Police now say abductor of 14-year-old Utah girl didn't know he was watched by her sister

AP | June 18, 2002 | RICH VOSEPKA

[lady lawyer]

How dare you put today's secret phrase on the internet. I am going to call the avenging angels, or at least their motorcycle corps.

[Illbay]

BTW, why would anyone think or even imagine that, with all of their current heartache and fear, that the Smart family would enlist you to sway the opinions of people who frequent the FR??

I've noticed a LOT of such delusion of grandeur on these threads. ON an earlier one, for example, someone defended the cockamamie "theories" being thrown around--most of which cast the Smart family as evil villains--by saying "we're trying to help the authorities."

[Utah Girl]

LOL! Shh, don't let our secrets out. :) (I just find it highly ridiculous that we would even have a Mormon code. Oh that's right, I'm not high enough in the church hierarchy to know all the secrets that go on and all the stuff they hide from us.)/sarcasm

[The G Man]

it does show the police changing their initial characterization of what the little sister said, and stating that the little girl hasn't changed her story

Doesn't that strike you as very strange?

[freedox]

"the secret phrase for today is "a joy and a delight."

That must have been what brought Illbay running over here........

[Utah Girl]

I heard over the weekend, just from the TV, that there were 500 volunteers out searching for Elizabeth on Saturday in 15 different communities. I know my father was up at our cabin last Friday, a neighbor came and got him, and several of the cabin owners walked along the common stream and searched for a couple of hours. My dad is on the board for the association, and they are urging all cabin owners to check their cabins, any sheds, and their properties in the next while. I've sent for the information via the Internet (since my dad is computer illiterate), there are specific things that should be done when searching, and phone numbers to call if anything is sighted.

So when I heard the news last Friday that the search was going in a different direction, my heart sank, but actually, if the communities do get involved and urge their people to search their own property, it has broadened.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Well, we can certainly agree on that! I have NEVER ONCE been involved in something that made the news, even the local paper, and found that the facts were as stated- even the basics of "Who/What/Where/When?" are always wrong in some respects, and don't get me started on "Why?"

I wrote (sports) for my college paper, and I was (and remain) completely unimpressed by the sort of lazy airheads who go into "Journalism". For one thing, I was the only Science major on the paper- but these hippie losers felt no constraints against writing utter crap about scientific subjects. As for mathematics (and especially any understanding of statistics) FORGET IT!!

My problems with this case, though, emanate not so much from the media reports (second or third-hand as they are), but from the passing strange and often unfathomable comments that have been repeatedly made by the father and the uncle. It is like a puzzle that suddenly makes sense if looked at with the ASSUMPTION that the identity of the abductor is known to them. Otherwise, they seem bizarre.

By the way, I am NOT one of the "Mormon-bashers" on these threads. I served with several Mormons in the Army (Special Forces and other fairly demanding assignments) and I admired their faith, and resistance to the temptations incident to miltary life. They tended to be more trusting and much less cynical about people than I am- but almost everyone is!

[per loin]

Good question. Atkinson has told us that the crime occurred between 1 and 2 AM, yet the call to the police was not made until 4:01 AM, and by the time police arrived at the scene many other people were there. This time lapse has been generally attributed to Mary Catherine being terrified by the threats made to her. But now we find that no such threats were made to her, and the reason for her not telling her parents disappears. Why then the long delay until the police are called. The Smarts, who have daily called on the public to aid them, owe the public an explanation. What time did the parents find out that their daughter had been "kidnapped at gun point"? Did they know at 3:00AM? At 2:00AM?

[lady lawyer]

It doesn't strike me as strange at all. The police spokesman making the statements to the media was not the same one that interviewed the little girl. Things get misintrpreted, and this is a relatively minor detail. The threat remained the same. The only difference is it wasn't directed right at the little sister, just overheard by her.

[tracer]

And what's even worse is that you are only (gasp!!) a...a....woman!! <]8~}>

[Utah Girl]

Stop! You're making me laugh!!!

[lady lawyer]

I think the family has been operating under instructions to try to establish a rapport with the kidnapper, to try to get him to release the girl.

I also think both the father and other family members have been overwhelmed by the support and compassion that has been showered on them. They believe in prayer, and I have heard them say that they have felt spiritual comfort. I think they are, sometimes clumsily, trying to tell people that the impact of all the prayers offered in their behalf has been felt by them.

[TheDon]

More like:

What does this family know that they're not telling the public? I'm sure they've told the police everything they know.

[TheDon]

LOL! You beat me to it.

[Utah Girl]

Good point.

[lady lawyer]

That's SISTER lady lawyer to you. Watch your back.

[ER_in_OC,CA]

Bill / Illbay;

Why not stop with the "you have no first-hand knowledge of this case" red herring and the personal attacks on posters who spout fairly "creative" theories and who even make fantastical conclusions about this case?

For the most part, posts on Free Republic are by people who have no first-hand knowledge of various subjects and rely on media reports, books, etc. for their information. But that's the nature of the forum.

Would it make sense to you to limit posting on say, California Gun Control Permit Laws only to FR posters who have applied for California Gun Permits? Of course not.

Perhaps if you prefer a moderated "SLC-Mormons-only-discuss-Smart-case" forum, you should start one of your own with Yahoo Groups?

Of course, you're violating your own dictum here since on this and many other threads you make conclusions on posters' level of "first-hand knowledge" without having any of such "first-hand knowledge" of your own about the poster's experience or locale.

Just as you find the bizarre theories bandied about here to be distracting, I find your defensive and short-tempered posts to be more distracting and even less topical. You've stated your case already on many threads.

And furthermore, you calling posters "cretins" and "pissants" is a crude way to convince people of the decency of your "cause."

Expecting a name-calling response any minute now...

[TheDon]

It is interesting. It is certainly a curiousity for those of us who don't have all the facts.

[D.C. Media Hor]

I know this is a terrible situtation, but I still think she ran off and eloped with some guy and she is now afraid to come home.

[tracer]

"....and several of the cabin owners walked along the common stream and searched for a couple of hours. My dad is on the board for the association"...

Now there is Code. BTW, "the association" should be capitalized if its name is to be spoken at all. You are forgiven, but only if you swear by Fplkjrfpj to be more careful in the future.... <~+]\/@*.^