Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 31

07/05/02 - Friday - Day 31 | Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 31

[stlnative]

Please keep adding Elizabeth Smart updates to this thread...
Remember to keep checking back to this thread today for today's developing news on the Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping.

Elizabeth was taken from her home at about 1:30am on the morning of June 5th, 2002.

Brigette's Ping List - (How To Join & How It Works)
If you would like on my Elizabeth Smart Ping List,
Please send me a "Private Reply" with your request... Please do not post a "Public Thread
Request" as I may accidently overlook it. Also you can click here to visit
my profile page and to view the list of people on my Ping List's.
People on my Elizabeth Smart Ping List will only receive ONE ping
daily from me at the beginning of the thread each day. This single ping will help you find the daily Elizabeth Smart thread faster
when you check your own "My Comment's" FR feature. If something large breaks in the case during
the day I will send out a new ping to everyone on my Ping List. Something breaking to me is if they find
Elizabeth or actually arrest a person for kidnapping her. It is up to you to visit this thread several times daily
as others and I will continue to add the latest breaking news reports as they are released throughout the day.

Links

Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 30
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 29
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 28
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 26/27
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 25
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 24
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 23
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 22
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 21
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 20
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 19
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 18
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 17
Salt Lake City Police Department Website
FBI Kidnappings/Critical Missing Persons - Elizabeth Smart
FBI - Salt Lake City Branch
Elizabeth Smart Website
Smart Residence Real Estate Listing
Brigette's Scanned Copy of House Layout from Newsweek Magazine
(Please do not link to the picture on my server space, if you wish to use it...
copy and paste it to your own hard drive and move it to your own server space)

A note to the people who read this thread because they hope and pray that Elizabeth will be returned to her family and who wish to stay up to date with the facts in the case. Please do not let yourself get sucked into a heavy HEATED discussion or argument from someone who wishes to come on this thread and make posts that will disrupt this thread. The best thing to do it not to bring attention to these post or reply to them.

[cherry]

you know what I don't understand....that in this day and age, with all the video cams around, all the people coming and going, that we don't have an idea who that was across the street...

and why do we not know where all of Ricci's cars were during that weeK?

I can't believe that someone hasn't come forward yet

and the hosp. video...talk about your good luck...sure, it may not be involved, but if those cars were, we are a leg up...but what's with this not letting us know the lic. number?

so, hopefully...the cops have all this info ...hopefully they know where to find this other perp....hopefully it will all be clear soon.....hope, hope, hope

[TheDon]

Most of the questions can be answered if the abductor had a stocking over his head. It will be interesting once the truth about these, and many other questions about this case, are known. For instance, the conflict in the stories of Dick and the mechanic regarding the release and return of the Jeep by Dick while it was in the shop for repairs.

[TXLady]

I was just thinking "Now would be a good time for Faith to post" and there you were. Thanks so much for the hope you give.

[TheDon]

"the other thing...if Lizzie was in that jeep I am so sure they would have found some red fibers from her pj's..her pj's I bet are new to her this year...I bet she didn't have them back when the family still owned the jeep..so any red fibers would not be expected there at all.."

Good point.

[Bella]

Larry King show--Friday, July 05, 2002

Tonight:

Tune in for a special edition of "Larry King Live" broadcast from Salt Lake City, Utah. It's been one month since the mysterious kidnapping of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart. Her parents, Ed and Lois Smart, grandparents Charles and Dorotha Smart and several other members of their family, talk about their agonizing ordeal, the ongoing investigation and the faith that keeps them hopeful that she'll be found alive.

[TheDon]

I think you're right that the human element may be what solves this case. The abductors, Dick, Angela, and ?, were not as clever as they thought, and with the story falling apart, someone will crack.

[TheDon]

Also, with that many miles put on the Jeep, he must have filled it up somewhere.

[IamHD]

Radio Home Page » KSL News » News » Stories Elizabeth Smart -- One Month Later

(Jul 5, 2002) -- It was one month ago today that you heard the first bulletins on KSL Newsradio -- telling you that a 14 year-old girl had been kidnapped from her Federal Heights home. The search for Elizabeth Smart continues even today.

In a one-on-one interview with KSL Newsradio, Elizabeth's father Ed Smart says he knows that people say his daughter is dead -- but he doesn't believe them. He says he feels in his heart that she's alive out there somewhere.

Ed Smart says every day, he meets with searchers and police. Smart says it's faith that keeps his family going and keeps them hoping for Elizabeth's safe return.

Salt Lake City Police say they continue to follow leads -- but they don't have a suspect in the kidnapping just yet.

Sorry for such a tiny article, but, this is all that I could find. :(

[IamHD]

Thanks, Bella. I'll be watching.

[Sherlock]

I can't believe they don't know who ? is. They have his car on videotape at the hospital. The security guard there saw his profile as he drove by, he said he was clean shaven and had dark hair. They got the license plate of 1 of the 2 cars but didn't say which one and never released it for some reason, at one time they were saying they were thinking about releasing it.

The milkman saw the guy in his gray Honda or Nissan with a license plate that read "266 RDA on early morning Jun 3 in Federal Heights, wearing a white baseball cap matching the original description given by police (I think) and he got part of the license plate number. Then Moul saw him across the street from the his shop when Ricce waved to him, and he was again I believe wearing the white baseball cap.

? was also seen by Chad Woodruff who said the following. "Once I got to that tree, I found some footprints and I followed them and I took about three steps before I saw a guy with a white hat and white shirt," Woodruff said. "I just hid myself and followed him for a little while. I was totally by myself."

They've got 4 witnesses, the hospital security guard, the milkman, Moul, & Woodruff to put together a composite sketch. There surely aren't enought ex-cons in SLC for them not to know who this guy is, they must fear they would endanger Elizabeth by bringing him in.

This description was given on Jun 6 - Police described the suspect as a dark-haired white male, roughly 5 feet 8 inches tall. He is described as soft-spoken, and was last seen wearing white pants, a white cap and a tan, denim-type jacket.

More I didn't know from Jun 5 - Police described the suspect as a dark-haired white male, roughly 5 feet 8 inches tall. The man did not call Elizabeth by name and did not appear familiar with the house, police told The AP.

[Sherlock]

Complete Chad Woodruff story:

Among those leads was the report Thursday evening by a volunteer helping in the search of Emigration Canyon who said he saw a man wearing clothing matching that of the suspected kidnapper. The man was bent over, as though looking through the brush or trying to wipe away footprints, the volunteer said.

The volunteer, Chad Woodruff, said he saw the man after following some footprints that started at a tree that had drawn his attention.

"Once I got to that tree, I found some footprints and I followed them and I took about three steps before I saw a guy with a white hat and white shirt," Woodruff said. "I just hid myself and followed him for a little while. I was totally by myself."

He said he contacted his brother by radio, and the police were called in. But by then, the man had fled.

Another searcher reported hearing gunshots shortly afterwards.

Salt Lake County sheriffs closed the canyon and set up a perimeter around it, and searching from a helicopter with an infrared sensor. The FAA restricted the airspace above the canyon

All they spotted from the air were several deer, and county sheriff's deputies and volunteers resumed the ground search at 6 a.m., local time.

[Sherlock]

Wasn't quite complete, here's Chad Woodruff Part 2

Atkinson said that the police department was not involved in the search of the canyon, and instead focused on investigating the thousands of tips that have been called in.

"I don't think it's any more promising than anything else that we had, that we're taking other resources to go after that," he said. "Again, I think it's just another lead."

Searchers say the suspicious man was wearing a white baseball hat, tan denim jacket and white pants — clothing Smart's 9-year-old sister, who was in the room when she was taken, said the kidnapper was wearing.

"They are currently still in the canyon looking for that person," Atkinson said. "At this point they've been unable to locate that person."

[The people have spoken]

More from KSL:

July 5, 2002--

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ A month after Elizabeth Smart was taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night at gunpoint, police haven't made an arrest or charged a suspect.

The 14-year-old's family on Friday continued their pleas to whoever might have abducted her to let her go.

"It's been 30 days now," Ed Smart, the teen's father, said at the family's daily news briefing. "It's time for her to come home."

Elizabeth was abducted in the early morning hours of June 5, setting off an investigation that has brought up to 10,000 leads.

The abduction continues to stymie police, who are investigating several ex-convicts who did work in the neighborhood _ some in the Smarts' $1 million house _ and who are known to each other.

Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse has said that one of them, Richard Albert Ricci, 48, is considered at the "top of the list" of potential suspects.

Ricci is being held at the Utah State Prison for parole violations including drug use and burglary. Where or when the burglary took place was not specified in his arrest warrant.

Police have searched Ricci's Kearns trailer home twice, taking bags of his belongings for analysis. They would not say what they took, nor what evidence they may have found.

Ricci has said he had nothing to do with the girl's disappearance and that he was at home with his wife that night.

At the briefing, Ed Smart said things have been stolen from his house, but he didn't know whether they were taken all at once or over time, only that they were missing.

On Friday, an assistant Salt Lake County district attorney, Kent Morgan, said burglary charges against Ricci still are under consideration.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

[Sherlock]

At least 5, maybe 6 witnesses saw ? - 1) Elizabeth's sister MK, 2) Hospital Security Guard, 3) Milkman, 4) Moul, 5) Chad Woodruff, and 6) Security Video in convenience store in the area. Remember this, they said they found a man in a white baseball cap on a security videotape that came in just before the time of the kidnapping and ripped something off and left the store. They said they guy working never saw him come in, the police picked him up when they reviewed the video. The police later denied this report.

[Faith]

You are aptly named. Thanks for your analyses.

[IamHD]

Just came across this on another :) board. If there are any Utah people out there, did you hear this?

Perhaps this is old news. I apologize if you've already heard this, but KUTV is reporting that police have identified the man who helped tow Ricci's Jeep to the auto shop at the end of May. Apparently, it's someone who hired Ricci to help him do home building and renovation work. Police are looking for the guy. They want to question him concerning the whereabouts of the Jeep, and they also want to find out if he's the same guy who waited across the street for Ricci when he returned the Jeep. KUTV is also reporting that Pete Romero, the ex-con who had been in jail for molesting a 14 year old and who lives two houses down from Ricci, is now wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet so that police can keep up with his whereabouts. He has been interviewed several times and given a polygraph. KUTV counts four ex-convicts who have already been questioned, and a fifth that is either being questioned or being looked for.

[IamHD]

I thought for sure when I heard about the 'Chad' story, that it was said to be a hoax? I believe it was on MSNBC, the same day that this occurred. I could be mistaken; maybe someone else heard this too.

[homeschool mama]

Amen. <><

[hergus]

Investigators Question Sex Offender Who Lives Near Ricci
July 5, 2002 12:42 pm
(KUTV) Investigators in the Elizabeth Smart case are keeping tabs on another ex-convict. He is a neighbor of Richard Ricci, the man who still seems to be at the center of the investigation.

Pete Romero did prison time for having sex with a 14-year-old girl, armed robbery and assaulting a police officer. He lives a couple of doors from Ricci.

Romero said he is sorry for his crimes, and insists he had nothing to do with the abduction of Elizabeth Smart.

"My heart goes out to that family, and that little girl. No child should have to go through something like that," Romero said.

As of Monday Romero has been ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet to track his whereabouts. He's also under a new curfew.

Romero has been interviewed several times by investigators and has taken a polygraph. He said given his criminal history, he understands investigators questioning him, but said he can't understand police tactics when they talked to his neighbors.

"Just what the neighbors told me. They questioned them, asking if they knew I was a rapist, and what I was convicted for, that I was a very dangerous person, just trying to scare them, using scare tactics," Romero said.

Meantime, a man has been identified who helped tow Richard Ricci's white jeep to a West Valley auto repair shop. 2-news has been told the man hired Ricci for building or renovating homes.
Detectives may be looking for him now. Police are very interested in tracking the whereabouts of Ricci's Cherokee which was given to him by Elizabeth's father, Ed Smart, for work at his home.

Police said the Cherokee was put in the shop at the end of May. A man reportedly help tow the Jeep to the shop at that time. The Cherokee reportedly was later removed and then returned three days after the Smart abduction. A mechanic said the jeep was brought back caked with mud and with about a thousand additional miles on the odometer.

The mechanic said he saw Ricci walk across the street and meet another man. The mechanic did not get a good look at the second man. Police want to know if it is the same man who helped Ricci tow the truck to the shop the first time in late May.

Police still have not named Ricci as a suspect, and his wife insists Ricci was at home the night Smart was kidnapped. Ricci's wife has already testified before a federal grand jury looking into the Smart abduction.

In all police are now questioning four ex-convicts in the case and a fifth man who may have been with Ricci when he returned the SUV to the repair shop.

http://kutv.com/related/StoryF older/story_1102873425_html/in dex_html

[IamHD]

Thanks! I checked their website, and couldn't find anything. :)