa.

She looked different, sunburned, thinner, more mature than the 14-year-old who had been taken from her bed 9 months earlier.

“Is it really you, Elizabeth?” Ed asked.

“Yes, Dad,” she replied.

and then she began to cry.

Ed Smart held his daughter, held his miracle in his arms.

Minutes later, Lois Smart arrived and joined the embrace.

The family that had been shattered on June 5th, 2002 was finally whole again.

An unmarked van transported Elizabeth and her parents back to their home.

Outside, cameras and reporters had gathered, hungry for footage of the rescue.

But inside that van, away from the media circus, a family was beginning the long process of healing.

Mary Catherine Smart, the 9-year-old girl whose memory had ultimately cracked the case, was waiting at home.

The sisters, who had shared a bedroom, who had been together on that terrible night, were together again.

At a press conference later that day, Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dince acknowledged what many had been thinking.

Hindsight is 2020 vision.

If we had to go back over it again, I think every one of our investigators would say, “I wish we had gone public with that sketch earlier.” The admission was significant.

Four months had passed between Mary Catherine’s identification of Emmanuel and the release of the sketch to the public for months during which Elizabeth remained in captivity.

The delay would become one of the most scrutinized aspects of the investigation.

But on March 12th, 2003, none of that mattered.

What mattered was that Elizabeth Smart was alive.

She was home and against all odds, her story would not end in tragedy.

It was just beginning.

Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzy were arrested on the spot in Sandy, Utah, and taken into custody separately.

On March 18th, 2003, state charges were filed against both aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, and aggravated burglary.

Additional charges were later added related to Mitchell’s attempted kidnapping of Elizabeth’s cousin the previous July.

Mitchell’s attorney announced that his client considered taking Elizabeth a call from God.

This religious delusion or claimed religious delusion would become the central issue in what became one of the most prolonged legal battles in Utah history.

The question wasn’t whether Mitchell had committed the crimes.

That was never in dispute.

The question was whether he was mentally competent to stand trial.

In 2004, the court ordered a competency evaluation.

Mitchell claimed to be a prophet receiving divine instructions.

Defense expert Dr.

Jennifer Scheme diagnosed him with delusional disorder and concluded he was not competent to stand trial.

But the court overruled and found Mitchell competent.

Plea negotiations began.

Mitchell was willing to plead guilty to kidnapping and burglary in exchange for a sentence of 10 to 15 years on the condition that Elizabeth would not have to testify.

The prosecution refused to drop the sexual assault charges.

No agreement was reached.

Then in December 2004, something happened that illustrated the challenge Mitchell posed to the court system.

During a hearing, he began singing, “Oh, come, O come, Emanuel,” at the top of his lungs.

A new competency hearing was granted.

What followed was years of legal limbo.

Mitchell would be removed from courtroom after courtroom for singing hymns.

Multiple hearings were held.

On December 18th, 2006, Mitchell was declared unfit to stand trial in Utah state courts after screaming at the judge to forsake those robes and kneel in the dust.

Doctors attempted to treat Mitchell without medication.

The state judge denied a request to forcibly medicate him.

By December 2008, courts ruled that Mitchell could not be legally force-med under the Utah state constitution.

The state case had reached an impass.

Enter the federal government.

In October 2008, the Elizabeth Smart case was transferred to federal court.

A federal grand jury indicate kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor across state lines.

Charges stemming from the months the trio had spent in California.

New competency hearings were scheduled between October 1st and December 2009.

A 10-day federal competency hearing was held before US District Judge Dale Kimble.

The testimony was extraordinary in its detail.

Dr.

Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist hired by the prosecution, conducted a $500,000 evaluation that produced a 206-page report.

His conclusion, Mitchell was competent and was faking mental illness.

He diagnosed Mitchell with non-exclusive pedophilia, antisocial personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and malingering.

He called Mitchell an effectively misleading psychopath.

Defense experts disagreed.

Dr.

Richard Demiier concluded Mitchell had paranoid schizophrenia and was mentally incompetent.

Dr.

Scheme maintained her original diagnosis of delusional disorder.

Then came the testimony that would prove decisive.

On October 1st, 2009, Elizabeth Smart took the stand at the competency hearing.

She was now 21 years old, a college student at Brigham Young University.

She had spent 6 years rebuilding her life.

Now she was being asked to describe the man who had destroyed her childhood.

Her description was devastating.

smart, articulate, evil, wicked, manipulative, sneaky, slimy, selfish, greedy, not spiritual, not religious, not close to God.

Elizabeth testified that Mitchell was fully aware of his actions, that his religious claims were a convenient facade and that he could control his behavior when he wanted to.

On March 1st, 2010, Judge Kimble issued a 149page ruling.

Brian David Mitchell was competent to stand trial.

The evidence proves that Mitchell has the capacity to assist his counsel in his defense and the ability to behave appropriately in the courtroom.

The judge wrote he found that Mitchell was faking mental illness and that his constant singing was a contrivance.

After 8 years, the case would finally go to trial.

Jury selection for the trial of Brian David Mitchell began on November 1st, 2010.

Opening arguments commenced on November 8th.

The proceedings took place in federal court in Salt Lake City, presided over by US District Judge Dale Kimble.

The defense acknowledged that Mitchell had committed the acts he was charged with.

Their argument was not guilt or innocence, it was sanity.

They pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, arguing that Mitchell was legally insane at the time of the crimes.

The prosecution portrayed Mitchell as what they believed he truly was, a pedophile, a narcissist, and a skillful manipulator who used religious beliefs when convenient.

They emphasized evidence showing that Mitchell could control his behavior when he wanted to, that his religious persona was a carefully crafted disguise for criminal intent.

The most powerful testimony came from Elizabeth herself.

Elizabeth Smart had returned from her Mormon mission in Paris, France, to testify against the man who had taken 9 months of her life.

For 3 days, November 8th through 10th, she took the stand and recounted her ordeal.

Her testimony was calm, composed, and devastating.

She described being kidnapped at knife point from her bedroom.

She described being held captive, threatened, and terrorized.

She recounted Mitchell’s attempts to kidnap her cousin and another girl in California.

Most importantly, she called Mitchell exactly what she believed him to be, fake, a manipulator, a man who was fully aware of his actions and fully responsible for them.

On November 30th, the trial was briefly halted when Mitchell suffered a seizure in court, but proceedings resumed and on December 10th, 2010, the jury returned its verdict after approximately 5 hours of deliberation.

Guilty of kidnapping.

Guilty of unlawful transportation of a minor across state lines with intent to engage in sexual activity.

As the verdict was read, Mitchell sat with his eyes closed, hands in prayer position, singing religious hymns quietly to himself.

Elizabeth Smart released a statement.

I hope not only that this is an example that justice can be served in America, but that it is possible to move on after something terrible has happened.

Sentencing was scheduled for May 25th, 2011, National Missing Children’s Day.

The courtroom was packed.

Elizabeth Smart was there.

Her parents were there.

and Brian David Mitchell sat at the defense table, ready to learn his fate.

Elizabeth addressed her kidnapper directly.

Her words carried the weight of nine months of terror and nearly a decade of healing.

I know that you know what you did is wrong.

You took away 9 months of my life that can never be returned.

You thought that what you were doing was God’s will, but I know that what you did was evil.

I want you to know that I have a wonderful life now.

No matter what you do, you will never affect me again.

Edsmart also addressed Mitchell.

Your perversion and exploitation of religion is not a defense.

It is disgusting and it is an abuse that anyone should despise.

You put Elizabeth through 9 months of psychological hell.

Mitchell sat through the statements with his eyes closed, hands folded in prayer, quietly singing hymns.

Judge Kimell handed down the sentence.

Life in federal prison without the possibility of parole.

Two life sentences to run consecutively.

US Attorney Carly Christensen spoke for many when she said, “A sentence of life in prison for Brian David Mitchell is an appropriate, just, and long overdue result for this community, the Smart Family, and most importantly, Elizabeth.” Mitchell declined to appeal his conviction.

His former step-daughter later reported that he said he was tired of the court process and ready to do the Lord’s work in prison.

In July 2011, Utah state prosecutors dismissed six state felonies against Mitchell, including aggravated kidnapping, sexual assault, and burglary since the federal sentence had already imposed the maximum possible punishment.

Life without parole.

Brian David Mitchell would never see the outside of a prison again.

Wanda Bars’s legal path was different from her husband’s.

Like Mitchell, Barzie was initially declared mentally incompetent to stand trial in state court.

She was transferred to Utah State Hospital and testified that she received messages from God through a television.

In June 2006, a Utah judge approved forcible medication to restore her competency.

In March 2008, federal charges were filed against Barzy.

And on November 7th, 2009, she pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of kidnapping and one count of unlawful transportation of a minor.

She agreed to cooperate in state and federal cases against Mitchell.

On November 17th, 2009, Barzie was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for kidnapping and sexual assault.

In February 2010, Utah State Court found Barzyco competent to proceed.

She pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping related to the attempted kidnapping of Elizabeth’s cousin.

She received a state sentence of 1 to 15 years to run concurrently with her federal sentence.

Lois Smart addressed Barzy at sentencing.

What you did to our family and our girl Elizabeth was wrong.

It was wrong and it was evil.

You hurt our family in ways you’ll never know.

Barsy served her federal sentence at Federal Medical Center Carwell in Fort Worth, Texas due to psychiatric disorders.

In April 2016, her federal sentence was complete and she was transferred to Utah State Prison in Draper to serve her state sentence.

Then came a shocking development.

On September 11th, 2018, the Utah Board of Pardons announced a miscalculation.

Credit for Barz’s time served in federal custody had to count toward her state sentence.

This meant Barzy would be released years earlier than originally scheduled.

On September 19th, 2018, Wanda Barzy walked out of Draper Prison, a free woman after 15 total years in custody.

Her release terms included 5 years of federal supervised release, mandatory mental health treatment, registration as a sex offender, prohibition from contacting the Smart family, and a ban from entering protected areas such as public parks.

Elizabeth Smart expressed shock and disappointment at the release.

I would urge the powers that be and anyone who works under them to really strongly reconsider this situation to look at all the facts, look at her mental status and see if they really and honestly truly feel that she is no longer a threat.

Her concerns proved wellfounded.

In May 2025, Barzy was arrested in Salt Lake City for violating sex offender registration conditions by entering public parks.

According to police records, she told officers she went to the parks because she was commanded to by the Lord.

She was charged with two counts of violating protected area restrictions, misdemeanor charges, and released pending prosecution.

As of this documentary, Wanda Barzy is 79 years old.

Brian David Mitchell, now 72, remains in federal custody at FCI Lewisburg, a medium security federal prison in Pennsylvania.

He was transferred there in late 2025 after suffering at least two violent attacks by other inmates at previous facilities.

Justice in the case of Elizabeth Smart was served.

But as Bars’s release and subsequent arrest demonstrate, the story has never truly ended.

When Elizabeth Smart was rescued on March 12th, 2003, she was 15 years old.

She had been held captive for 9 months.

She had endured horrors that would break most people.

She had a choice to make.

Elizabeth has spoken publicly about the advice her mother gave her shortly after her rescue.

Advice that would become the foundation of her recovery.

Don’t give your captor even one more minute of your life.

It’s a simple statement, but its implications are profound.

Elizabeth could have allowed her trauma to define her.

She could have retreated from the world, hidden from the spotlight, lived in the shadow of what had been done to her.

Instead, she chose to live.

Elizabeth returned to school.

She resumed her normal activities as much as possible.

She struggled privately with the trauma.

No one recovers from such an experience without struggle, but she refused to let her kidnapping become her identity.

She graduated from high school in Salt Lake City.

She enrolled at Brigham Young University, majoring in music.

And in November 2009, she embarked on an LDS mission in Paris, France, a journey that would change her life in ways she never expected.

During her mission in Paris, Elizabeth met a young man named Matthew Gilmore from Aberdine, Scotland.

He was also serving as a missionary.

Unlike most people Elizabeth encountered, Matthew didn’t recognize her from the news.

He didn’t treat her like a celebrity or a victim.

He was simply drawn to who she was, how confident she is, Matthew later said, explaining what attracted him to Elizabeth, especially considering everything she has been through.

The two fell in love.

In January 2012, they became engaged.

Elizabeth wore a sapphire ring.

Their wedding was originally planned for a public date, but media attention forced them to change plans.

On February 18th, 2012, Elizabeth and Matthew were married in a private ceremony at the Lier Hawaii Temple in Oahu.

Their spokesman stated they wanted to avoid significant distraction.

Elizabeth Smart, the girl who had been taken from her bed at Knife Point, was building a family of her own.

On February 7th, 2015, Elizabeth and Matthew welcomed their first child, a daughter named Khloe.

Their son James arrived in April 2017.

A second daughter Olivia was born in November 2018.

“My children have brought so much happiness and joy.” Elizabeth has said, “To me, they’re the very definition of love.

She considers motherhood her greatest aspiration, a testament to her refusal to let her past define her future.” The family lives in Utah where Matthew is co-founder of Park City Host, a vacation rental and property management company.

Elizabeth has spoken about the therapeutic value of nature and horseback riding activities she shares with her children.

In 2019, Elizabeth’s family faced another challenge.

Her father, Edmart, came out as gay and left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leading to her parents’ divorce.

Elizabeth stated publicly that she would support both her parents, another example of her commitment to love and family over judgment and division.

In March 2011, Elizabeth received the Diane von Fenberg Award, which came with a $50,000 grant.

She knew immediately what she would do with the money.

The Elizabeth Smart Foundation was established with a clear mission, bringing hope and ending the victimization and exploitation of sexual assault through prevention, recovery, and advocacy.

The foundation’s logo is the winged victory of Samothrace, the famous Nike statue at the Louvre, representing triumph, strength, and beauty even in the face of adversity.

Over the years, the foundation has developed several major programs.

Smart Defense is a holistic self-defense program combining techniques from Krav Mega, Brazilian Jojitsu, and Mu Thai with education on setting boundaries and recognizing red flags.

The program was developed after Elizabeth was sexually assaulted on a flight in 2019, proving that even survivors who have done everything right remain vulnerable and that practical training can make a difference.

Smart Talks is a podcast now in its fourth season co-hosted by Elizabeth and executive director Heather Stockdale.

The show features therapists, survivors, and antiviolence experts focusing on empowerment, recovery, and hope.

We believe you is a platform for survivors to share their stories.

Created in response to the thousands of survivors who reached out to Elizabeth after her rescue, the program aims to challenge victimlaming narratives and provide a safe space for those who have experienced trauma.

The survivor support Fund provides direct financial assistance to adult survivors covering therapy, legal support, education, and housing.

In January 2022, the Elizabeth Smart Foundation merged with the Malow Foundation, a Utah-based charity confronting child sexual exploitation, founded by Sam and Casey Malow in 2016.

Elizabeth explained, “Together, the Malow Foundation and the Elizabeth Smart Foundation will be a strong unified voice both against exploitation and in support of victims and survivors.

Elizabeth Smart is not just a foundation executive.

She is a voice, one of the most powerful voices in America, speaking out on issues of child safety, sexual violence, and survivor empowerment.

In July 2011, ABC News named Elizabeth a special correspondent focusing on missing persons and child abduction cases.

She brings a unique perspective to these stories.

She has lived them.

She understands what victims and their families experience in ways that outside observers never can.

In September 2016, Elizabeth joined Crime Watch Daily as a correspondent reporting on true crime cases with the authority of someone who has been on the other side of the headlines.

She has also worked as an executive producer on Lifetime Productions, including I am Elizabeth Smart, 2017, a film telling her own story, Stolen by Their Father, The Story of Elizabeth Meredith, The Girl Who Escaped, The Cara Robinson Story, Abducted by My Teacher, The Elizabeth Thomas Story, The Girl Locked Upstairs, The Tanya Nicole Catch Story.

Each of these projects shares a common thread.

They tell the stories of survivors, not just victims.

They focus on resilience, not just tragedy.

Elizabeth’s public speaking career has taken her around the world.

Her topics include overcoming obstacles and trauma, child safety and abduction prevention, resilience and survival, self-worth and empowerment, and fighting human trafficking.

She has spoken at venues ranging from Maria Shrivever’s Women’s Conference to John’s Hopkins University to the Utah State House of Representatives.

Her message is consistent and powerful on selfworth.

Why would it even be worth screaming out? Why would it even make a difference if you are rescued? Your life still has no value.

Elizabeth speaks these words not as her own belief, but as a critique of chewed gum analogies used in some abstinenceonly education programs, programs that teach children their worth is diminished by sexual experience.

That’s so wrong, Elizabeth has said.

She understands personally how such messages can be weaponized against victims, making them feel worthless and unworthy of rescue.

On hope, there are happy endings.

Even after terrible things happen, you can still have a wonderful life.

On identity, there are two types of survivors.

The ones who did not die and the ones who live.

On reclaiming her story, author, activist, victim, no more.

Elizabeth Smart’s advocacy has extended far beyond speeches and media appearances.

She has been instrumental in shaping legislation designed to protect children across America.

The Protect Act signed on April 30th, 2003, just 7 weeks after Elizabeth’s rescue, established the National Amber Alert Coordinator within the Department of Justice, and expanded the Amber Alert system nationwide.

Elizabeth and her family were present at the White House signing ceremony.

When Elizabeth was kidnapped in June 2002, only 16 states had statewide Amber Alert programs.

By February 18th, 2005, all 50 states had achieved coverage.

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 specifically mentions Elizabeth Smart by name in its congressional findings.

Elizabeth was present at the White House signing ceremony on July 26th, 2006, and President Bush specifically acknowledged her.

She had testified before Congress in March of that year to advocate for the legislation.

Elizabeth has testified before the Utah State House of Representatives in support of child sexual abuse prevention curriculum in schools.

She has advocated alongside John Walsh at the Utah State Capital for child exploitation protections.

She continues to push for legislation that protects children and supports survivors.

Her impact on the Amber Alert system alone is immeasurable.

As Paul Murphy, Utah’s Amber Alert Coordinator, has stated, “Everything changed after Elizabeth Smart.

As of December 2025, 1,292 children have been successfully recovered through Amber Alerts.

241 children have been rescued via wireless emergency alerts.

81 Amber Alert plans operate throughout the United States, and the system now functions in 45 countries internationally.

Every one of those rescues traces a line back to cases like Elizabeth’s cases that demonstrated the urgent need for coordinated rapid response to child abductions.

In October 2013, Elizabeth published My Story, co-written with Chris Stewart.

The book became a number one New York Times bestseller.

My story is not an easy read.

It recounts Elizabeth’s captivity in her own words.

the daily fear, the constant threats, the psychological manipulation that kept her compliant.

But it also tells the story of hope, how she maintained her faith, how she developed strategies to survive, and how she found the courage to convince Mitchell to return to Utah, where she could finally be found.

“I had something still to live for,” Elizabeth writes.

It’s a simple statement, but it captures the essence of her survival, the refusal to give up even in the darkest moments.

In 2018, Elizabeth published her second book, Where There’s Hope, Healing, Moving Forward, and Never Giving Up.

This book focuses less on the kidnapping itself, and more on the journey of recovery.

It includes conversations with figures like and Romney, Diane von Fenberg, Mandy Patankin, and spiritual leaders as well as her parents.

I was not willing to accept that my fate was to live unhappily ever after.

Elizabeth writes, “The book was endorsed by JC Dugard, another kidnapping survivor who was held captive for 18 years before her rescue in 2009.

The endorsement speaks to the community that has formed among survivors, a community that Elizabeth has worked to build and support.” Elizabeth also collaborated with the Department of Justice on you’re not alone, the journey from abduction to empowerment, a handbook created with other abduction survivors to encourage child victims and let them know there is hope for a rewarding life.

On January 21st, 2026, Netflix premiered Kidnapped Elizabeth Smart, a comprehensive documentary featuring exclusive interviews, archival footage, and Elizabeth’s firsthand account of her ordeal and recovery.

In interviews promoting the documentary, Elizabeth reflected on why she continues to tell her story after more than two decades.

I just felt like it needs to serve a purpose.

It needs to bring some good in the world.

Today, Elizabeth Smart is 38 years old.

She is married with three children.

She runs a foundation that has helped thousands of survivors.

She speaks to audiences around the world carrying a message of hope and resilience.

She has appeared on The Mast Dancer.

She hosts a popular podcast.

She produces documentaries about survivors.

And she continues to advocate for the children who are still out there, the ones whose names we may never know, the ones who are waiting for their own miracle.

At a recent speaking engagement in Fresno, Elizabeth emphasized the message she has carried for more than 20 years.

Survivors worth remains intact despite trauma.

Being victimized does not diminish your value.

Being rescued does not depend on your perceived purity or innocence.

Even after terrible things happen, Elizabeth said, “You can still have a wonderful life.” The kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart exposed critical weaknesses in America’s child protection infrastructure and catalyzed reforms that have since saved countless lives.

The case revealed problems with inter agency communication.

When Elizabeth was taken in 2002, the Amber Alert system was fragmented with no national coordination.

Alerts couldn’t easily cross state lines.

There was no standardized criteria for when to issue alerts.

Today, that has changed.

The Protect Act created a national amber alert coordinator.

Standardized criteria exist for issuing alerts.

Interstate coordination is seamless and the system has expanded internationally to 45 countries.

The case revealed problems with investigation protocols.

Police focused on the wrong suspect for months.

They dismissed Mary Catherine’s voice identification as weak evidence.

They encountered Elizabeth in public but failed to identify her due to face coverings.

They delayed releasing the Emanuel sketch for four critical months.

In response, the Department of Justice launched Child Abduction Response Teams, CART, in 2006.

As of December 2024, over 11,400 CART program members have been trained.

93 active teams operate across 48 states and territories.

The case revealed misunderstandings about victim behavior.

Many people couldn’t understand why Elizabeth didn’t escape or identify herself to police when she had the chance.

The case educated the public and law enforcement about coercive control, psychological manipulation, and why compliance and silence are survival mechanisms, not consent.

Elizabeth herself has been one of the most powerful voices on this topic.

She has challenged harmful narratives that blame victims for not fighting back, for not escaping, for not immediately identifying themselves.

She has explained that captivity isn’t always about physical chains, that psychological terror can be just as effective at controlling someone.

These lessons have changed how law enforcement approaches missing children cases.

They have changed how the public understands victimization.

They have saved lives.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Elizabeth Smart case was the community response.

Up to 2,000 volunteers searched for Elizabeth every day during the first weeks of her disappearance.

16,000 tips flooded police hotlines.

People from all faiths and backgrounds participated in the search.

The Smart Family mobilized this community support through aggressive media outreach, press conferences, television appearances, a dedicated website, home videos shared with journalists.

They kept Elizabeth’s name and face in the public consciousness month after month.

When police were reluctant to release the Emmanuel sketch, the family took matters into their own hands and held their own press conference.

That decision led directly to the America’s Most Wanted broadcast that identified Brian David Mitchell which led to the tips from his family members which led to Elizabeth’s rescue 3 weeks later.

The lesson is clear in missing children cases, community engagement matters.

Keeping a case in the public eye matters.

The courage to push back against authorities who may be moving too slowly matters.

Elizabeth was ultimately rescued because ordinary citizens Alvin and Anita Dickerson, Nancy and Rudy Mononttoya recognized Brian David Mitchell from television and called police.

The system worked because people paid attention and took action.

Bystander action, Elizabeth calls it.

She emphasizes its importance in every speech she gives.

One phone call can change everything.

No account of the Elizabeth Smart case would be complete without recognizing the extraordinary courage of Mary Catherine Smart.

She was 9 years old on the night her sister was taken.

She witnessed the kidnapping from feet away.

Paralyzed by terror, she made the impossible decision to stay silent rather than risk being taken herself and in doing so preserved herself as the only witness.

She waited 2 hours before alerting her parents.

She endured countless police interviews.

She struggled to remember details her traumatized mind had partially blocked.

And then 4 months after the kidnapping, she did something remarkable.

While flipping through a book, she made a connection that professional investigators had missed.

She remembered a voice.

She identified Emmanuel.

Mary Catherine’s identification was initially dismissed by police as unreliable, but she was right.

And when her parents finally released the sketch she had helped create, it led directly to Elizabeth’s rescue.

Mary Katherine Smart was 9 years old and she solved the case.

In a 2005 interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s prime time, Mary Catherine spoke about that night for the first time publicly.

She described pretending to be asleep, watching the kidnapper, making the calculation that she needed to survive as a witness.

I thought, you know, be quiet, she said, because if he hears you, he might take you too, and you’re the only person who has seen this.

She was nine, and she had the presence of mind to think strategically about survival and evidence.

Elizabeth has spoken about her sister’s role many times.

Mary Catherine’s memory, her courage, her persistence.

These were the factors that ultimately brought Elizabeth home.

Elizabeth Smart has a message for anyone who has experienced trauma, abuse, or victimization.

You are not defined by what happened to you.

Your worth is not diminished by what someone else did.

You can have a wonderful life.

These are not empty platitudes from someone who has never suffered.

These are the lived truths of a woman who was kidnapped at 14, held captive for 9 months, and emerged to build a life of meaning, purpose, and joy.

There are two types of survivors, Elizabeth says.

the ones who did not die and the ones who live.

Elizabeth Smart chose to live.

She chose to pursue education.

She chose to fall in love.

She chose to have children.

She chose to build a foundation.

She chose to speak out.

She chose to tell her story again and again because she knows that somewhere out there is another survivor who needs to hear it.

Don’t give your captor even one more minute of your life.

It’s the advice her mother gave her after her rescue.

It’s the advice Elizabeth gives to survivors everywhere.

And it’s the philosophy that has guided her from victim to advocate, from prisoner to voice of hope.

As we conclude this case, let’s take stock of where the key figures in the Elizabeth Smart case stand today.

Brian David Mitchell, now 72 years old, is serving his sentence of life without parole at FCI Lewisburg in Pennsylvania.

He will never be released.

Wanda Barzi, 79 years old, was released from prison in September 2018 after serving 15 years.

In May 2025, she was arrested for violating her sex offender registration conditions.

Her case is pending.

Mary Catherine Smart has grown into an adult and has largely stayed out of the public eye, a choice her family has respected.

She was a crucial witness who helped solve the case, and she has the right to live her life on her own terms.

Ed and Lois Smart, who became national figures through their tireless advocacy during Elizabeth’s disappearance, divorced in 2019.

Both remain supportive of their daughter’s work.

And Elizabeth Smart, now 38 years old, continues her mission of advocacy, support, and hope.

Her foundation helps thousands of survivors.

Her voice reaches millions.

Her story continues to inspire.

The case of Elizabeth Smart changed America.

It expanded the Amber Alert system.

It strengthened child protection laws.

It trained thousands of law enforcement officers.

It rescued over 1,200 children through the systems it helped create.

But perhaps its greatest legacy is simpler than any law or alert system.

Elizabeth’s Smart story teaches us that miracles happen, that families can be reunited, that survivors can heal, that even after the darkest night, morning can come.

On March 12th, 2003, Elizabeth Smart walked out of darkness and into the rest of her life.

23 years later, she is still walking, still speaking, still fighting, still hoping.

And she wants you to know that you can, too.

That’s the story of Elizabeth Smart.

From kidnapping to rescue, from victim to advocate, from survivor to voice of hope.

If this documentary moved you, if it taught you something, if it gave you hope, I want to ask you to do something.

Hit that like button, leave a comment with your thoughts, and if you haven’t already, hit the subscribe button to join the Cold Case Desk community.

We tell these stories not just to inform, but to remember, to honor, and to ensure that the lessons learned from cases like Elizabeth’s Smarts continue to protect children everywhere.

March 12th is now a special day on Elizabeth’s calendar.

It’s the anniversary of her rescue, a reminder, as she puts it, that miracles happen.

A bright moment.

Never give up.

Never give up.

Thank you for watching.

I’m your host at Cold Casees and we’ll see you in the next one.

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