FBI Source: Elizabeth Smart Was Married to Drifter

MSNBC ^ | March 13, 2003 | Ashley Banfield

[ewing]

breaking now..

[FITZ]

question the 'abduction' part of this story (myself included)

I think it's okay to question how much was at gunpoint or knifepoint but it's still kidnapping even if she asked to go because she was just a small child. You can't take someone's kid away from them, no 14 year old can give consent even if they appeared to be giving it. They found a 15 year old girl working as a stripper here ---I hope the owners of that strip bar are all arrested ---even if they didn't hold a knife to her, she is incapable of giving that kind of consent.

[Krodg]

No, wait. See, that sketch that we have seen was made with "Emmanuel" in mind.

I agree. But the other day I read an article saying there were two sketches and the police didn't release them because they didn't match??? I'll try to find it tomorrow.

When was Ricci arrested?

[Krodg]

Spectre, do you know if there were two different sketches made? I thought I read that the other day when the police were saying why they didn't release the one the Smart family was pushing. I've only seen one.

[varina davis]

Has anyone considered it might not have been Mitchell who led Liz from her home that night? Who might be connected in some way with Mitchell? Maybe there is a third person yet to be named or discovered.

[Utah Girl]

The history of the sketches is rather sketchy. The police have been so evasive about whether or not a sketch was made early on, and the Smarts were too (they said the police had asked them not to comment about the sketch being done or not.) Pretty confusing. Smart did make a passing reference to a sketch when it was initially released.

" The search for Mitchell began after Mary Katherine Smart, the only known witness to her sister's kidnapping, remembered the roofer a few months ago. She told her father, who had a composite drawing done with a Salt Lake City police sketch artist. The drawing was later shown on "America's Most Wanted."

"The issue is the hair. She remembered his hair being combed back or slicked back," Ed Smart said of Mary Katherine's recollection of the man.

Mary Katherine has seen pictures of Mitchell since his name was brought to the attention of authorities but Ed Smart would only say, "She doesn't know if it's him. She thinks it still might be him."
Smart not sure if mystery roofer is 'the one'

[Utah Girl]

Interesting point. Would this mystery person have taken Elizabeth to Mitchell? I hadn't thought of that theory.

[Krodg]

Most of Elizabeth's critics have never been in a life-or-death situation in their own lives. I pray they never will be.

I have and I still have doubts.

And I hope they learn the virtue of compassion.

I have compassion for the girl even if she was a 'runaway'.

[Iwo Jima]

Yes, I have considered that, as well as considering that Eliz. just walked herself out the door. The description of the intruder given by MK just doesn't match with Mitchell w/ or w/o beard and long hair. Of course, poor MK's credibilty has been seriously damaged.

Can you think of any objective facts (not what we have been told that MK has said, which I find unreliable) that support the contention that there was an intruder and dispute the theory that Eliz. just walked out? Like finger prints, footprints, eyewitness (other than MK), fiber, hair, ANYTHING?

If there was an intruder and it wasn't Mitchell, who do you suppose it might be? Mitchell doesn't seem to have any close buddies or associates.

[varina davis]

If there was an intruder and it wasn't Mitchell, who do you suppose it might be? Mitchell doesn't seem to have any close buddies or associates.

I don't have a clue who it could be, but apparently Mitchell did have friends and acquainances who gave him shelter from time to time, invited him to parties, etc. Maybe he wasn't such a loner?

The more info that comes out about this, the more inclined I am to think there is a missing link.

[Mr. Mojo]

When this story broke a couple days ago, Freepers who dared to suggest that the reason Liz didn't attempt to escape was because she was probably brainwashed were almost universally denounced as "crazy" and "insensitive." Today, it's the generally accepted opinion. Realize that the majority opinion in a few days could very well be vastly different from what it is now. We know very little, and bashing the speculators serves little purpose.....especially if the bashing is of an overly emotional nature.

[varina davis]

Interesting point. Would this mystery person have taken Elizabeth to Mitchell? I hadn't thought of that theory.

Just a theory, of course, but I have to wonder. I really don't think she had any attraction to Mitchell, but perhaps to someone else? And then got caught up in an untenable situation? If there is something else, someone is sure to find it eventually.

[CheneyChick]

Very true.

[Iwo Jima]

Do you read that article as saying that, after seeing recent photos of Mitchell, MK does not believe that he was the intruder, just that he "may" be? That's not going to cut it in court. Mitchell may be guilty for harboring Eliz.(and other things I chose not to even speculate about), but if no one can place him in the house, I don't see how he can be charged with kidnapping.

If Ed keeps talking, the prosecutors aren't going to have any case at all.

[Utah Girl]

Yeah, what happened will come out. I haven't seen scaredkat around, have you? Some of her statements from months ago were spot on, especially about the footprints around the mine.

[Devil_Anse]

Let's see. Ricci was not arrested for a while after Elizabeth disappeared. Then he was picked up for parole violation, oh, in mid to late June, I believe. The regulars are here and I'm sure one of them will pinpoint the date for you.

While Ed was in the hospital--for a day or two right after it happened (he was hysterical and dehydrated), Tom was put in charge of the family efforts. Now, Ed had talked to Marc Klaas already. And Klaas had suggested bringing in sketch artist Jean Boylan, to interview Mary C. and try to get a sketch. Well, Tom was mad at FoxNews at the time. (I think it's b/c O'Reilly grilled two young Smart cousins about Tom's supposedly "inconclusive" polygraph results.)
And Tom perceived Klaas as being in league with Fox, so Tom kicked Klaas out of the picture. This also resulted in Jean Boylan's rejection.

So no sketch that we know of was made. Then, months later, suddenly Ed got things back in control enough to go back to Boylan and ask her to interview Mary C. So she did. We were never told for sure whether there was enough information given by Mary C. to Boylan to produce a sketch. It was maddening; everyone wondered, "Why don't they publish Boylan's sketch?" Well, they never did, and we don't even know for sure if Boylan was able to DO a sketch that time.

Later, the Smarts became interested in a strange man someone had seen digging a rectangular hole. A hiker who met the man had drawn a sketch of him, and that sketch was released.

Oh--wait. There was also a very, very early sketch of yet another weirdo. This guy wore a sort of Scottish tam. Elizabeth had been seen talking to him at some block party or something. This guy was soon cleared by police. Apparently they knew him well, and he was just some sort of harmless village idiot.

Then, as you know, Mary C. remembered "Emmanuel's" name, and the Smarts hired someone and developed a sketch of him.

Those are all the sketches I know about.

[Jrabbit]

You're correct. The LE explained the problem with the sketches during a press conference. I can't remember which day it was, sorry.

[Utah Girl]

No, I didn't read it that way. I read it as the hair was an issue (slicked back or whatever.) Hopefully, the DA will tell the family to not talk to the media. There are signs already, the family isn't geting back to reporters as rapidly as they once did, the media's usefulness is over.

[Utah Girl]

I read somewhere just recently that Jeanne Boylan was not helpful in getting a sketch. Of course, again, I've read so much in the past few days, that I can't remember where I read it. I'll hunt tomorrow, and ping you.

[Iwo Jima]

That's a good recap of the sketches that I have heard about. Do you remember what Jeannie Boylan said about working in different mediums and some odd reference to "skin texture," as though MK had said that there was something distinctive about the guy's skin?

[scaredkat]

Hello,
I have been on some of the other forums there are so many. We need to have our one going again it would be nice to all be on the same page (sortof to speak).