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.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Per the Deseret News, she spent several days staying in the apartment of Daniel Trotta, 24, a block from the SL police HQ. She was veiled the whole time, but Trotta, who was not involved in "Emmanuel's" pseudo-religion, says he saw no sign that anything was preventing her from leaving. "Emmanuel" and his veiled wife presented her as their daughter, she didn't disagree, and even chatted about favorite classes she'd taken in school. A LOT requires explanation here, especially since she's obviously happy to be home, which pokes a hole in theories of brainwashing -- that kind of brainwashing doesn't get undone in a few hours.

[Illbay]

Well, then I apologize. I guess I have you confused with someone else (maybe I'm thinking of Palladin, who is one of the more outrageous posters on these threads).

[Catspaw]

I see that you're unable to respond without using grossly inappropriate language.

[Catspaw]

Was she ever left alone with Trotta or was she with the kidnappers?

[Jeff Head]

What an absolute bunch of Bravo Sierra.

[GovernmentShrinker]

To the sort of people who commit rapes, sex and violence are one and the same thing. Remember that Karla what's-her-name (executed in Texas a couple of years back) -- she was having orgasms while stabbing her victim to death.

[Catspaw]

Yes, by the perpetrators. The perspective of a victim of rape is significantly different than the perspective of a rapist.

[Lunatic Fringe]

Then dont make assumptions or accusations... I didn't "condemn" her. I am very happy she is safe, but you cannot deny that something doesn't seem to be adding up here. These same questions were all over the morning radio talk shows. So before you knee-jerk, think about whether these questions are legitimate.

We are talking about a teenager, not a small girl. Teenagers are very independent and strong-willed. The fact that this man was known to the family makes it all the more puzzling. Kidnapped by a creepy homeless man, and she felt she couldn't get away? For almost a year? They obviously went out in public on occasion.

And this Stockholm Syndrome doesnt fly yet. People who are brainwashed do not get over it in a few hours.... The fact that she is happy to be home indicates there was no brainwashing

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

My trivial question for Elizabeth Smart ( hey, the media is going to ask tons of them ) would be to ask if was she aware that everyone was looking for her and of the media attention that was given to her kidnapping.

Something does seem odd here, just can't put my finger on it.

[muggs]

I guess we're all too jaded to understand how some folks still live this way.

I think you are right. I hope the mother doesn't feel guilty about this. There are no perfect parents and it is very obvious that they love Elizabeth and all their children. They are a stong family and I hope that everything will work out well for them.

[AppyPappy]

That's what they call themselves. The True Mormons or something weird like that. I think they still have little enclaves of them in Utah. My wife's uncle was connected to them in some way but the local Mormon Church was nice enough to do his funeral for him.

[drjoe]

"Seattle Times is reporting today that this creep held her in some kind of polygamous arrangement"

Once again political correctness runs amok. These are weasel words [polygamous arrangement] for statutory rape. Of course we know that Utah has a long history of this sort of thing but why not call words what they are. It makes no difference what the girl wants to do. It is a matter of law. Calling it a 'polygamous arrangement" gives a legitimacy to this entire sordid mess. It is abduction and rape - nothing more or less. Watch this get spun out of all reasonable interpretation of the facts. Say slowly and carefully:
ABDUCTION
RAPE

[GovernmentShrinker]

Since the LDS Church has formally disavowed the term "Mormon" for its members, your post makes little sense. Lots of names are used by a variety of conflicting religious groups (Presbyterians, Lutherans, Baptists, not to mention "Christian") and no one group has any formal claim on the name -- especially a group whose leader/prophet has formally renounced the name! Any thinking person can see that the main LDS Church is some sort of legitimate religious group, while the little polygamy/pedophilia groups calling themselves "Mormon" are self-serving cults. But many members of self-serving cults actually believe in their group's teachings, and these particular groups share a belief with the main LDS Church that the "Book of Mormon" is scripture inspired by God.

[Catspaw]

Okay, I agree with you. Elizabeth Smart left her upscale home in SLC at gunpoint (that was faked, too, right?) because of teenage rebellion, went off with two mentally disturbed religious nuts to live in a teepee in the desert because she wanted to, then went with them to San Diego, Atlanta and Florida, covered in burka-like garments because she wanted to travel the country, and her happiness being reunited with her family was faked. And I'm sure all the morning gas bags you listen to agree with this scenario.

Sure, anything you say. < /sarcasm>

[AppyPappy]

No they are not legit. She could have feared for her sister's safety while that nutcase brainwashed her. She disappeared for a long time, reportedly went to SanDiego and Atlanta. You can screw up a 14 year-old in short order in that time. People do it all the time.

[GovernmentShrinker]

From what I've read, the kidnappers were always there too. But it would have been two against two in an apartment a block from police HQ. And the kidnappers must have slept at some point -- couldn't Elizabeth have forced herself to stay awake one night, and quietly woken Trotta with a whisper to please help her, call the police when he leaves the apartment in the morning, etc.? I guess we'll probably hear the explanations, but it's pretty hard to figure based on what we know so far. I think it's possible she was kept on some kind of drugs which made her foggy-minded and compliant -- that would explain her apparent sudden psychological recovery.

[Maigrey]

Could there be federal kidnapping charges (abducting a minor for illicit relations across state lines)? That could do some damage...

[Catspaw]

Frankly, we don't know much beyond that she's safe. She had a one-hour interview with the police, and given that she was gone over eight months, that interview has barely scratched the surface, except to establish that she did not go with the kidnappers willingly and that she didn't stay with them willingly. She's got hours and hours of police interviews ahead of her and the police has days and days of investigation. We will find out very little of her ordeal from now until the court case begins unless her family and the police tell us or some facts are leak it to the press. The one thing that has to be preserved is the court case against the kidnappers.

Beyond the fact that she's safe and she didn't consent to be kidnapped or consent to being held by the kidnappers is speculation.

[anniegetyourgun]

SO true....

[Lib Buster]

I'm confused. It appears the term "Mormon" is used all over their website. http://www.mormon.org/