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Elizabeth Smart who vanished from Utah home found safe
Seattle Times ^ | March 12, 2003 | Mike Carter

Posted on 03/12/2003 8:01:09 PM PST by Shermy

Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old Salt Lake City girl kidnapped from her home last June, had been held in a polygamous relationship by a man who believed God had told him to take her as another wife.

Police sources in Utah, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the man had kidnapped the girl more than 8 months ago and she was living with him and at least one other woman in a house in suburban Sandy, Utah, about 20 miles south of the girl’s home.

The girl was found alive — against all hope — in a car stopped by police.

“Miracles do exist,” said the girl's uncle, Tom Smart. He said the girl was in good condition.

Elizabeth was wearing a wig when police in Sandy pulled over the drifter, a man known as Emmanuel, authorities said. She was taken to the Salt Lake City police department, where her family was with her.

Brian David Mitchell

The man, whose real name is Brian David Mitchell, had worked “for about five hours” at the girl’s parents' luxurious home in the foothills near the state Capitol more than a year earlier, the source said. Police say he had become enamored of the girl at that time and prayed about taking her as another wife.

“It was a religious thing,” the source said. “This guy just wanted another wife and God told him this was the one.”

A month ago, the Smarts held a news conference where they released a sketch of Mitchell, who did work at their home in November 2001. As recently as yesterday, the family openly criticized police for not devoting enough attention to the former handyman.

Mitchell’s sister called authorities with his identity after the family’s Feb. 3 news conference. The man’s stepson gave investigators photos of Mitchell and said his stepfather was “capable” of kidnapping a child.

He also said Mitchell believes he is a prophet who needs to preach to the homeless and has no source of income other than handouts.

On the night of June 5, 2002, a man cut the screen in the girl’s bedroom window and climbed inside. Armed with a handgun, he took the child from her bed while her little sister, Mary Katherine, witnessed the kidnapping. The sister, afraid the man was still in the house, laid in bed for several hours before waking her parents and reporting the kidnapping.

Last month, Elizabeth’s younger sister was re-interviewed by detectives and told them that the man who broke into the bedroom that night resembled the man she knew as Emmanuel. Elizabeth Smart’s parents issued a new reward and released a sketch of the man.

Until then, police were disheartened over the disappearance. Their main suspect, a convicted burglar named Richard Albert Ricci, had died in prison of a brain hemorrhage last August. He had steadfastly denied any role in kidnapping the girl.

Investigators have said they believe Ricci was involved but may not have acted alone.

“They should have caught this guy by now,” said Tom Smart. “The police are too vested in Ricci.”

Elizabeth’s father, Ed, was less harsh but expressed his “frustration” at public statements made by police dismissing Mitchell as a potential suspect.

Police said they followed up more than 16,000 leads from the public in addition to those they came up with themselves.

Children’s advocates were elated by the good news.

“We are very, very relieved,” said Marilyn Ward, director of Child Search, a national missing children center based in Houston. “This should help the cause of missing children everywhere. We are thankful she’s alive. It gives hope to people to never give up.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; US: Utah; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: elizatethsmart
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To: Slyfox
Mark Furhman? (sp?)
141 posted on 03/12/2003 9:13:48 PM PST by homeschool mama
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This is a general warning, anyone who engages in personal attacks or religion bashing will get a suspension. This is the only warning.
142 posted on 03/12/2003 9:14:09 PM PST by Admin Moderator
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To: I still care
I think there is a group similar to the one you described
on the AZ border. I've heard about it a time or two but would need to research it.
143 posted on 03/12/2003 9:14:54 PM PST by valleygal
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To: All

One of the most recent pictures of Liz before the kidnapping.


Picture of her leaving the Police Station and returning home.
144 posted on 03/12/2003 9:15:24 PM PST by stlnative
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To: Utah Girl
Apparently Mitchell was a very persuasive, especially with children.

Con artists can be very persuasive with anybody, children especially. Evil is as evil does.

145 posted on 03/12/2003 9:16:03 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Let's Roll Already!)
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To: cherry
so maybe that is why Ed went off the deep end about the Amber Alert.....

That's an astute connection. That would explain it.

146 posted on 03/12/2003 9:17:52 PM PST by Shermy
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To: homeschool mama
Oh, yes... I heard this. Such tragedy for the parents of those boys! I cannot imagine the pain they live with.
147 posted on 03/12/2003 9:18:28 PM PST by Pan_Yans Wife (Lurking since 2000.)
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To: whenigettime
Gives real religion a black eye.

Er, No. This shows him for what he is. If Hitler went to mass every Sunday, would that have given Christianity a "black eye"? Nonsense.

148 posted on 03/12/2003 9:18:28 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Let's Roll Already!)
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To: homeschool mama
Furhman's name is spelled correctly...
149 posted on 03/12/2003 9:18:52 PM PST by marajade
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To: Kevin Curry
Kevin, I recall no shortage of posts from last summer to the effect that the police did not believe some aspects of the sister's story. There were allegations that the parents' stories weren't holding together either.

Could a young child have gotten confused about what she saw or heard in a terrifying or confusing situation? Some people confess to terrible crimes they did not commit under stressful police questioning - could a young child start telling police what she thought they wanted to hear under this same stress? Could a rebellious child and her manipulative seducer concoct a bizarre skit for the benefit of the sister, for reasons only known to their cracked minds?

I don't have answers to these questions, but Kevin, why didn't she run off at any point in the last months? He was apparently taking her to parties, to parks, even reports of Burger Kings. True she was in San Diego and perhaps elsewhere for several months, but she has apparently been in SLC for some time. Anywhere in that town she went, she could have revealed herself - "I am Elizabeth Smart! Help me! Save me from this man!" Why didn't she?

The Viet Cong couldn't brainwash people, the North Koreans couldn't, the Nazis supposedly could but their victims apparently needed steady doses of subtle narcotics and neuro-poisons - do you think some itenerant street preacher could have pulled this off?

My view of this guy is that he's a Rasputin type - very persuasive and charismatic, especially to a young girl experiencing the alienation and rebellion common to that age.

There's a lot more to this story than what we have now. I'm sorry if my questions and assertions disturb you, but I have a feeling all of us are going to be profoundly disillusioned by what we discover about this case.
150 posted on 03/12/2003 9:18:55 PM PST by motexva (Cool site I saw today - antiwarcelebwatch.blogspot.com)
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To: Admin Moderator
This is a general warning, anyone who engages in personal attacks or religion bashing will get a suspension. This is the only warning.

The larger thread of the afternoon was pulled because of it. Way too much to talk about here (even some controversy!) without needing to resort to disparaging religious remarks.

151 posted on 03/12/2003 9:19:24 PM PST by Partisan Hack
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To: marajade
Thank you.
152 posted on 03/12/2003 9:20:07 PM PST by homeschool mama
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Comment #153 Removed by Moderator

To: Utah Girl
Where were you today when you found out about Elizabeth?

Last week, you told me not to ping you anymore, so I didn't.

But I bet you got pinged right and left by everyone else today!

Anyway, we can all go to bed happy tonight that this lovely child has been restored to the bosom of her family.
154 posted on 03/12/2003 9:20:32 PM PST by Palladin (Proud to be a FReeper!)
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To: Shermy
Mormons get unfairly razzed a lot about a perceived history of plural marriages/child brides. In this case the prejudices will be reinforced, it appears.

Perceived? It is historical fact that many early Mormon leaders had many wives, including "child" brides. Joseph Smith took a bride of 13 years of age, for example. He and Brigham Young both had dozens of wives. In this case perception is reality.

155 posted on 03/12/2003 9:21:01 PM PST by GLDNGUN
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To: drstevej; Wrigley; JesseShurun; CARepubGal
Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old Salt Lake City girl kidnapped from her home last June, had been held in a polygamous relationship by a man who believed God had told him to take her as another wife. ~ Article Woody.
156 posted on 03/12/2003 9:21:41 PM PST by CCWoody
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To: motexva
Consensual? You're out of your mind. She was taken from her bedroom, she was in the mountains behind her home, could hear them calling for her and couldn't do anything about it. Why is it so hard to believe that a crazy maniac could do this to a beautiful young girl.
157 posted on 03/12/2003 9:22:04 PM PST by Hildy
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
Remember that boy from California, who was kidnapped, back in the eighties I think... Steven... they made a movie, "My name is Steven".

I think it was Steven's brother that killed Carole Sund, her daughter and their foreign exchange student. He also killed another gal. Somehere around Yosemite, I think.

158 posted on 03/12/2003 9:22:11 PM PST by valleygal
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To: Partisan Hack
Maybe not. The weirdo might be sterile or impotent. He has no natural children, only stepchildren.
159 posted on 03/12/2003 9:22:19 PM PST by Palladin (Proud to be a FReeper!)
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To: motexva
actually, it's every American teenage girl's dream to be starved into too-thinness (up to a point, anyway). I know it is mine.

Point being, if you want to badly maul a girl's self esteem, don't let her shave or makeup, and force her into fatness. She probably -wanted- to wear the veil after a while.
160 posted on 03/12/2003 9:23:02 PM PST by Nataku X (Never give Bush any power you wouldn't want to give to Hillary.)
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