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.

[AppyPappy]

I am becoming more and more convinced that Elizabeth walked out the door and then hooked up with this pair, maybe by chance, maybe by plan. If that is the case, are they guilty of kidnapping? Or are they home free? Is harboring a runaway a crime?

Hello? He cut the screen to get in the house and used a knife to threaten her so she would come with him. Don't ignore the facts

[Iwo Jima]

You are right. There could not possibly have been more publicity or public awareness of this case regardless of how many laws are passed. Ed's on the wrong warpath here.

[Iwo Jima]

The police say that the screen was cut from the inside. They also say that the window was not a point of entry or exit. IIRC, it was either too small or too misplaced to have been an entry or exit point. As to the recently changed theory from "gun" to "knife," how many times to you have to be feed false information before you start to have doubt about the newest version you are told to believe?

[Xenalyte]

Actually, few of the guys I've hired for subcontracting are scrubbed and clean-shaven. Not to mention, their pants have a habit of being too big, particularly from behind.

[Grig]

"That, plus Ed Smart's comments that Elizabeth has been brainwashed, sounds to me like Elizabeth is refusing to confirm any allegation"

Just gotta blame the victim somehow huh? Nobody said she wasn't co-operating with the police. I doubt the police have even started asking her any questions.

"I am becoming more and more convinced that Elizabeth walked out the door and then hooked up with this pair, maybe by chance, maybe by plan."

Ask yourself if that is what you WANT to belive. Facts are there was forced entry into the house, and her life was threatened. Her little sister is a witness to that.

[Illbay]

The police say that the screen was cut from the inside, and I believe that.

No, from the outside. They now know that to be true.

[AppyPappy]

Don't cloud the issue with facts

[Mamzelle]

Ed Smart isn't very. What a goofus.

[Iwo Jima]

There is no evidence of forced entry into the house. The police have not always been clear about everything, but they have been about that. It should be fairly evident by now that Mary Katherine cannot be considered a credible witness, based on the multiple conflicting versions of what we have been told that she has said over time.

In these type of family situations, which I have experienced first hand and through close friends, it is not constructive to speak in terms of "victims," but if there is a victim that I can see, it is Lois Smart, and no I do not blame her. We all make mistakes, but most of the tme no one is responsible for a runaway except the runaway.

[Illbay]

Saundra, this is a BIG piece of misinformation.

He was NOT invited "into their home to do repairs." He came to their home and worked for five hours ON THE ROOF of their home WITH Ed Smart. Smart paid him, and they never saw him again.

Really, if THIS is "irresponsible behavior" then you'd better not ever allow your kids out of the house at all. After all, a creep like Mitchell could see one of them, and follow you home, case out where you live, and then do what Mitchell did and snatch the kid.

Polly Klaas' abductor saw her playing in the neighborhood with friends and decided to abduct her.

There is NO ACCOUNTING for the evil that is in the world, and we kid ourselves if we think we are any "smarter" than the Smarts. There are a lot of things that we do that are "risky" just by living in an open community as we do.

I think everyone needs to just CHILL OUT about this whole thing.

[MinorityRepublican]

My fiance has a theory about why the news outlets are focusing so much on ES...it draws people's attention from an impending war. Yes, it is wonderful that she's alive and well, but this fact does not mean that she and her family should dominate the news for weeks. Let the kid have some time with her family before making her a media icon.

Don't get me wrong, I am delighted that she is back with her family. But should this be national news?

Really, this should be a very uplifting local news story, and nothing more.

But like your fiance said, it distracts people from the impending war.....I wonder what the motive is though?

[Utah Girl]

I'm waiting for the trial for the facts.

[Illbay]

He's "goofy" for supporting the notion that the "Amber Alert" ought to exist nationwide?

Do you drink during the day?

[Illbay]

There is no evidence of forced entry into the house.

But now they know, because Elizabeth told him, that he got into the house by cutting the screen FROM THE OUTSIDE and climbing through the window.

So all the detective work about that is moot.

[Iwo Jima]

I had not heard that, and I do not understand how that could now be "known" when it was so clearly confirmed just the opposite earlier. Even I could tell the direction in which the screen was bent. If you happen to run across it (don't make a special effort), I would appreciate a reference or a link to that information.

Thanking you in advance.

[Illbay]

....no one is responsible for a runaway except the runaway.

You are basing your argument on WHAT?

Elizabeth was NOT a runaway. I guarantee you that. She did NOT run away from her family.

I think you need to take a breather. You've been hawking this silly theory from the get-go, and the wheels have come off of it.

Time to re-tire.

[Utah Girl]

I watched a lot of the coverage last night. I came away with the feeling that the news media was just very glad that Elizabeth had been found alive. It is good news, and we don't have enough of that right now.

I'm also a little cynical, I think the media covered this for the ratings. Right now I am working in MA temporarily, and have had people come up to me today to ask about Elizabeth and how she is doing. People genuninely want to know the facts.

[Eva]

I don't think that Elizabeth is refusing to talk, the parents are refusing to ask the questions. The father said that he had not asked questions because he did not want to pry. My guess is that the Smarts hope to get a conviction without bringing up the sexual allegations to save Elizabeth the humiliation of having to openly discuss what was done to her.

[Illbay]

I have a personal opinion about this.

I think it is "divine intervention" to give us all a bit of a lift in this very gloomy time.

During World War II, they still played baseball, they still went to movies, and they mostly did life as usual. In fact, the entertainment became more "escapist" than ever because people just needed a break.

This story has provided a ray of sunshine in a dark and gloomy time, and I don't think we ought to dismiss the beneficial effect of it.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Ask a devout Missouri Synod-Lutheran, and he'll tell you the same thing -- his church is the REAL Lutherans, and the others aren't. And I'd disagree that there aren't "flavors" of Mormons, even discounting the nutty little fringe groups. The Community of Christ/RLDS, though it hasn't termed itself Mormon in a long time, would still be considered by most non-Mormons to be a "flavor" of Mormons, since it uses the Book of Mormon and is derived from the movement started by Joseph Smith.

Rather than making claims about who's a "real" Mormon and who's not (especially when the term is not claimed as an official name for members by ANY of the groups in question), I think it contributes more to a discussion to just make sure people are aware of the major differences in the teachings and practices of the largest group vs. those of the more notorious fringe groups. The "I'm real and they're not" argument starts to sound dangerously similar to those tiresome anti-Mormons who are forever running around hollering that "Mormons aren't real Christians".