Smart Case, July 26, 2002

07/26/02 | Jolly Green

[Jolly Green]

Time Line
05/30/02	Thursday	~ Ricci returns to pick up his Jeep at the auto repair shop before the shop has a chance to fully fix it He tells the repairman that it needed for an emergency.
06/04/02	Tuesday	~ Ricci is at work from about 9am to 5:30pm ~ Ricci claims he spends the evening with friends
06/05/02	Wednesday	~ 1:05am - 2 cars are spotted on the SLC Shriner's Hospital Parking Lot by a hospital security guard, two blocks from the Smart residence ~ 1:30am (approx) - Elizabeth is kidnapped from her home ~ 1:30am - Ricci claims to be in bed asleep with his with wife. ~ Ricci is scheduled to be off work all day today. ~ 7:21am - Rachel/Amber alert is issued and national media is involved. ~ 8:30am - Ricci and his neighbor talk about the kidnapping of Elizabeth, Ricci seems to know too much information about it. ~ Sometime during this day Ricci is visited by police in regards to Elizabeth's kidnapping as reported by Angela Ricci (Richard A. Ricci's Wife which is an ex-convict herself) ~ Ricci is seen by his neighbor digging a hole by his (Ricci's) trailer early in the morning. (heard the neighbor say this on TV)
06/06/02	Thursday	~ Ricci is scheduled to work from 9am to 5:30pm today, but instead works from 10:30am to 7:00pm ~ Police talk to Ricci this day about the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. (The media is reporting this, so it could be wrong)
06/08/02	Saturday	~ Ricci returns the Jeep to the repair shop to get it fixed. The Jeep is muddy and the repair shop owner sees Ricci remove seat covers from the back of the jeep and place them into a plastic garbage bag that already contains other stuff in it. Also the repair shop owner said a muddy post hole digger was in the back of the Jeep, Ricci removes this also. Ricci has a man waiting across the street to give him a ride. Ricci takes the plastic bag and contents along with the post hole digger with him. Also there is 500 to 1000 extra miles on the Jeep since Ricci picked it up on May 30th, 2002.
06/14/02	Friday	~ Ricci is taken into custody for a parole violation, this being the 2001 robbery of the Smart Home in which he admitted to.
Special thanks to Brigette for starting this timeline.

[Jolly Green]

when the Smart home had the burglary, did Mr. Smart REPORT it? Was there an investigation? Did he list what was stolen? Is there a police report on the burglary?

At the time that Dinse reported the new theft and burglary charges against Ricci, he first said Smart hadn't reported the theft, then backtracked after someone on his staff corrected him.

[landerwy]

Very strange indeed. I am new here but I have read much about what has been posted. It reminds me of a game of clue.

I have a friend where we live who knows the Smarts, Elizabeth included, and has been in their home on occassion. I also have a relative involved in the investigation. I have not spoken with either of them about the case specifically but I am sure I will learn much when it is proper for this to be discussed!

[Sherlock]

when the Smart home had the burglary, did Mr. Smart REPORT it? Was there an investigation? Did he list what was stolen? Is there a police report on the burglary?

Sure, if Ricci told Ed he had taken a polygraph obviously the theft had been reported to the police.

[cherry]

How did Ricci pay for the Jeep then if he was fired after the Theft of the Smart Home? Ed Smart said Ricci worked in his home for a few months. The last time he worked in the home was in September of 2001 as Ed Smart said on TV. Common sense says he was fired in June and then rehired so that the Jeep debt could be paid off.

. as I recall...please feel free to correct me...but Ed himself said in a press conference that he was late getting the title to Richard, and that Richard called on him in Sept and asked for it and Ed said, sure, come and get it.....don't remember if there was anymore work involved,..Ed simply had to get the title to.Richard..

[Jolly Green]

From 6/19/02 newspaper article...Louis said there is no composite sketch of the abductor because the 9-year-old was unable to sufficiently describe his facial features.

Great catch!! I believe that is the first time we have had that from a published source.

I guess I better start thawing out the crow in the freezer. Some of my buddies are going to have a lot of eating to do.

[Neenah]

brigette and Sherlock.....oh I know that awful feeling too. When I had to put mine down because of blastomycosis (untreatable)..and those big brown eyes looked up at me.....

ohhh ..my arms around you both right now. IT is so hard to do.

[landerwy]

Has anyone heard from Tom lately?

[Jolly Green]

Recci had hours to work off on a car of Smarts, and Mr. Smart reconsider's because he had promised Richard he could work off the car, and let's him come back into the house and work !

Don't bet the farm on that. Ed said that none of the three fired workers were hired back.

[stlnative]

While police won’t call 48-year-old Richard Ricci a suspect, they will say he’s very interesting. The handyman worked at Elizabeth Smart’s home as recently as September.

From the June 24th News Report Archives on the Elizabeth Smart Case Forum

I still hunting for more.

[stlnative]

I am still hunting for more. What Jolly is saying is surprising me as I know that Ricci was working in the home as of September 2001 and had worked in the home for a few months.

[Neenah]

Blastomycosis

I know this thread is not about animals, but you might want to check this out. It is a very scary thing our dogs and cats can get from soil.

This is what my dog Murphy had to be put to sleep for. It is only detected by a blood test that has to be sent to a credited Hospital.

[stlnative]

Ricci spent two months doing painting and doing odd jobs around the Smart home through September of last year, and investigators said he has a history of violence. Dinse said Elizabeth's father, Edward Smart, paid Ricci for the work by giving him a vehicle, and the police chief said that vehicle has been found.

Again from the June 24th News Reports... (this why I organized these for times like this.) But this says 2 months, I heard Ed & Uncle Tom say a few months and that it ended in September of 2001.

[Sherlock]

I believe the "out of a want to protect her information early on" phrase is significant. They have a reason for not releasing the sketch. It just occurs to me that maybe MK is bait. If the perp thought she got a good enough view, he/they might want to silence her and a trap might lay in wait.

I agree with what you're saying they're not releasing a sketch to protect MK but I submit to you if they know the kidnapper and aren't taking him off the street they are putting MK in harm's way as well as other potential victims of this scumbag.

[Neenah]

FOX NEWS.... Just saw a little box being carried away. It is possibly the little girl taken this moring. Casy.

She was found 6 blocks away from her home. It is now 4:07, if you want to turn on Fox

[Neenah]

They found her little nightgown...awwwww...so sad. Parents have been called to identify the body. Pray for them.

[Sherlock]

I thought you said Boylan provided information useful to investigators?

[Sherlock]

Besides, Jolly, you just said you think they didn't publish a sketch to protect MK. Which way is it?

[stlnative]

I think it is her clothes ONLY... I could be wrong it here on the local news.

[Jolly Green]

"It's an amazing story."

In the context of the entire interview, it sounds like he is humbled by the numbers of people that have turned out to search for ES and by the nationwide media attention it has received.