Why Elizabeth (Smart) ‘Ran Away’ (Not kidnapped)

Newsmax ^ | 3/14/03 | Joan Swirsky

[Blood of Tyrants]

And why not? For a girl who was supposedly so brainwashed and frightened that she couldn't call out to searchers and lied to the police and was more concerned about what would happen to her "captors" than her own family, she sure rebounded quickly, pretending that nothing bad had happened at all.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

This analogy would work if Mitchell was a hunky BYU football player. In reality, Mitchell is the kind of guy where if you saw him on the street, you would move to the other side of the street. I know I would.

Nonetheless, the brainwashing theory which I have been inclined to believe is showing a few holes. She cannot be brainwashed one minute and normal the next. It has to be one or the other. There was a quote from a New England psychiatrist on another thread. He specializes in Stockholm syndrome and said no one can possibly diagnose this girl without examining her themselves. There are several other possibilities. We don't have all the facts, yet.

[Natural Law]

The case is indeed wierd, but I'm not buying the hypothesis that she was enamoured with "Emmanuel". If she ran off with Tim McGraw or Justin Timberlake I might agree with you.

[alisasny]

Mitchell is the kind of guy where if you saw him on the street, you would move to the other side of the street....

Unless you are Mrs. Smart who actually brought the cretin home......making her children trust her decision.....

[Blood of Tyrants]

Have you ben reading all that has been posted about her? How she lied to the police, how she didn't call out when she heard searchers? How she said to the police, "You think I am that Elizabeth Smart girl who ran away"? How she never asked about her own family but was concerned about what would happen to the two tramps she was with? How she rebounded IMMEDIATELY with little sign of the stress associated with 9 months of being held agains her will?

I tell you, it doesn't add up.

When it all comes out, I'll publically apologize if I am wrong. If you are wrong, how do you want that crow cooked?

[Poohbah]

Having dealt with personal demons arising from personal trauma, I can tell you this much: I am completely unsurprised to see Elizabeth Smart acting "normally" in the here and now.

I will be completely unsurprised if she has to enter inpatient psychiatric treatment in the next year. (I avoided that, but only because of God's grace).

If she doesn't need extensive psychiatric help after this, it would be a miracle.

Based on the evidence at hand, I don't believe Ms. Smart went voluntarily.

[drjimmy]

It's funny that this nutjob puts the word "experts" in quotation marks, then tries to pass herself off as one because of her own experience as a 14 year old and a few anecdotal stories.

Here's the deal: No one wants to believe that some man can come into their home in the middle of the night and kidnap one of their children. In order to feel safer about their own family, they are willing to believe any scenario that somehow puts the Smart family at fault for this happening.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Perhaps she ran off but couldn't find them and needed a place to hide while the police were on her trail. She had only a couple of hours head start.

[PJ-Comix]

It wasn’t enough for her to hand him five dollars; she also invited him to earn more money by fixing the roof of her home, which he did one sunny afternoon in 2001.

Bad move. Whenever you see some bum with a sign that says "Will Work For Food" just give him food or money since I'm sure he prefers the latter. NEVER actually let them work for food especially if the work means working in your home.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Name calling is below the belt. Please feel free to argue counter to me if you want.

[Illbay]

All the people who make these sorts of comments are Jerry Springer fodder. There is a reason that Springer, Ricki Lake and the like get consistent ratings.

They're here.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

I've gotta disagree with you. This girl is a MINOR. If it were not for the media feeding frenzy concerning this case, the court and police would take great take pains to shield her from public scrutiny. Yes, the creeps would go trial, but her face would not be plastered on television and you wouldn't know her name.

Now imagine this. What if these early reports about her running away with this hairball are untrue or misleading? Now we have rumours out there in the public about her suggesting that she is some sort of Lolita. Even though those rumours may prove untrue, her reputation is ruined.

As the father of an eight year old girl, one of my primary duties is to protect her honor and reputation. If you or anyone else started spreading unsubstantiated rumors about my daughter, I would, with all due respect, be required to jack your jaw.

"Also, families need to be able to deal with teens who may do what Smart is suspected (by some) of doing. There are far more teens who run away than who are abducted by strangers, and understanding the circumstances of this bizarre case may help prevent other abductions - or abscondings - in the future."

I have no problem with parents building relationships with that children that might prevent their running away. However, you do not have to drag this young 'un's name into it in order to make your point.

[hoosierskypilot]

families need to be able to deal with teens who may do what Smart is suspected

Correct. Children need to bond with both parents to avoid being vulnerable to "father" or "mother" figures. Often, troubled teens turn to predators because of something lacking at home.

Of course, I'm not saying that's the Smart case. I'm merely agreeing with your summation.

[Sacajaweau]

By hiring this guy, the parents actually said "he's okay" to Elizabeth. Without the beard, he's not that ugly and dressed in the clothes that the sister described, he was pretty normal. She sure was able to describe a lot. I'd like to hear his voice.

Where were the parents while he was working on the roof and where was Elizabeth?

How often was Elizabeth alone. How did he know where her bedroom was and the setup as far as where the parents were sleeping, etc.

It doesn't take much for a girl to become infatuated or doing something stupid.

[Natural Law]

I'm sure there are millions of other possible but equally improbable scenarios. The burden of proof is not on me for not buying the psychobable tripe and I don't have to propose an alternative either.