Posted on 06/19/2002 11:12:52 AM PDT by Utah Girl
Elizabeth Smart's little sister, the sole witness to the teen's abduction, waited two hours to tell her parents about the kidnapping because she feared the kidnapper was still in the house.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse said Wednesday that the girl, Mary Katherine, got out of bed soon after the abduction and headed toward her parents' bedroom. But she saw the man still in the house, so she went back to her room and waited for two hours.
On Tuesday, police changed a key detail in the case. Their initial report, based on secondhand accounts, stated that Mary Katherine had been threatened by the kidnapper to keep quiet about the abduction.
They now say that Mary Katherine, who was in the same bed as Elizabeth, feigned sleep during the abduction.
"She hasn't wavered one bit from her original statement that she gave investigators," Dinse said.
Dinse rejected any idea that his department was deliberately deceiving the media.
"There is no conspiracy afoot here," Dinse said. "We are not telling you everything ... and we probably are not going to until we're further along."
Wednesday was the 15th day of the investigation into Elizabeth's abduction. She was reportedly taken from her bedroom at gunpoint in the early hours of June 5, police said.
Police still have no suspect in the case. They have received a total of 8,000 to 10,000 leads, of which 1,300 warranted follow up, Dinse said. Up to 900 of those leads have been cleared and about 400 remain to be looked at, he said.
Police who interviewed Mary Katherine four times now say the man did not speak to the younger child or apparently realize she saw him.
Working from Mary Katherine's description, police are looking for a white man, 30 to 40 years old, with dark hair and hair on his arms and back of his hands. He was wearing tan pants, dark shoes, lighter jacket and a Scottish-style golf hat. He held a small handgun.
"This investigation would be very, very difficult without Mary Katherine. She has provided us with a tremendous amount of information, and we're very appreciative of her," Dinse said. "I'm saying again, I believe we will resolve this case eventually, and Mary Katherine is a big part of doing that."
The community is offering a $250,000 reward for Elizabeth's safe return.
Investigators still want to talk to Bret Michael Edmunds, a drifter who continues to elude them. Edmunds was spotted near the Smart home two days before Elizabeth's disappearance.
Police have repeatedly said they don't consider Edmunds a suspect, but may have seen something in the Federal Heights neighborhood that would help the investigation.
A Web site set up to find the teen is getting more than 2 million hits a day, said David Smart, Elizabeth's uncle.
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?
He is always near me, though I do not see him there And because he loves me dearly I am in his watchful care
Yes, the song does talk about living as if we have the Savior right beside us all the time, but I don't think there was any secret message intended for Elizabeth. That song always gives me great comfort.
It has been very helpful, so thanks to Brigette. Hope we're not eating up your allotted bandwidth.
Its actually quite easy to go up and down stairs quietly, especially if they are carpeted. Just make sure that you walk on the sides where they meet the wall. Much less likely to creak. (I used to sneak up and down the stairs all the time when I was a teenager.)
But I am not familiar with the song, so I started reading the lyrics when I found it., and came to the conclusion of what you put in your post. Those same thoughts came to me.
Maybe it is because this whole case, so far, has been very strange. It is just not some of us who are saying that..other people like Doninic Dunn, and commentators on Court t.v., and such, are saying the same thing. This does not mean anyone is pointing an accusitory finger at anyone, but it stands out.
Some people will make excuses for the family. That is not wrong, however, NO ONE knows what happened..but ALOT of people find this very strange.
Tonight, (it just ended ) on Larry King LIve..the Smarts were interviewed for about 20 minutes. Now...maybe I am skeptical about this case, but I find some of the things Mr. Smart said odd. He said
(when asked by King.." Have you talked with Mary Katherine about this?", Mr. Smart said "We have not asked her any questions...WE WANT HER TO MAINTAIN HER INNOCENCE "
Now, sorry, I find that very odd. First, if you don't want to answer questions, DON'T GO ON LARRY KIND LIVE...but you came on, King asked the question. And you say..."we want her to maintain her innocence", and "we have not asked her any questions" huh? Why on earth would you say that? Come on ! If anyone one is a parent, and their child is abducted, could be dead, time is of the essence..and one of your other children, who slept with her, and SAW it, is there to talk to..YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TALK TO HER BECAUSE YOU WANT HER TO MAINTAIN HER INNOCENCE ? sorry, that is an odd statement.
Another thing Mr. Smart said when King asked him "Do you talk with the police?" (paraphrased), he answered " We try to stay away from this as much as possible" huh? You TRY to STAY AWAY ? huh?
I am sorry, but statements like this, is the reason I am looking sideways at this one.
Also, Mrs. Smart is so calm and demure like nothing is going on. All the kids are fine. But Mr. Smart is hanging on to her like crazy.
I am almost afraid to say anything anymore! I am not accusing anyone, but am very disappointed in how this is being handled. I only mean what I say in conversation...yet, sometimes if you speak your heart, you get jumped on so bad. Heck,none of us know what happened, but alot of people know this sounds very very strange.
Did you read the Esq. story? What is the jist of the article? Or do you only know what you posted before this? thanks
I'm beginning to wonder if this statement might be extended to include their views on Elizabeth, as well. I find the Smart's adamant denial of any possibility of a boyfriend somewhat odd. Of all the possible scenarios, this seems to be the one that they have the most difficulty talking about or even considering.......the possibility that she might have had a boyfriend. I wonder if this reported total lack of interest in boys has been confirmed by others with whom she might have been more open.
I think this statement was just an awkwardly worded reference to what police have told us -- that one of the reasons MK was kept apart from her family was so that her memory of events wouldn't become tainted by conversations with family members. The "we haven't asked her any questions" line is probably the same thing -- investigators had asked the family not to question MK about the abduction, so that her recollections would be fresh and untainted when she was interviewed, and the family complied with that request.
I also recall an interview with the parents the first weekend after the abduction when they implied that they were trying to shield MK from the gravity of the situation -- presumably in large part for her own sake, but probably also so that she didn't turn into a hysterical basket case before investigators could conduct interviews and get all possible information from her. That could help account for why the word "innocence" popped into Mr. Smart's head when he was groping for words.
Remember that Mr. Smart has been through an incredible shock, has been getting very little sleep, is not experienced with giving interviews on national television, and may well be taking some sort of tranquilizers that have been prescribed to help him cope. I'd be alarmed if he WASN'T somewhat incoherent.
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