Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread

To: 4ourprogeny; TheDon; brigette; All

(Someone made the father-in-law put a shirt on for the picture in this article. That would be a good thing.)

Top Suspect Has No Forensic Link

Richard Albert Ricci issued a statement to the public Friday, adamantly denying any knowledge of Elizabeth Smart's whereabouts and saying he prays for her safe return.

The 30-year-career criminal -- who once worked as a handyman in the Smart family's home -- said he has been implicated in the abduction of the 14-year-old because of his past as a burglar.

Ricci said he knows what the Smart family is going through because he lost his 9-year-old son years ago in an accident, and that he has cooperated fully with investigators.

"I would not -- could not -- hurt a child in any way," Ricci insisted in the statement, which was released through his attorney.

Meanwhile, in the continuing hunt for clues in the disappearance of Elizabeth Smart, detectives have uncovered more circumstantial evidence against Ricci, the man police say is at the top of their list of potential suspects.

But investigators so far have found no forensic evidence linking Ricci, 48, and the missing teen, although much of their physical evidence has not yet been fully tested.

Elizabeth was snatched from her family's Federal Heights home early June 5 by an armed intruder who was seen only by the girl's 9-year-old sister. Police have released only sparse details about what that sole witness has told them, and have refused to reveal any physical evidence relating to the crime.

Investigators have scoured every inch of Ricci's cars, his Kearns mobile home and adjoining tomato garden, as well as residences of his neighbors and relatives. So far, police have detailed only circumstantial evidence connected to Ricci, such as an alibi they question and an account by a mechanic who claims Ricci acted suspiciously when he returned his mud-spattered vehicle to a shop for repairs days after the apparent kidnapping.

Ricci's attorney, David K. Smith, who saw Ricci earlier this week, said Friday the Utah State Prison inmate is innocent and his outlook is good.

"He's locked down 23 hours a day, with no access to media. No TV or newspapers. So he's kind of out of the loop," Smith said. "When I saw him, he said, 'What day is this?'

"He's telling me he had nothing to do with this, that they can look at anything, search anything."

Ricci has taken two polygraph tests, Smith said. In the first test, the result was inconclusive, but on the second, Ricci said "he did well," Smith said.

While police continue to investigate Ricci, the state crime lab is charged with testing all manner of potential physical evidence from the 25-day-old case, including a tan golf cap similar to the one worn by the kidnapper and a machete taken from the mobile home of Ricci's father-in-law. Smith dismisses the cap and knife as "red herrings."

Police have also taken undisclosed physical evidence from the Smarts' Federal Heights home and the car of drifter Bret Michael Edmunds, who for two weeks was sought by police for questioning.

"Clearly, we've done several cars and several houses," said Rich Townsend, director of the Utah Crime Lab. "To go through all that [potential evidence] can take a lot of long hours -- even days."

In fact, Townsend said 10 of 18 full-time criminalists at the lab "have spent significant time on this case." Those same employees have been asked to work many hours of overtime, Townsend said.

Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse said police, FBI agents and crime-lab personnel have worked seven days a week since the disappearance. City detectives, running down more than 10,000 leads, have alone logged more than $93,000 in overtime pay, said police Capt. Scott Atkinson.

Edmunds, 26, was released from City Hospital in Martinsburg, W.Va., on Friday afternoon and transferred to a nearby jail. He appeared before a Berkeley County magistrate, was arraigned on a West Virginia state charge of being a fugitive from justice and ordered held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Authorities had been searching for Edmunds, seen in the past in the Smarts' neighborhood, for two weeks when he showed up at the hospital June 20 suffering from an apparent drug overdose.

Edmunds has never been called a suspect, and authorities said earlier this week that the questioning did not change his status.

Ricci is in Utah State Prison on a parole violation.

Cynthia Smart Owens, Elizabeth's aunt, said Friday that Ricci's behavior "clearly sounds suspicious," adding, "our bottom line is we don't have Elizabeth."

At the family's daily news conference, they also announced that hundreds of volunteers will spend the weekend searching in Bountiful, Centerville and Draper for any trace of the girl.

Richard Ricci's father-in-law, Dave Morse, 68, has allowed investigators to search his Kearns property, from which they took a knife and a golf cap. The cap is similar to the one worn by the alleged kidnapper. Ricci's lawyer, David K. Smith, calls the items "red herrings."

61 posted on 06/30/2002 11:26:17 AM PDT by Utah Girl

SO goes this case, from one ex-con to the next, while the real perp is still close by like he has been all along. Laughing, Exactly as has been stated previously.

Most likely.

62 posted on 06/30/2002 11:26:36 AM PDT by varina davis

I didn't say that the mechanic was lying! My question was did anybody else see this interview! Quit reading something into a portion of an article that I just asked an innocent question of. Happy 4th of July.

67 posted on 06/30/2002 11:44:22 AM PDT by IamHD

volunteers will spend the weekend searching in Bountiful, Centerville and Draper for any trace of the girl.

Where's that and why are they looking there?

Thanks for the updated article. You've been a real brick here, UG!

Seems to me, however, that if they had anything on Ricci, they would have arrainged him on murder or kidnapping charge. It's been a few weeks now and apparently they cannot find enough evidence against him to do so. Not looking promising. Seems to me the trail to Elizabeth has become cold. Her poor mother!

69 posted on 06/30/2002 11:56:04 AM PDT by PoisedWoman

I am not trying to be everyones Mommy here, but if you see a post that has some theory you do not believe in... then why reply to them? It just seems these Tinfoil people are just dying to get a reply from someone that will continue to disagree with them. Why try to convince them they are possibly wrong?

Also readers to this thread should try to read ahead as far as possible before replying to any one post, as this is a 24 hour thread and events can change hourly especially during weekdays.

To the people who feel it is unfair not to discuss sinister family involvement theories, runaway theories, National Enquirer theories on this thread ARE more than welcome to start a new thread on FR about these theories. This daily thread is for what is known as across the board public knowledge of things that are going on in the case currently. Like Ricci's possible involvement, the daily search, the daily conferences, and so on.

70 posted on 06/30/2002 11:58:34 AM PDT by stlnative

Ricci and his small band of trailer trash are pathological liars, career criminals, loser junkies and petty thieves. Who would believe a word out of their filthy mouths? They remind me of that sociopath Sante Kimes and her son Kenneth Kimes. None of their false alibis will stand up to scrutiny.

My heart goes out to the entire Smart family. They have lost their beautiful angel.

71 posted on 06/30/2002 12:00:45 PM PDT by Palladin

Thank heaven for pink shirts. :)

Since you are in Utah, I have a question regarding Elizabeth's track coach. Have you heard anything more about him? Was he ruled out as a 'suspect?' Just wondering, because there are 2 sex offenders listed with the same last name as his. I'm not sure if they are related or not, or whether or not this is a 'common' surname. By the way, have a great 4th of July holiday!

73 posted on 06/30/2002 12:03:28 PM PDT by IamHD

Thanks for the story on Klaas... the guy is still crying on Fox TV shows to this day. FOX in my opinion is really blowing it. I have been watching MSNBC as they seem to have the trust of the family & SLCPD. I got tired of seeing Klaas on every FOX show so I turned the channel.

75 posted on 06/30/2002 12:07:11 PM PDT by stlnative

76 posted on 06/30/2002 12:12:31 PM PDT by Vinomori

Brigette, last night you posted directly to me, asking me to respond to two of your previous posts dealing with questions about the family. I took the time to do so. Later, one of my replies was held up for ridicule on a "tinfoil" thread. I'm a bit confused here.....since you have specifically asked for my thoughts on family-related matters, does that mean I am still welcome here? Or am I included in the "sinister family involvement theories" group that is now being asked to leave?

It's your thread and your call.....

77 posted on 06/30/2002 12:13:12 PM PDT by freedox

Of course, I'm sure that this is just another coincidence. By the way, one of them lives in Kearns.

Registry

79 posted on 06/30/2002 12:18:34 PM PDT by IamHD

brigette...I am posting a URL that I wrote today about the Tin Foil thread that THE DON made, and later got removed from Free Republic.

I am so sad that any of you thought I was not a credible person, that you laughed at me and posted ridicule on Free Republic. I really enjoyed all your hard work. I am so sad about this, and disappointed.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/708582/posts

80 posted on 06/30/2002 12:18:43 PM PDT by Neenah

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