Posted on 07/09/2002 10:07:02 PM PDT by 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.
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Salt Lake City Police Department Website
FBI Kidnappings/Critical Missing Persons - Elizabeth Smart
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Elizabeth Smart Website
Smart Residence Real Estate Listing
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Did I miss something? Did the police say he has not been co-operative ?? Didn't they say on numerous news broadcasts that he gave them 26 hours of testemony?
I thought he did. If they haven't made him a suspect and arrested him for the kidnapping, after all this time..why not? Just a thought.
Ed Smart receives letter about Elizabeth
By Pat Reavy and Derek Jensen
Deseret News staff writers
Ed Smart, the father of Elizabeth Smart, said Wednesday that he had received a letter from a person who claimed to be in contact with Elizabeth's abductor and that that person wanted to negotiate a release.
"The person indicated the perpetrator was wanting to release Elizabeth, and I don't know how credible the communication was," Ed Smart said.
The one-page, typed letter postmarked July 3 was delivered to another person somewhere in the Smarts' neighborhood whom Ed Smart would not reveal. That person faxed a copy of the letter, which was addressed to "Elizabeth's parents," to police and then delivered the original to Ed Smart on Tuesday.
During the family's daily news conference, Ed Smart said his goal in revealing the letter to the media was to let the abductor know he had received it, and if the letter was legitimate, he wanted the sender to contact him again.
"If there is anything I can do to help you release her, I want to do that," Ed Smart said.
The note did not come with any ransom demands. Smart would not say Wednesday from where it was postmarked.
Meanwhile, enhanced nighttime surveillance tape from the Shriners Hospital parking lot was returned to the FBI in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
The tape was sent to FBI headquarters in Quantico, Va., more than a week ago so images of two vehicles captured the morning of the kidnapping could be enhanced. After looking at the returned tape, Salt Lake Police Capt. Scott Atkinson said Wednesday they were still fuzzy but investigators might be able to get the model of at least one of the cars.
Overall, however, Atkinson said the tape probably won't develop any significant leads.
Richard Ricci remains the focal point of the investigation. But detectives are looking at a lot of people and a lot of different avenues, Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse told the Deseret News.
"We're not putting all our eggs in one basket," Dinse said. "We want to go where the investigation is taking us. That's not to say we're not looking at other areas."
Ricci issued a statement two weeks ago declaring his innocence.
Wednesday marked five weeks since Elizabeth Smart was taken at gunpoint from her room at the family's Federal Heights house.
By Pat Reavy
Deseret News staff writer
While the search for Elizabeth Smart continued Wednesday, controversy raised its head over some of the images being distributed to find the young girl. Both sides are downplaying the squabble as nothing more than a small misunderstanding, but it has raised a question of who owns the rights to Elizabeth's image.
Some of the first pictures of Elizabeth distributed to the media and put on fliers shortly after the kidnapping were from a recent photo shoot with professional studio photographer Joy Gough. The picture of Smart with her head resting on her harp has become one of the most recognized images of the young girl.
For two weeks the picture was distributed around the nation. Wire services sold copies of the photo to other newspapers and magazines, a common practice in the media. But in some cases, including use by the Deseret News, Gough's name was mistakenly omitted.
After two weeks, Gough signed a contract with Zuma Press to copyright her photos. Zuma is a California-based company that represents 500 photographers and 20 newspapers across the nation. The company informed the media — and even the official Elizabeth Smart Web site — that royalties would have to be paid if they wanted to continue using Gough's pictures.
But Zuma director Scott McKiernan said this is not about greed or profits. This is about giving proper credit to Gough whenever her pictures are used and having a say in how those pictures are distributed, he said.
"She was concerned about having no control," McKiernan said. He said Gough was especially upset when her photo appeared in the National Enquirer accompanied by a negative story on the Smart family.
McKiernan said both Zuma and Gough want to do everything they can to help get Elizabeth back.
"We're in the news business. But in the end, we're all parents and children. We want (the kidnapping case) over," McKiernan said.
Zuma has donated 20 additional pictures from Gough's photo shoot with the Smart family to www.Elizabeth Smart.com at no cost, McKiernan said. The only stipulation is the photos have to be displayed at a smaller size so they cannot be illegally downloaded and published by any tabloid or news organization.
The company also told local newspapers and television stations they could use the Smart photos at no cost. What Zuma wants to prevent, however, is local media outlets earning a profit by selling Elizabeth's picture.
The royalties paid by the media to Zuma and Gough are not high. "We're not talking a lot of money here," McKiernan said. "This is a business, but it's not principally about money."
Elizabeth's uncle, Tom Smart, a Deseret News photographer, said in order for Gough to sell the rights of her pictures to a company like Zuma, she first has to get consent from the family, which was never given.
Nevertheless, Smart emphasizes the focus should remain on finding Elizabeth and not over copyright issues. He said the family is extremely appreciative of what Gough has already done to get Elizabeth's image out to the public. Those pictures, Tom Smart said, were very important in the early efforts to find Elizabeth.
Ricci's attorney has repeated that spiel repeatedly. However, the media has reported (also repeatedly) that Ricci is not cooperating and that his alibi doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
Dad describes receiving letter on missing girl
July 10, 2002 Posted: 2:56 PM EDT (1856 GMT)
"I would really appreciate it if you would let me know what your intentions are," Edward Smart said Wednesday, addressing his daughter's kidnapper.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (CNN) -- The father of Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year-old girl who was abducted from her bedroom last month, said Wednesday he has received an anonymous letter indicating someone wants to negotiate his daughter's release.
Edward Smart said he doesn't know "how credible the correspondence was," adding that it wasn't a ransom note. It is the first time he has received such a letter, Smart said. He said the letter's author wrote that the note was on behalf of another person, who is holding Elizabeth.
"I thought it was important to come out today and ask the abductor to please communicate or correspond with me," Smart said. Smart said the typewritten, unsigned letter was postmarked July 3. He said it was addressed to "the parents of Elizabeth Smart." A third party received the letter and faxed it to police, Smart said. The letter eventually was sent to the Smarts. He declined to say from where the letter was sent.
Police said Wednesday they are looking into the letter but declined to comment on it. As recently as Tuesday, authorities had not indicated that there was a major break in the case. In fact, police said that breaking the case could take an "indefinite" amount of time.
Authorities said there have been three phony ransom demands earlier.
Police focus on handyman----
Police said Elizabeth was taken from her bedroom in the predawn hours of June 5, while her parents and four brothers slept. Her younger sister witnessed the kidnapping.
Authorities have not named a suspect in the disappearance but have focused their attention on Richard Ricci, 48, a handyman who once worked in the Smart house.
Law enforcement sources said Monday that Ricci is likely to be charged this week on several counts of burglary of the Smart home and others in the upscale Federal Heights neighborhood of Salt Lake City. The sources said the incidents occurred well before the girl's disappearance.
Ricci is in a Utah state prison on alleged parole violations. In a statement released by his attorney, he has denied any involvement in Elizabeth's abduction and has expressed concern for her family.
Ricci's criminal record goes back 30 years. His attorney, David Smith, said the arrest that resulted in his CURRENT INCARCERATION WAS FOR DRINKING ALCOHOL, A PAROLE VIOLATION.
Smith said his client has cooperated with authorities, undergone hours of questioning, taken a lie-detector test, consented to searches of his property and vehicles, and given a blood sample.
Ricci's wife, Angela, maintains he was at home in bed with her at the time Elizabeth was abducted.
Honestly, from what I hear from the local people in SLC, the news coverage of this story has been dwindling...might be wanting to keep the interest w/ this latest letter..If this were indeed something of interest, the authorities wouldn't want this exposed so they can nab their ass. However, whatever chances of working something out w/ the perp, if it was real, is blown now due to the father contradicting himself--he wanted Lizzie back, then he said he'd like justice done..think the perp is going to miss this?--no.
I hope that this "person in the Smarts' neighborhood" is being investigated.
JG, would you please contact the authorities and the media to reem them a new a$$hole and get them together w/ their stories already? Tell them it's interfering w/ your lovelife w/ all the women on this thread. :-)
Definitely to see WHY they've chosen them to send this to, and what's the connection w/ all...
Anything for money these days, guess times are tough...
Boy, that's an understatement. Not that I'm shallow, but if you guys (women only) would add some pictures to your profiles there might be something interesting to do to fight the depression that many of us are feeling about this case, because there certainly hasn't been any signs of hope on these threads the last two weeks.
That's not too surprising. A perp with a brain could safely assume the Smart phones, fax, mail is closely monitored and would need to bypass the scrutiny somehow.
ONLY IF you make the calls to all the media & authorities to get this issue straightened out, report the findings, while you post your pix, stats, etc...because we'd like to know what we're getting for real, then we'll hold our end of the deal..:-)
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