Elizabeth Smart Reuninted with Her Mother**picture***

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE ^ | March 13, 2003 | Elizabeth Neff

[Kentucky]

Police found Elizabeth Smart alive and in the company of a transient panhandler Wednesday, some nine months after she disappeared from her Salt Lake City home. Sandy police located Elizabeth in the suburb with Brian David Mitchell, who had worked odd jobs for the Smarts for five hours in November 2001 and was wanted for questioning. Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse said investigators are convinced Elizabeth was kidnapped, and released the name of Wanda Eileen Barzee as a second suspect in the crime.

[MadisonA]

she doesn't look fatter to me.
She looks the same as she did in her recital play video footage they always show on msnbc. In fact I think she looks thinner. Plus her chest is flat how could she be having a baby she is bony.

[carola]

The police blew it. Because of the location of the house on a secluded cul de sac it seemed a given early on that the kidnapper had been at the house at some previous time. How difficult is it to investigate every person who had been in that house in the last five years? Why wait until nine months later when the sister finally decides it might have been Emmanuel? Apparently Emmanuel was well known in the community and obviously a nut of some kind. Emmanuel's former wife was telling everyone yesterday that the man is a pedophile, yet he was ignored as a suspect until recently.

I agree that there are fishy aspects to this case, but the important thing is that Elizabeth is alive and with her family.

[AppyPappy]

A 14 year-old CANNOT, I repeat, CANNOT agree to a kidnapping. At all. Ever. A 14 year-old can run away but if another person gets involved, it's a crime for that other person.

I repeat, she CANNOT CONSENT to what happened because of her age. She's isn't old enough to make the decision.

[AppyPappy]

Those are called facts

Post the proof please.

[Catspaw]

You are speculating that she was unable to do anything about her situation, even though being around other people.

Your speculation is that she could. Your proof is what?

[Rytwyng]

He was born into a Mormon family, but had gone off on a tangent of his own... He is clearly mentally ill, perhaps a result of the LSD...

Too much LDS in the sixties?

Sorry, as a trekkie I just couldn't resist that one.

[MineralMan]

"What should the police be investigating? That the Smart girl had met the "kidnapper" before hand and agreed to a "kidnapping." In actuality, she and the guy staged a fake kidnapping in order to run away from home.
"

Pure, and poor speculation. Can you not, like the rest of us, wait to see what the story really is? Is it really necessary for you to inject your sordid little fantasy about what happened.

You do not know what happened. I do not know what happened. Elizabeth Smart _does_ know what happened, and I imagine we're going to find out, eventually.

Until then, your speculations are spurious.

[webstersII]

"Your speculation is that she could. Your proof is what?"

You should try taking a course in logic. I need offer no proof of any such thing because I did not assert anything as truth. I merely said that there are some unanswered questions based on the facts which are available at this time.

See, if I said that I knew what happened with certainty, then that would require me to offer proof. If I say that there are unanswered questions based on the facts, then that means I am saying that we don't really know yet exactly what happened. You, on the other hand, are the one stating with certainty and taking offense that everyone doesn't agrree with you.

Many people on this thread and other places are finding odd and contrary behavior in these events. Once the behavior is explained then it makes more sense. Until then, there will naturally be speculations about all sorts of things.

[webstersII]

"Too much LDS in the sixties? "

LOL. You know, that whack job in this ES abduction dressed in robes kinda like Spock did in that movie.

[MadisonA]

yeah I agree if elizabeth and this whacko really wanted to run off with eachother a more logical scenario would've been to say, "now elizabeth after school you walk over to 57 th street and I will be waiting for you and we will take it from there." Besides he only did work on the smart home on one occasion and there are no reports elizabeth even spoke one word to this man. Doesn't it take some time to fall head over heals for an old and ugly man before you decide to run off with him. The staged kidnapping theory is illogical.

[Eva]

Did you read Shot throught the Heart, the book by Gilmore's brother, a reporter for Rolling Stone? It was really good, I don't know about the movie.

[Catspaw]

I need offer no proof of any such thing because I did not assert anything as truth. I merely said that there are some unanswered questions based on the facts which are available at this time.

One entry found for speculate. Main Entry: spec·u·late
Pronunciation: 'spe-ky&-"lAt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -lat·ed; -lat·ing
Etymology: Latin speculatus, past participle of speculari to spy out, examine, from specula watchtower, from specere to look, look at -- more at SPY
Date: 1599
intransitive senses
1 a : to meditate on or ponder a subject : REFLECT b : to review something idly or casually and often inconclusively
2 : to assume a business risk in hope of gain; especially : to buy or sell in expectation of profiting from market fluctuations
transitive senses
1 : to take to be true on the basis of insufficient evidence : THEORIZE <speculated that a virus caused the disease>
2 : to be curious or doubtful about : WONDER <speculates whether it will rain all vacation>
synonym see THINK
- spec·u·la·tor /-"lA-t&r/ noun

[webstersII]

Post the proof please.

The story about the wackos taking her to see the guy named Trotta. That's been reported in SLC news as fact, so I have no reason to disbelieve it.

Here's another:

KUTV story.

This one is not a done deal as far as the ID on her goes, but it's pretty certain w.r.t. the Mitchell guy. I'd say there's a better than even chance that it's her under that veil.

[Illbay]

Every time I see this photo I get a lump in my throat.

My poor thirteen-year-old (who very much resembles Elizabeth) has gotten SQUISHED these past 24 hours. She was glad to get to school to escape my clutches!

[stripes1776]

Elizabeth Smart Reuninted with Her Mother

Wasn't it her mother who brought the vargrant to the home to work? I think her mother is the cause of this terrible situation.

[Illbay]

Instead of idle speculation, why not just wait and see what comes out?

[Illbay]

You should try taking a course in logic,...

LOL!

POT...KETTLE...BLACK!!!

[bonfire]

Funny! My daughter has recieved lots of squishy hugs too. I told her "And THIS is why we are very protective of you, etc. etc." I think she "gets" it now.

[Illbay]

"He gave love a bad name."

[Goodman26]

I do expect Mitchell to attempt an insanity defense.

I think an insanity defense would be risky. (Yes, clearly he is not normal mentally, but the key is whether he knew taking her was wrong.) I think all he has to do is claim she asked him to save her and take her away and she became obsessed with him, etc. Then, a sarcastic defense lawyer can ask whether anyone on the jury has had much success getting their teenage kids to do something they didn't want to do, for nine straight months. He can say, I can't even get my teenagers to brush their hair; how can this poor man have controlled this girl so completely? And then he can introduce medical and other evidence showing she was not in some detached psychotic state when she was "recovered."