Photos Released in Smart Case

Deseret News ^ | Feb. 16, 2003 | By Joe Bauman

[frodolives]

You bet. Something stinks about this whole situation. But dollars to donuts we'll never know why Elizabeth stayed away for eight months.

[RecentConvert]

But dollars to donuts we'll never know why Elizabeth stayed away for eight months.

Stayed away?! Are you insinuating she voluntary ran away with this guy?

[RecentConvert]

Wednesday, March 12, 2003

SALT LAKE CITY — Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old girl whose disappearance nine months ago shocked and baffled the nation, was found alive in a Salt Lake City suburb, police said.

The girl was taken to the Salt Lake City Police Department, where she was reunited with her father.

"Miracles do exist," said Elizabeth's uncle, Tom Smart.

"I'm just overwhelmed. I just couldn't be more happy," said Charlotte Hamblin, 62, a neighbor of the Smart family.

Groups of people – neighbors and members of the family's Mormon ward – were congregating in front of the Smart family's home for an impromptu celebration.

Detectives arrived at the Salt Lake City Police Department to assume the investigation. The drifter with whom Elizabeth was found, a man who had done work on the Smart family's home, was in custody at the station.

There were conflicting stories concerning the arrest.

Lt. Kevin Thacker with the Sandy Police Department, said the she was found with a group of people seen standing by the side of the road. Two separate people had observed them, recognized the man as the possible suspect, and notified police, he said.

Earlier, Sandy police spokeswoman Michelle Brunette said Elizabeth was found during a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon in Sandy.

"Two separate women called in and said they thought they had spotted 'Emmanuel,'" said Brunette. Emanuel's real name is Brian David Mitchell.

Sandy police pulled over Mitchell, another woman and a girl who looked like Elizabeth. They later confirmed her identity, police said.

A witness to the arrest, John Ferguson, said it involved a "transient"-looking man and two women who dressed in clothing he described as "sort of Arabic."

He said the women appeared "with the longer clothing on, blue almost like a pillow case ... over the face almost like a veil. They were all just kind of calmly talking to the police," Ferguson told KSL television.

A senior law enforcement official has told Fox News that money appears to have been the motivating factor behind Elizabeth's abduction. Elizabeth Smart was disguised when she was found, wearing a wig, and had apparently gained some weight, according to the official

Last month, Elizabeth's parents announced a new reward for information and asked for help in their search for the handyman known only as "Emmanuel." They released a sketch of the man.

At the time, they said Elizabeth's sister, Mary Katharine, had come to them recently to say "Emmanuel" bore some resemblance to the man who took Elizabeth from their room at gunpoint.

On Tuesday, the family openly criticized the police department for not devoting enough attention to Mitchell.

Tom Smart called Mary Katherine's possible identification of Mitchell "the biggest lead right now."

Her father, Ed, was less harsh but expressed his "frustration" at public statements made by the police dismissing Mitchell as a potential suspect.

Thousands of volunteers had combed the foothills of Salt Lake City in the days after Elizabeth's disappearance.

Searchers took over the parking lot at Shrine's Hospital, and businesses and restaurants donated batteries, food and bottled water to the effort.

Elizabeth's kidnapping was part of a frightening string of child abductions that included the slayings of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam of San Diego and 5-year-old Samantha Run-on of Orange County, Calif.

Elizabeth was 14 when she was abducted at gunpoint early on the morning of June 5 in front of her 9-year-old sister by a man who may have entered the house by cutting a window screen near the back door. As the younger sister pretended to be asleep, the gunman threatened to hurt Elizabeth if she didn't keep quiet.

The top potential suspect in the kidnapping, Ricci, a handyman who once worked in the Smart household, died Aug. 30 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while in prison on a parole violation. He had maintained he had nothing to do with the kidnapping.

Investigators have said they believe he was involved but may not have acted alone.

Over the summer, the Smarts held twice-daily news briefings and helped coordinate huge volunteer searches.

The family often got calls from the police, but it was never the information they wanted to hear. Often, police were calling to alert them to grisly discoveries that might be linked to their missing daughter; they wanted the Smarts to know before the story hit the news.

Sometimes, the news beat the police. Hands and feet had been found in a canyon, or bones had been discovered in the desert, according to the news. The Smarts would call police to ask if it was Elizabeth. Every time, the answer was no.

Police said they followed up more than 16,000 leads from the public in addition to those they have come up with themselves.

Missing children's' advocates were elated.

"We are very, very relieved," said Marilyn Ward, director of Child Search, a national missing children center based in Houston. "This should help the cause of missing children everywhere. We are thankful she's alive. It gives hope to people to never give up."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[RecentConvert]

Posted on Wed, Mar. 12, 2003

Key Dates in Elizabeth Smart Case Associated Press

Key dates in the Elizabeth Smart disappearance:

_ June 5, 2002: Mary Katherine Smart tells parents that her 14-year-old sister Elizabeth was taken from their home at gunpoint.

_ June 6: Hundreds of volunteers search streets and foothills of Salt Lake City. Police pursue more than 100 tips.

_ June 14: Handyman Richard Albert Ricci, who once worked at Smart home, arrested on a parole violation unrelated to Elizabeth's case. Ricci questioned about the Smart case; considered top suspect.

_ June 22: Transient Brett Michael Edmunds, seen in Smart neighborhood the week of disappearance, questioned by police in a West Virginia hospital. Edmunds turns out to know nothing about the disappearance.

_ July 31: Ricci pleads innocent to unrelated burglary and theft charges. _ Aug. 30: Ricci dies three days after suffering a brain hemorrhage and collapsing in his jail cell.

_ Sept. 17: Twice daily briefings by the Smarts suspended.

_ Nov. 3: Elizabeth Smart turns 15.

_ Feb. 3, 2003: Smart family releases sketch of Brian David Mitchell, who worked as handyman for family. Elizabeth's sister said he resembled man in house the night teen disappeared.

_ March 12: Elizabeth Smart found alive in suburban Salt Lake City.

[Palladin]

Thanks to all of you who have hung in here all these months, posting articles, waiting and praying for Elizabeth's return.

I think it is a shame that the Admin Mods relegated Elizabeth's story to the Backroom. Perhaps if they had kept these threads, and the photos of Emmanuel, on the News/Activism forum, someone may have spotted Mitchell earlier.

At any rate, Elizabeth is home safe. And we are all grateful.

[cherry]

and thanks to all you guys who kept these threads going too....I don't know how to do all that stuff....

nine months......unbelievable...

by the way, Devil is active over on the Laci threads....don't see too many Smart posters there though....

[Kevin Curry]

So that poor slob was jailed, and died in prison and most likely had nothing to do with it.

The "poor slob" was a career petty criminal and thug with a rap sheet that would stretch from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. He wasn't in jail beause of the Elizabeth Smart disappearance. He was in jail for past offenses. He died while in jail, but his death had nothing to do with Elizabeth Smart either.

The police never accused him of the deed; they just considered him a suspect. Ricci was hardly a victim.

[RecentConvert]

At any rate, Elizabeth is home safe. And we are all grateful.

And thanks for the pings, Palladin.

[RecentConvert]

Smart neighborhood celebrating

Salt Lake City-AP -- There are sounds and signs of joy in Elizabeth Smart's neighborhood.

The streets have been jammed with cars and well-wishers, and decorations include balloons and blue ribbons.

One neighbor says she had given up hope Smart would be found alive. She thought news reports the 15-year-old was found alive today were pranks.

Police found Smart, who vanished from her bedroom last June, in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy with a drifter and a woman. All were said to be wearing wigs.

Her disappearance sent a chill through her affluent neighborhood.

Now there is elation.

Some neighbors carried signs with messages such as "Welcome Back Elizabeth."

APPHOTO SLCX105 (03/12/03)>>

A: RETRANSMITTED TO CORRECT THE DATE Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart, is hugged by neighbor Frank Gustin outside the Smart home Wednesday, March 12, 2003, in Salt Lake City. Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom nine months ago, was found alive Wednesday walking down a suburban Salt Lake City street with a drifter who had once done work at the family's home.

Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[RecentConvert]

Cousins of Elizabeth Smart, Amanda (L) and Sierra Smart (R), share tears of joy at a family news conference after Elizabeth was found alive and in what police describe as good condition in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 12, 2003. Elizabeth Smart was abducted from the bedroom of her home June 5, 2002. (Steve Wilson/Reuters) - Mar 12 11:15 PM ET

Ed Smart (R), the father of kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart, hugs Nancy Montoya (L), who called the Sandy, Utah, police department which lead to the finding of Elizabeth Smart alive and in what police describe as good condition in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 12, 2003. Elizabeth Smart was abducted from the bedroom of her home June 5, 2002. REUTERS/Steve Wilson - Mar 12 10:10 PM ET

Tiffany Diener and her daughter, Zoe, make a "Welcome Home Elizabeth" sign to hold during a news conference on the return of Elizabeth Smart Wednesday, March 12, 2003, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac) - Mar 12 8:05 PM ET

[Moonman62]

They've all got those "Nancy Pelosi" / "Heaven's Gate" bugged out eyes.

[RecentConvert]

Please ping me for new threads/developments.

Thanks

[Palladin]

Here's the latest on weirdo Mitchell: (from SL Trib)

THURSDAY
March 13, 2003

Elizabeth May Have Been Taken to Be a Replacement Daughter

By PEGGY FLETCHER STACK
© 2003, THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

The small-framed, big-bearded man called himself Emmanuel and wandered the streets of Salt Lake City in white robes and linen cap, sandals and a walking staff.
Emmanuel, now suspected of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart when she was 14, looked and spoke like a modern-day prophet, panhandling and preaching to the homeless as if he were a messenger from God.
"Sometimes he was a little incoherent," said Pamela Atkinson, a long-time homeless advocate in Salt Lake City who had many conversations with Emmanuel. "He was more of a talker than a listener."
The eccentric man didn't cause trouble, said Andrew Larsen, a salesman at Edinburgh Castle Scottish Imports on Main Street. "I just thought he was trying to dress up like Jesus to appeal to the emotions of people."
Emmanuel is a Hebrew name for Jesus; the would-be messiah began life as Brian David Mitchell in a suburban Salt Lake City neighborhood.
Mitchell, 49, attended Skyline High School in the 1970s, was a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, married and fathered four children.
Then things fell apart.
He and his wife divorced, and in the late 1980s, Mitchell married Wanda Ilene Barzee, who had several children of her own. Barzee's daughter, Louree Gayler, was 12 at the time, and her new stepfather made her uncomfortable.
"He was kissing and holding me the wrong way," Gayler said Wednesday. "But he never molested me because he wanted to see his other kids."
Gayler says she endured the situation for three years, then went to live with her father.
Mitchell may have kidnapped Elizabeth to "give my mom back something she lost," Gayler said. "Elizabeth resembles me at 15."
Gayler's brother, Mark Thompson, a 32-year-old construction worker in Salt Lake City, agrees.
His mom "freaked out" when Gayler left home, Thompson told The New York Times. "I remember her saying, 'How dare my baby leave me?' Maybe she felt like she needed to replace a child."
Thompson said his mother for years carried around dolls, pretending they were alive. He said she had also been forcibly removed from a local hospital -- as recently as last year -- "for touching other people's kids."
After "America's Most Wanted" aired a segment about Mitchell as a possible suspect in Elizabeth's disappearance, Thompson contacted police and helped look for his stepfather.
"We just knew it was him," he told The Times. "I've never liked the guy and felt he's always had something to do with this. I'm having a hard time breathing right now."
Long before, Mitchell had lost touch with his Mormon faith. LDS Church records indicate that he and Wanda were excommunicated, said spokesman Michael Otterson.
C. Samuel West, a self-described medical researcher in Orem, allowed the couple to live with him on and off for several months in the late 1990s. During their stay, West says he tried to convince them to return to the LDS Church.
"When I started talking to him about the church, he took off," West said Wednesday.
But some months later Mitchell and his wife returned. This time he was wearing his robes and telling tales of a hand-made cart he pulled across the Golden Gate Bridge. The two called themselves "David" [pronouncing it "Daw-veed"] and "Eliza [pronounced "Ell-is-a"].
West dubbed Mitchell and his wife "my little Israelites," and marveled as they meticulously built a covered wagon on the back porch.
"He felt he was playing the role of Jesus," West said. Mitchell told him that "giving anything to him was like giving it to Jesus."
After several months the Wests could no longer afford to support the Mitchells, and the couple went on their way. That left Mitchell without work, so he turned to panhandling and handyman services.
In August 2001, a kind homemaker employed him for a day -- Elizabeth's mother, Lois Smart.
_________

Tribune reporters Bob Mims, Karyn Hsiao and news editor Peg McEntee contributed to this report.

[Palladin]

Everyone should take note that these two fruitcakes, Brian and Wanda, were EXCOMMUNICATED by the Mormon church. Last evening, some diehards were still trying to connect the kidnapping to the Church of LDS.

Also, I thought that Mitchell only had stepchildren. According to the article, has has four natural children.(I was hoping that he was sterile and impotent, for obvious reasons).

[Palladin]

Lots of good articles in the trib today:

http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/t03132003.htm

...and a great photo of Elizabeth, looking healthy and beaming with joy. What a beautiful young lady!

[landerwy]

Thanks for the posts and link! It is still another great day! It is wonderful to see that smile!

[landerwy]

Iresemble on of those! How do you feel? Extremely happy like me?

[varina davis]

Thanks, Palladin. This gets more and more bizarre as time goes on.

[Grig]

The look in her eyes in that picture is such a joy. I don't see any pain of sexual abuse in those eyes and the articles don't mention any charges of abuse against those two loonies. This may be far more a miriacle than I dared to hope for.