Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

There is no conspiracy here: SLPD Press Conference (Elizabeth Smart abduction)
KSL Radio ^ | 6/19/2002

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.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: elizabethsmith
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 201 next last
To: ET(end tyranny)
Has it occurred to you that if YOU are wondering about these things, the perp is (uneasily) wondering about them too, and worried about what they might actually have gotten from Mary Catherine?
61 posted on 06/19/2002 12:37:43 PM PDT by Illbay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: Utah Girl
Interesting that they are confirming that they still think they have spoken to the abductor. That indicates that IF Elizabeth is still alive, the abductor would have to have her well-secured somewhere, such that he doesn't have to be with her constantly to keep her from escaping or making noise that would alert someone.
62 posted on 06/19/2002 12:37:51 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: PoisedWoman
This dark, hairy guy hates little blond angels, perhaps women in general, and wants to defile them.

Where in blue blinkin' blazes did THAT come from?

63 posted on 06/19/2002 12:38:51 PM PDT by Illbay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: r9etb
Suggests that MK probably saw them the second time when she was near the stairs, and the other two were by the front door.

That's my guess, too. What doesn't make sense is the waiting for 2 + hours to tell the parents. Elizabeth may have sat on the stairs to put on her shoes. So, why not wait for the them to leave, then run to the parent's room. Scared or not. Get back behind a wall and just wait a few minutes then take another peek to see if the coast is clear. That's what I did when I was 8 and we had strange goings on at our house one night. This waiting 2 + hours just doesn't make sense.

64 posted on 06/19/2002 12:39:12 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: Illbay
Please just bypass the off the wall replies... If they get no reply or attention maybe they will just go away.
65 posted on 06/19/2002 12:41:35 PM PDT by stlnative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: r9etb
Yesterday, one of the uncles said they didn't think it was a family member who did this, the family didn't think it was a psychopathic stranger who took Elizabeth, but they felt perhaps it was someone in the area who had a fixation on Elizabeth.

And not to be too crass here, but many girls like Elizabeth can be found here in Utah.

66 posted on 06/19/2002 12:41:54 PM PDT by Utah Girl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: GovernmentShrinker
I still want to know about the silver (perhaps the grey) car in the hospital parking lot. The person behaved oddly, flashing lights on and off, then once another car arrived there, they both sped off. If these are connected the second car may have had Elizabeth in it, with the abductor. Just a possibility, but its funny the first car was described as silver and could be the grey one the milkman saw.
67 posted on 06/19/2002 12:43:28 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: Lorraine
My hubby and his brother wear type of this hat.....in the winter. Very strange indeed to be wearing this in the summer..

I'm still wondering about the 'uncle'.

68 posted on 06/19/2002 12:44:00 PM PDT by OldFriend
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: mhking
Quite possible, especially if there's plush carpeting along the entire route, and the house is well-constructed (i.e. doesn't have thin walls and no sound insulation). Also, keep in mind that people normally sleep through types of noise that they are accustomed to hearing at night. In a home with 2 adults and 6 children, the sound of someone tip-toeing up and down the stairs, and through the halls (trying not to wake up other family members) is ordinary background noise. People get up, go to the bathroom, go to the kitchen, etc., and hearing something like that while you're really asleep, or even half awake, wouldn't be a reason to jump out of bed and go see if something's wrong.
69 posted on 06/19/2002 12:44:58 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: ET(end tyranny)
Yes... it does not make sense to adult person, but to a scared 9 year old it does. Of course this child will grow older and have more of an understanding of what she could have done. But let's get past what should have been done, the child did what she did because she was scared and did not know at the time what she could have done. What done is done.
70 posted on 06/19/2002 12:45:21 PM PDT by stlnative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]

To: ET(end tyranny)
What doesn't make sense is the waiting for 2 + hours to tell the parents.

Yes it does. I remember lying petrified in my bed one night because there was a "murderer" in the corner of my room (shadows on the curtain).

In this case, MK heard an actual threat of murder, and decided that the best thing to do would be to pretend to be asleep until he was gone.

This part of the story is completely believable.

71 posted on 06/19/2002 12:46:22 PM PDT by r9etb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]

To: Illbay
The police looking for the tag number at the vigil, NOT Edmunds...

Could be that what is meant is that while Edmunds WAS AT THE VIGIL, it is NOT his tag they are looking for, but the tag from the grey car that the milkman saw? Possible? YES!!

72 posted on 06/19/2002 12:46:48 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: Illbay
Where in blue blinkin' blazes did THAT come from?

If it's a rape/murder scenario, she's probably exactly right.

73 posted on 06/19/2002 12:47:24 PM PDT by r9etb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: ET(end tyranny)
ET,

Here is the thread where the car sighting at the hospital is discussed: Was car at hospital linked to Elizabeth?

74 posted on 06/19/2002 12:47:34 PM PDT by Carolina
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: ET(end tyranny)
Dinse said today that Mary Katherine was on her way to tell her parents right after the abductor and Elizabeth left the bedroom. When she got in the hall, she saw the abductor and Elizabeth yet again. And remembering the fact that the abductor had threatened Elizabeth's life, Mary Catherine went back to bed and waited for two hours before she told her parents. Remember, this is a nine year old little girl, she didn't know how much longer the perp would be in the house, and she was afraid because of the threats. She probably waited an eternity to go tell her parents (or so it felt like to her.) The information about Mary Katherine seeing the abductor again, and going back to bed came from the press conference today, and that info came from interviews with her.
75 posted on 06/19/2002 12:48:08 PM PDT by Utah Girl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]

To: GovernmentShrinker
Quite possible, especially if there's plush carpeting along the entire route, and the house is well-constructed

No, I realize that -- I'm just pointing out that this is starting to head into territory that I don't think anyone wants to head toward.

This isn't an easy "solve it before the last commercial" kind of case. And I think that there is more than meets the eye to the seemingly conflicting stories that have been surfacing of late.

My guess is that the comparison will soon surface between this and the Ramsey case in some strange sort of way. Call me crazy...but you never know...

76 posted on 06/19/2002 12:48:26 PM PDT by mhking
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: callisto
I initially heard, the first week or so, the father say on TV that they were sleeping in a room across the hall from him. I have no other confirmation than what he said that it is true.

That would fit from the layout posted. One would have to cross past the top entrance of the stairs to gain access to the master bedroom. This might have been difficult for MC to do IF Elizabeth were sitting on the lower step putting her shoes on and the abductor were facing Elizabeth, thus facing the top of the stairs, making MC need to wait for fear of detection, until after they left the house, which was probably momentarily.

77 posted on 06/19/2002 12:50:01 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: Illbay
if YOU are wondering about these things, the perp is (uneasily) wondering about them too, and worried about what they might actually have gotten from Mary Catherine?

Yes, I have. In fact, I would hope that MC is being watched carefully! I'm concerned that if this guy isn't found, she will be in danger for a long, long time. The fact that the police are releasing these details makes me believe that they have a good idea who he is. I hope I'm right!

78 posted on 06/19/2002 12:52:02 PM PDT by twigs
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: ET(end tyranny)
Yes, and I think investigators are carefully considering the scope of the trade-off before each and every snippet of information they release.
79 posted on 06/19/2002 12:52:20 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: PoisedWoman
Maybe, but with hairy hands and forearms, doubtful unless he's older LOL Lots of fairly young people with hairy arms and hands are bald. Worked with quite a few!
80 posted on 06/19/2002 12:52:29 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 201 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson