Ep. 96 | The Kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart

Abducted from home. Controlled by a self-proclaimed prophet. Held captive within miles of the search parties looking for her. For nine months, the world searched - while she was hiding in plain sight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• 1:27Speaker 02

  The world is a dangerous place. Despite civilization becoming more advanced, more connected, and more evolved, evil people still walk among us. And sometimes those evil people target children. Over 840,000 children are reported missing every single year in the United States. And that number continues to rise. And the people responsible seem to vanish along with their victims, with the children disappearing without a trace. And they're taken off streets, snatched from public spaces, and in the most terrifying cases, stolen from the safety of their own homes. This is the story of Elizabeth Smart.

• 2:10Speaker 02

  Conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder, all things that I love to consume, and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, beautiful, intellectually-minded freak. And, uh, just to make a note, I don't have my second camera right now. I'm trying something new, okay? Gotten more complaints than compliments on having a second camera. Some people think it's distracting. Let me know how you feel down below. We're just gonna have one, one camera today, okay? But to talk about the case, we are talking about the case of Elizabeth Smart. This case does involve a child, so if you need to skip this one, that is totally fine. But this is a very famous case, and for very good reason. So if you are sticking around, let's unbuckle our seatbelts, go muck-fied on the highway, slam on the brakes, and bust a windshield into the infamous case of Elizabeth Smart, together.

• 3:09Speaker 02

  The Smart family, by all appearances, was living the American dream. Ed Smart and his wife, Lois, had built a life together in Salt Lake City, Utah, nestled in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains. And they lived in Federal Heights, a quiet, affluent neighborhood with sweeping views of the valley below. And their home was large and comfortable. It had to be, because Ed and Lois had six children: Charles, Elizabeth, Edward Jr., Andrew, Mary Catherine, and William. And Ed worked as a mortgage broker and was, by all accounts, a very dedicated father. And Lois stayed at home to raise those six kids full-time. And the family was deeply rooted in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church.

• 3:54Speaker 02

  And their children were raised with strong family values and a close-knit community around them. And Elizabeth Ann Smart was born on November 3rd, 1987. And she would be the second-oldest of six children in this family. And she would attend Bryant Middle School, where she was, for the most part, your average middle-schooler. But there was one area where Elizabeth truly stood out: music. Specifically, the harp. I think arguably that is the most beautiful instrument you could ever play. But Elizabeth would practice for hours every single day, and her dedication showed. And she was talented enough that by her early teens, she was asked to perform at local weddings and funerals.

• 4:35Speaker 02

  And she even performed regularly at a field concert held at the Capitol Rotunda in Salt Lake City. Because for Elizabeth, the harp wasn't just a hobby, it was her greatest passion. But music wasn't her only talent. Elizabeth was also a skilled distance runner, training for cross-country once she reached high school age. And she'd practice her runs throughout the neighborhood, building up her endurance, and somehow still found time to stay active in church and help look after her younger siblings. So she was, by all accounts, an optimistic kid with a very bright future ahead of her. And her family was very proud of everything she had accomplished so far. So on June 4th, 2002, the Smart family attended a Bryant Middle School Awards function.

• 5:17Speaker 02

  And Elizabeth was being recognized for her academic and fitness accomplishments. And she was supposed to perform on the harp at that event, but the family arrived late, so she never got the chance to play. And after the ceremony wrapped up, the family decided to call it a night and head home. So everyone would go to bed like it was any other evening, but unfortunately, it wasn't. It was the very early morning of June 5th, 2002, and the Smart household was silent. And everyone was asleep. But in the bedroom, 14-year-old Elizabeth, shared with her nine-year-old sister, Mary Catherine, something was wrong. And Mary Catherine woke up to the sound of footsteps. And not the familiar shuffle of a sibling going to the bathroom, these were slow, deliberate steps.

• 6:01Speaker 02

  And through squinted eyes, pretending to still be sleeping, she watched as a man crept across the room toward her sister's bed. And the man woke Elizabeth by pressing a knife to her throat. And his voice was calm but firm, saying, quote, "I have a knife at your neck. Don't make a sound. Get up and come with me," unquote. And Elizabeth, understanding the severity of the situation, immediately quietly got up from her bed and began walking. ...out of the room with the man. And as they moved towards the door, Elizabeth stubbed her toe on a chair and let out a small "ow." And the man responded quickly, saying, quote-unquote, "You better be quiet and I won't hurt you."

• 6:43Speaker 02

  Mary Catherine watched all of this happen through barely-open eyes, just absolutely petrified, just frozen in place, because she was nine-years-old, where she didn't know any better what to do. And as Elizabeth was led out of the room, she tried to make small talk with the man, asking him, "Why are you doing this?" And Mary Catherine couldn't hear his full response, but she thought she heard him saying something about a ransom. So Mary Catherine lay still, assuming they had left the house, and she would work up the courage to get out of bed and head towards her parents' room. But before she could make it out the door, she froze, because the man was still standing there, outside of her brother's room now, which was near the stairs, and the knife was still pressed against Elizabeth's neck.

• 7:26Speaker 02

  So Mary Catherine ducked back into the doorway, praying she hadn't been spotted. So she retreated to her bed and waited, and the fear, I'm assuming, was just paralyzing. She was terrified that if the man saw her, he'd take her too, or worse, she might hurt her sister. So she lay there, wide awake, for what felt like an eternity, just waiting for them to leave. An estimate suggests she waited roughly two hours before she finally felt safe enough to move. And at around 4:00 a.m., Mary Catherine mustered the courage to run to her parents' room, and she shook them awake and told them everything: the man, the knife, her sister, taken. And at first, Ed and Lois thought she was just having a nightmare, but Mary Catherine was insistent, this wasn't a dream.

• 8:11Speaker 02

  And when they got up to check, the evidence was undeniable. Elizabeth was nowhere in the house, and the screen from the window had been sliced open with a knife. So Ed and Lois called 911 immediately, and police were dispatched to the Federal Heights home and began investigating the scene. And the first thing they noticed outside was a chair propped up against the exterior wall beneath the window. So someone had used it to boost themselves up to the window level, and the window screen above it had been cleanly Cut, consistent with forced entry. But here's where things got strange. Elizabeth's own bedroom window was found unlocked. Yet, there was no evidence that anyone had entered through it. And the chair the kidnapper supposedly used to climb through the kitchen window?

• 8:56Speaker 02

  There were no scuff marks on the wall or beneath it. No muddy footprints and no physical evidence of someone actually climbing up. So it was as if the kidnapper knew the layout of the house well enough to move through it like a ghost. So with almost nothing to go on, the police knew one thing for certain. Time was not on their side. Because in missing persons cases, especially involving children, the first forty-eight to seventy-two hours are the most critical. And after that window closes, the chances of finding someone alive drop dramatically. So the search for Elizabeth Smart had begun, and the clock was already ticking. So news of the abduction spread through Salt Lake City like wildfire. A fourteen-year-old girl taken from her bed in the middle of the night, in federal heights of all places.

• 9:40Speaker 02

  One of the wealthiest, safest neighborhoods in the city. Because this was a community where people didn't even lock their doors. So the idea that someone could break into a home and steal a child was unthinkable. So police brought in a bloodhound to search for Elizabeth, starting inside the home to make sure there wasn't a body hidden somewhere in the house. And when the dog cleared the interior, they brought it outside, where it would pick up a scent. And the bloodhound followed a trail through the neighborhood before stopping at a dead-end street, where the scent disappeared. So investigators took this to mean that Elizabeth had been loaded into a vehicle at that point and driven away. So a full day passed with almost no leads. Elizabeth was still missing, and the family was growing desperate.

• 10:24Speaker 02

  And Ed Smart, Elizabeth's father, made the decision to go on television and plead directly with the kidnapper to return his daughter. And in front of the entire nation, Ed wept, making multiple television appearances, begging for Elizabeth's safe return. It was raw, emotional, and it struck a chord with the public. And the response was enormous. Thanks to the Laura Recovery Center, roughly two thousand volunteers a day. were showing up to search for Elizabeth. And flyers with her face were posted all over the city and websites were set up to spread the word. And the entire community had rallied around the Smart family. But then, public opinion started to shift. People watching the television interviews began pointing something out.

• 11:08Speaker 02

  Ed Smart was crying, yes, but there were no tears. It was a small detail, but it was enough to plant a seed of doubt in the public's mind. And with doubt came a question the police had to confront. Could this have been an inside job? And statistically, it's not an unreasonable suspicion. In cases involving missing children, a family member is often the person responsible. So the police confiscated around 12 computers from the Smart home and turned their attention toward Ed himself. And they brought him in for a polygraph test, but Ed would pass with flying colors. However, someone else didn't fare as well, and that was Ed's brother, Tom Smart, Elizabeth's uncle, because he returned an inconclusive result.

• 11:53Speaker 02

  And Tom had also been acting erratically in interviews, saying things that came across as suspicious or just plain awkward on camera. But his alibi eventually did check out, because he was nowhere near the house on the night of the abduction, and his strange behavior was later attributed to the sleepless anxiety-fueled nights that followed his niece's disappearance, which is understandable. But still, the damage was done, and the media had latched on to the idea that someone in the family might be involved, and that narrative was hard to shake, which I can't even imagine. If you're grieving your daughter being missing and the public is looking at you as a person that did it when you didn't, it's just like, talk about a weight on your shoulders.

• 12:37Speaker 02

  But public interest, which had been hot white in the first few days, was already now starting to cool, because as we know, the internet has a short attention span, and people were beginning to move on. Meanwhile, the one person who had actually witnessed the kidnapping was being kept in protective isolation. Mary Catherine wasn't in trouble. The police were quarantining her from the media To make sure that news coverage didn't contaminate her memory or cause her to create false details because she was only nine years old at this point. And they needed her recollection to be as pure and untainted as possible. So investigators began interviewing Mary Catherine about what she'd seen. And she told them it had been dark and she couldn't make out the man's face very well.

• 13:21Speaker 02

  And she described him as mid-height, wearing light-colored clothing, and somewhere between 30 and 40 years old. And beyond that, all she really had was a silhouette. But then, the police asked her a critical question. Did she recognize the man's voice? Was it familiar to her at all? And Mary Catherine said yes. She couldn't place it exactly. She couldn't remember who it belonged to, but she was certain she had heard that voice before. It was someone she'd encountered in her life. So police held on to that detail, hoping it was only a matter of time before she remembered. But for now, with nothing else to go on besides a familiar voice and a vague silhouette, the investigation turned to other leads.

• 14:05Speaker 02

  And one of the first outside leads the police pursued was a man named Brett Michael Edmonds, a local milkman, who reported seeing a suspicious individual lurking in the neighborhood around the time of the kidnapping. And that individual turned out to be Brett Edmonds. So a two-week manhunt followed as police searched for this mystery man who had been spotted parked near the Smart home. And they eventually tracked down Edmonds at a hospital where he had been admitted for drug-related liver damage. And after he was discharged, police arrested him and brought him in for questioning. And Edmonds was completely cooperative and agreed to let them search his vehicle. And in the end, there was nothing connecting him at all to Elizabeth's disappearance. So investigators had to move on.

• 14:47Speaker 02

  And back at the Smart household, the family continued to brainstorm who could have taken their daughter. And then Ed Smart had a eureka moment. And the family had recently done renovations on their house, which meant contractors had been going in and out of their home for weeks. And one contractor in particular stood out, a man named Richard Reese. Now, Richard Reese was 48 years ...old and had a long troubled history. And Ed had gotten into a disagreement with Reese over payment for work he had done on the house, and it had caused some friction between them. And more importantly, Reese had a serious criminal record. Aggravated robbery, felony, burglary, third degree theft, and he'd been cycling in and out of prison for roughly thirty years.

• 15:31Speaker 02

  You never know who's working in your freaking home, like, what the fuck? And with no stronger leads, police obtained a warrant to search Reese's home. And inside and outside shed on his property, they found items belonging to the Smart family, including jewelry that belonged to Lois Smart. And in total, Reese had stolen upwards of thirty-five-hundred dollars worth of the Smarts' belongings. And that gave police more than enough justification to drag him in in interrogation room. And the questioning was aggressive and direct, and detectives didn't waste time.

• 16:03Speaker 03

  When was the last time you were in that [bleep] house? In April.

• 16:07Speaker 02

  Reese claimed it was back in April. And they pressed him on what he knew about the kidnapping, likely to see if he'd slip up and mention a detail that had not been released to the public yet. But weeks would go by with no confession. But Reese was publicly identified as the number one suspect at this point. And one detail investigators kept coming back to was the mileage on Reese's Jeep, because he had put several hundred unexplained miles on his vehicle around the time of Elizabeth's disappearance. And when police asked him about it, he refused to answer. And that refusal only deepened their suspicion of him. And the theory was that he'd driven Elizabeth somewhere remote and left her, or, worst case, buried her. So the police were confident.

• 16:51Speaker 02

  And publicly, they stated they were almost a hundred percent certain Reese was the man responsible. And the public largely agreed, because why would they disagree? The detectives were ready to close the book on this one. But, there was one person who disagreed, and honestly, the most important person, and that was Mary Catherine Smart. Because despite police asking her repeatedly, Mary Catherine was adamant, Richard Reese was not the man she saw in the bedroom that night. The police pushed back and they told her she was too tired to know for sure, or too traumatized, or simply just too young to understand. But Mary Catherine didn't waver, and Reese, for his part, was fully cooperative about

• 17:34Speaker 02

  his other crimes, because he did admit to stealing from the Smarts and others in the area, but he fully denied over and over again any involvement in Elizabeth's kidnapping. But the police weren't convinced, and Reese was charged with the theft for the stolen goods and pressed once more about Elizabeth's disappearance in court. And again, he denied it. And then, while Reese sat behind bars awaiting his next court date, something happened that threw the entire investigation into chaos. So on July 24th, 2002, an attempted break-in occurred at the home of Elizabeth's cousin, and Jessica Wright, a 14-year-old girl as well, heard a noise outside her bedroom window.

• 18:15Speaker 02

  And when she looked, she found that a small object had knocked over a picture on her desk, and the window screen had been cut, the exact same method used in Elizabeth's abduction. Now Jessica screamed for her father, who rushed into the room, but no one was there, and the evidence was clear. Someone had tried to break into the house, likely targeting one of the children inside. Thankfully, everyone was safe. And the attempted kidnapping had failed, so police questioned the father, Steven Wright, suspecting he may have staged the break-in, which is, I have, like, there's no motive I could think of that makes no sense in any way, shape, or form, but okay? And naturally, he would angrily and emphatically deny it.

• 19:00Speaker 02

  But here was the problem. Richard Reese was locked up in jail when this happened, the number one suspect of Elizabeth Smart's abduction. So unless this was a completely different person using the exact same method, Reese could not have done it. And that detail should have given the police serious pause, but instead, they remained focused on Reese. And on August 27th that year, the day of Reese's next scheduled court appearance, disaster would strike. Richard Reese would collapse. ...in his cell from a spontaneous brain hemorrhage. And after a six-hour surgery, he would be pronounced dead. And this was a devastating blow to the investigation.

• 19:41Speaker 02

  Because the man the police believed was responsible was now gone and he'd taken whatever he knew with him. So the case hit a dead end, literally. But the Smart family, however, was not crushed by this news. Because they had never believed it was Reese. Because their daughter, Mary Catherine, had told them repeatedly that he was not the man. So with Reese dead, the police stopped conducting regular briefings with the Smart family. And the case was starting to go cold. But Ed and Lois refused to give up Elizabeth's parents. They continued to spread the word, creating a website dedicated to Elizabeth and uploading home videos of her for the world to see. But by October, most of the country had given up hope. But the Smarts pressed on.

• 20:26Speaker 02

  In every interview, in every appearance, with every post. And they would not stop looking for their daughter because, deep down, they believed she was still alive. And they would be correct. Because while the investigation was still unfolding back in Salt Lake City, Elizabeth was living through the kidnapping in real time. Because after the man led her out of the house and away from view of her sleeping family, he forced Elizabeth on a long, grueling hike into the foothills above the city. And at this point, it was pitch black outside. And Elizabeth was wearing nothing but her red silk pajamas. No shoes, no jacket, no protection from the rough terrain. And the hike lasted roughly four miles before they reached their destination,

• 21:10Speaker 02

  which was a crude encampment hidden in the hills. And the camp was primitive. It was a dugout shelter covered with tarps and makeshift tent, barely visible from any trail. And as they approached, a woman in white garments emerged from inside one of the tents. And the man called out to her by name, saying, "Hefzaba." So the woman, Hefzaba, walked over and gave Elizabeth a hug, as if this was some kind of welcome. And she then ushered- Elizabeth inside the tent and began washing the dirt off her feet, which was a disturbing mockery of the biblical act of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. And then the woman began to undo Elizabeth's pajamas.

• 21:53Speaker 02

  And Elizabeth pulled back, hesitant, and the woman would tell her that if she didn't cooperate, she'd call the man into the tent to rip the clothes off her himself. So Elizabeth was changed into the same white robes the woman was wearing. And what followed was a so-called ceremony, a ritual the man performed to make Elizabeth his wife, 14-year-old Elizabeth, his wife, quote-unquote, "before God and the angels." And he told her she would be one of his seven wives. And after this ceremony, he would unfortunately S.A. her. And Elizabeth would later recount that she blacked out during this assault.

• 22:34Speaker 02

  And when she came to, she found herself tethered to a tree by a cable or chain. And the man stood before her and declared his name, which was Emmanuel David Isaiah. And he told her he had been chosen by God. But who was this man, really? Who was this person claiming some fucked-up divine authority to justify these unspeakable acts? Who was Emmanuel David Isaiah? So Emmanuel David Isaiah was born Brian David Mitchell on October 18th, 1953, in Salt Lake City, Utah. And he was a third of six children in a family that belonged to the LDS church, which, given that it was Utah, isn't exactly surprising.

• 23:18Speaker 02

  Because roughly 40% of the state's population identifies as Mormon. And Brian's mother, Irene Mitchell, was a teacher. And his father, Sheryl, was a social worker. So on the surface, it was a normal family. But behind closed doors, things were far from it. And when Brian was only eight years old, his father decided to give him a "sexual education lesson." And instead of going through the proper channels, Sheryl showed his eight-year-old son colored pictures of genitalia from a medical handbook. And the Reason was that young Brian had been caught playing pretend doctor with other children. So little Brian was already bit of a freak. And his father's other parenting strategy was equally bizarre.

• 24:03Speaker 02

  He would drop Brian off in unfamiliar parks of Salt Lake City and force him to find his way home to supposedly teach him independence, which is a fucked up thing to do to a kid. So this kind of repeated misguided treatment took its toll. And Brian became increasingly argumentative with his parents, which led to long stretches of isolation. By the age of 16, his behavior had escalated. And he was sent to a juvenile detention facility after exposing himself to a minor. And this incident made him a pariah naturally among his peers. And his parents, unable to handle him, eventually sent him to live with his grandmother. So cut off from his family and any semblance of stability,

• 24:47Speaker 02

  Brian dropped out of school and fell into drugs and alcohol. And by 19, he'd left Utah entirely and married a 16-year-old girl named Karen Minor. I know how that's, that's, yeah, it's, it sounds bad, and it is bad. And after not too long, he would get her pregnant. And together, they would have a total of two children, a son named Travis and a daughter named Angela. And the marriage would only last two years before completely falling apart, spiraling into a custody battle over the kids. And some sources indicate that Brian was initially awarded custody due to Karen's drug use, but she later went back to court and regained it. And this prompted Brian to flee the state entirely, taking the children to New Hampshire. That's kidnapping, by the way.

• 25:30Speaker 02

  And he lived there for two years before eventually returning the kids. And during his time in New Hampshire, Brian went through a serious religious transformation. And he joined a Hare Krishna commune for a period of time before circling back to the LDS faith. And by 1981, he appeared to have cleaned up his act, and he married his second wife, Debbie Mitchell, who had three daughters from a previous marriage. And Brian took on the role of stepfather to Debbie's girls while also raising his two biological children from his first. ...marriage, and he and Debbie then had two more children together, but the strain of raising a large blended family seemed to crack Brian's facade. And according to Debbie, the man she married transformed from gentle and kind into controlling and abusive.

• 26:15Speaker 02

  And he started dictating what she wear and what she eat, and he began studying Satan, claiming he was only learning his enemy. And during this time, some of Brian's children were sent to a foster home. And Debbie filed for divorce in 1984. And a year later, she alleged that Brian had S.A.'d their three-year-old son, which is so just monstrous. I, I will never understand. And while the allegation was never formally confirmed, all future visitations between Brian and his children were ordered to be supervised by the Division of Child and Family Services. But I, I don't even need it to be confirmed because what he does later to Elizabeth and

• 26:59Speaker 02

  what he's already done to Elizabeth at this point, as we know in the story, just confirms it for me. He's a sick fuck. And even one of Debbie's daughters would later come forward to claim that Brian had S.A.'d her for over four years. And I'm gonna choose to believe the victim. And on the exact same day his divorce from Debbie was finalized, Brian married a woman again. And his third wife was Wanda Bartzy, a forty-year-old piece of shit woman with six children of her own, all of whom she had left with her ex-husband following their divorce. And at first, the marriage seemed stable, and some of Wanda's children even moved in with the couple.

• 27:40Speaker 02

  But over time, Brian's true nature resurfaced, and one of Wanda's daughters, Lorraine, later described how Brian had seemed kind initially, but gradually became possessive and controlling. "A perfect match," she said, or her mother, whom she described as "a monster." So not my words, just literally her daughter saying this, and you will see how she is also a monster. And as an example of her mother's cruelty, Lorraine recounted a time when Wanda killed her pet rabbit, cooked it, and served it for dinner, and forced her to eat it as punishment.

• 28:18Speaker 02

  A monster, some fucking Fatal Attraction shit, like, uh, stuff made of nightmares. So you got this bitch paired with the psycho-religious pervert, and it just gets worse. And all meanwhile, Brian was becoming increasingly radical with the LDS church. He threw himself into temple rituals, but his portrayal of Satan during these ceremonies became so extreme that church elders had to tell him to tone it down. And then, one night, Brian claimed he was receiving divine visions, and he told his family that God was speaking directly to him, giving him instructions, and the children were naturally terrified. And one by one, they moved out, leaving Brian alone with Wanda.

• 29:02Speaker 02

  So, fully consumed by his delusions, Brian changed his name to Emmanuel David Isaiah, and he began calling himself a Davidic servant, which is a messianic figure he believed was prophesized in scripture. And the LDS church would actually excommunicate him. But undeterred, Brian and Wanda, who adopted the name Hephzibah Alada Isaiah, moved back to Salt Lake City. And they lived on the streets, panhandling and preaching in the downtown area, presenting themselves as holy figures. And Brian walked around in white robes and a long beard, looking like a self-styled prophet. But Brian needed a gospel, something to preach.

• 29:44Speaker 02

  So, he would take it upon himself to write a 27-page manifesto called "The Book of Emmanuel David Isaiah." Very clever, Emmanuel David Isaiah. Fuck. And this document is a disturbing fusion of existing Mormon theology and Brian's own twisted additions. Just classic cult shit. And among the many unhinged passages, one stands out. And Brian wrote that he and his wife would take "seven sisters" as brides, and these young women would bring them great joy and eternal fulfillment. And with these seven wives, he would father children, and eventually, expanding to 7 times 7 sisters.

• 30:27Speaker 02

  ...sisters forty-nine precious jewels. And he claimed that God had commanded him to practice plural marriage, and that these spiritual brides were divinely chosen. How convenient for Brian. But most disturbingly, he specified that these brides needed to be young, between ten and fourteen years old. Fucking monster. And the rest of the document can be summed up as the ramblings of a dangerous, delusional, perverted man. So, acting on this self-written commandment, Brian told Wanda that they needed to begin acquiring these young brides immediately.

• 31:08Speaker 02

  And of course, her being a piece of shit beast that she is, agreed. And Brian already had a target in mind. A young girl he'd seen before, from a family he'd worked for. And that girl was Elizabeth Smart. So, back at the camp, Elizabeth woke up each day tethered to a tree, trapped for days on end. And she was fed literal garbage and went hours without water. And the rope was long enough for her to reach a crude bathroom area, but not nearly long enough to escape or even get out of sight of the camp. And when Brian would take her to a nearby creek, he would put her on a leash and walk her like a dog. And when Brian feared someone might stumble across the campsite,

• 31:51Speaker 02

  he would hide Elizabeth in a hole dug into the ground. And the abuse was constant and relentless, and he raped her repeatedly. And he would also force her to drink massive amounts of alcohol until she vomited, and then made her sleep in her own vomit. And she was not allowed to speak out of turn, and she was forbidden from complaining, screaming, or making any noise. And Brian forced her to listen to him read aloud from his twenty-seven-page manifesto over and over, just drilling into her that she was the first of his seven divinely chosen wives. And one day, Brian left the camp and returned with something chilling. A missing persons flyer with Elizabeth's face on it.

• 32:35Speaker 02

  And he showed them to her and told her that all of Salt Lake City was looking for her, but it didn't matter, they would never find her because he had her. I can't even imagine how she feels, like, being fourteen. And just, oh, this man is like abusing you and trying to indoctrinate you and just giving you no hope. It's just, it's absolutely heartbreaking. And then about six days after the kidnapping, something happened that nearly changed everything. Elizabeth heard a voice in the distance, faintly shouting her name from somewhere in the forest. So someone was out there searching for her. Brian acted immediately, and he dragged Elizabeth inside the tent and pressed a knife

• 33:17Speaker 02

  to her throat. And he told her that if anyone came into the campsite, he was going to kill them, and it would be her fault. Elizabeth was too afraid to make a sound, because the threats Brian had made from the very first night, that he would kill her if she tried to escape or call help, had done their job naturally. So she would stay silent. And after a while, that voice faded away. And Elizabeth's window of opportunity closed. And in the days that followed, Elizabeth would make a mistake, one that would haunt her. Because in a moment for desperation for comfort, she began talking about her old life. And she told Brian about her family, and in particular,

• 33:57Speaker 02

  about her cousin, Olivia Wright, who she described as her best friend. And she would mention that Olivia was also around her age. And that was all Brian needed to hear. Because it was then that Brian declared that God was calling him to take another wife, and that wife now would be Olivia Wright, Elizabeth's cousin. And Elizabeth was devastated, blaming herself for leading her captor to his next victim. But Brian would spend several days surveilling the Wright family's home, studying their routines. And when he felt ready, he executed the same plan he'd used on the smart house. He dragged a chair up to the window, sliced through the screen, and attempted to climb inside.

• 34:39Speaker 02

  As we know, this time, he wasn't as careful. And one of the Wright sisters was jolted awake and screamed for her father. And that's when Brian fled back to the camp. And Elizabeth later admitted that while she was horrified by what she believed she had caused, a small, desperate part of her had wished Brian had succeeded. Not because she wanted her cousin to suffer, but because she was so lonely that having someone else there would have made the nightmare slightly more bearable. And it's a heartbreaking admission that speaks to just how psychologically broken she had become and that he had made her. But the failed break-in at the Wright home put police back on high alert, and Brian, fearing they were no longer safe in the mountains, made a decision that was as bold as it was

• 35:24Speaker 02

  disturbing. And instead of fleeing further into the wilderness, he moved them into the city itself, hiding in plain sight among Salt Lake City's homeless population. So in August of 2002, Brian relocated Elizabeth and Wanda out of the foothills and into downtown Salt Lake City. And to make sure Elizabeth wouldn't be recognized, they dressed her in the same white robes they wore and covered her face with a heavy veil. And if anyone asked questions, they couldn't see her face. So they blended in seamlessly, panhandling on the streets, just as Brian and Wanda had done before the kidnapping. And on one occasion, the three of them even attended a house party mingling with other guests, and a photograph from that night still exists.

• 36:09Speaker 02

  And Elizabeth, hidden behind her veil, standing in a room full of strangers who had no idea they were looking at America's most famous missing girl. And as media coverage of the case continued, Brian would grow increasingly paranoid and decided they needed to leave Salt Lake City altogether. So to plan their next move, he went to the city's public library to research possible destinations. And while there, a patron noticed the group's bizarre attire and would call the police. And an officer arrived and confronted Brian, and he asked the women to remove their veils so he could see their faces. But Brian refused, claiming that as their father, it was against their religion to show their faces to anyone outside the family or future husband.

• 36:52Speaker 02

  And while this exchange happened, Wanda was grabbing Elizabeth's leg under the table and squeezing hard, a silent, painful signal not to move or speak. And the officer with no legal grounds to force a religious practice let them go, which is crazy to think about, given that a girl is missing and like...

• 37:15Speaker 02

  Like, I know everything's, you know, hindsight's 20/20, but I just, I can't believe that that was not searched a little bit more, but I digress. So Elizabeth watched another chance at a rescue walk out the door. And a normal person might have screamed, might have spoken up, but Elizabeth was not in a normal state of mind because months of constant threats, repeated SA, and the systemic destruction of her identity had broken something inside her. And she was no longer Elizabeth Smart, because Brian had given her a biblical name, Esther, and had a cover name for the public, which was Augustine Marshall. So she had been conditioned at this point to believe that speaking up would get her

• 38:00Speaker 02

  killed. But things were about to get even worse, because Brian had found his next destination, and they were going to California. So Brian decided that God was calling them to San Diego, and the only way to get there from Utah for them was a Greyhound bus. So roughly 14 grueling hours of travel. And Elizabeth was wedged between her two captors for the entire ride, unable to move, unable to speak, and unable to escape. And in September of 2002, they would arrive in the San Diego area and set up camp in a dry creek bed near Lakeside. And they continued to panhandle for money, moving from place to place under the cover of darkness to avoid raising suspicion.

• 38:41Speaker 02

  And eventually, they ended up in El Cajon, where Brian managed to befriend a local Mormon family. Now, the family, having no idea who Brian really was, invited him and his companions over for dinner. And during this visit, Brian noticed a young girl who was part of the family, and he immediately decided she would be his next wife, blaming God was calling him to rescue her. So Brian prepared what can only be described as a kidnapping kit, the same supplies he dissembled before taking Elizabeth, and made his way to the family's home. And he found an unlocked door and was about to enter when he heard a man snoring inside. So spooked, he retreated back to the camp and told Elizabeth that they were- Not prepared enough to receive another wife.

• 39:27Speaker 02

  So, thank God that another little girl didn't get taken, but it's just, I mean, Elizabeth is still stuck, alone, and with no hope of getting any sort of help. And during their time in California, Brian was actually arrested, but not for kidnapping. He was actually picked up in El Cajon for breaking into a church. And he spent a few days in jail before being released. So, the police never had any idea that the disheveled man they'd just processed and let go was the person responsible for one of the most high-profile kidnapping cases in the country. And after he returned, the months of abuse would continue. And Elizabeth was still malnourished, still exhausted, still being raped repeatedly.

• 40:09Speaker 02

  And she slept on the hard ground in terrible conditions most of the time. But through all of it, she never completely gave up. And somewhere inside the broken, terrified girl, there was a spark of hope. A belief that one day she would make it home. And back in Utah, the key to bringing her home was finally falling into place. Because Mary Catherine, Elizabeth's little sister, had remembered something. The voice finally had a face. So, on October 12th, 2002, more than four months after the kidnapping, Mary Catherine Smart finally remembered. She recalled a man who used to come to their house. Someone her family had hired to rake leaves and do odd jobs around the property.

• 40:52Speaker 02

  And he was a homeless man they'd met through their church and given work to help him get back on his feet. And the man's name was Emmanuel. The name Brian David Mitchell had been going by. And the memory was triggering by something almost impossibly random. Like, if you don't believe miracles, I feel like this is a miracle. Because Mary Catherine was flipping through a Guinness World Records picture book when she came across the name Emmanuel. And- It clicked. She ran to her father and told him she knew who had taken Elizabeth. But when the Smart family brought this information to police, they were met with skepticism. Investigators had spent months building a case around Richard Reecey, who had since died in custody, and they weren't ready to accept a nine-year-old girl's months-old

• 41:37Speaker 02

  memory of a man's voice, a man who had spent no more than a handful of hours at their home, was the key to solving this case, which again, drives me insane. She's the only person that saw this person. That, this is the person you should be listening to. Like, I tell you, the police's pride, sometimes, I tell you what. And frustrated by the police's reluctance, the Smart family took matters into their own hands, and they hired their own sketch artist. And Ed provided as many details as he could remember about the man they'd known as Emmanuel. And it had been over a year since he'd last seen him, but he did his best. And the family held on to that sketch

• 42:16Speaker 02

  for months, waiting for the right moment. So on February 3rd, 2003, the Smarts held a press conference and released the sketch to the public, asking anyone who recognized the man to come forward with information. And two weeks later, on February 15th, America's Most Wanted aired a segment about Elizabeth Smart's disappearance, and the sketch was broadcasted on national television. And the response was almost immediate. And just one day later, Brian's own sister, or Emmanuel's own sister, came forward and identified the man in the sketch as her brother, Brian David Mitchell. And his stepson, Derek Thompson, also came forward, confirming that the sketch was unmistakably his stepfather. And they

• 42:59Speaker 02

  provided investigators with Brian's real name and recent photographs, which were released to the public. So now, the whole country knew what he looked like, and if anyone spotted the bearded man in the white robes, they were urged to call the authorities. Fuck you, police! The fact that the family had to take it into their own hands just makes me sick, but I'm so glad that they did. And meanwhile, something remarkable was happening with Elizabeth. Because after months of captivity, she made a move that was as clever as it was brave. And she told Brian that she felt God speaking to her. And that even though she wasn't a chosen one like he was, she had a feeling they were being called back to Utah.

• 43:42Speaker 02

  Just such a smart girl, such a smart girl. And Brian, ever the narcissist piece of shit that he was, was overjoyed. And he took this as a sign that Elizabeth was finally coming around, that she was beginning to understand his divine mission. And on March 5th, 2003, they would board that Greyhound bus and go back to Utah. So Elizabeth had manipulated her dumbass fucking perverted captor into walking right back into the arms of law enforcement. And for the first time in nine months now, she felt like she had some control over her fate. So on March 12th, 2003, a couple was driving down State Street in Sandy, Utah, when they spotted something unusual.

• 44:26Speaker 02

  Three people walking along the road, a bearded man flanked by two women, all dressed in white robes and tunics. Luckily, this guy is a fucking dumbass and just sticking out like a sore thumb in plain sight. Fantastic. And these people would recognize him from the news. And without hesitation, they called the Sandy Police Department. And four officers were dispatched to the scene. And when they arrived, they approached the group and began asking questions. And the young girl seemed very uncomfortable and nervous. So the officers made the decision to separate her from the two adults. And before the officers could even get their first question out, the girl blurted out

• 45:08Speaker 02

  that her name was Augustine Marshall, the cover identity Brian had drilled into her for months. But the officers weren't buying it. And one of them, Sergeant Victor Cazada, looked at her carefully, and he recognized her. And he asked the question directly, "Are you..." Elizabeth Smart. And her response was two words spoken through tears. Thou sayest. And it was a biblical phrase essentially meaning, you said it, a reflection of the religious language Brian had forced upon her for nine months straight. But the officers understood what it meant. And Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzy were arrested on the spot. And Elizabeth was placed in a separate police car and driven to the station.

• 45:52Speaker 02

  And she could not stop crying. And that's when Ed Smart received a phone call telling him to drop everything and get to the police station immediately. And when he walked through the doors, a row of officers stood at attention lining the hallway. And as he passed them, they blessed him and wished him well. And he turned the corner and walked into the room where a young woman was sitting on the sofa. And he almost didn't recognize her. The last time Ed had seen his daughter, she was a 14 year old girl. And now nine months later, she had grown into a young woman, thinner, weathered and different, but it was absolutely his daughter. And he asked if it was really her and Elizabeth looked at her father and said, yes, dad, which

• 46:36Speaker 02

  just so, just makes me so happy. Oh, I'm gonna try not to cry. So the family pulled the other children out of school to come see their sister. And everyone was overjoyed and everyone was in tears. And Elizabeth spent her first day back, reading emails from supportive strangers and playing her harp and watching a movie with her family. And the news exploded and Salt Lake City celebrated. And the Smarts went on every news program they could to announce that their daughter had been found alive. Thanks to them, thanks to them, really stepping up and taking initiative. And that night when Elizabeth went to bed, she kept waking up throughout the night. And each time she opened her eyes, her parents were standing there, watching over her,

• 47:21Speaker 02

  making sure she was still there and making sure that she was real. Just, just, oh gosh, I don't even have a kid, but like to imagine your kid going missing for nine months and then the first night back, like, you bet your ass I would be sitting on that bed. Like it's just. It just pulls at every single heartstring I have. But Elizabeth was home and she was finally safe. But for her captors, the nightmare, the deserved nightmare, was just beginning. Now Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Bartzy were arrested and brought into custody on March 18th, 2003. And detectives who interrogated them would describe them as the strangest individuals they had ever encountered in their careers. And it's not hard to see why.

• 48:04Speaker 02

  Because from the moment questioning began, Brian refused to cooperate in any conventional sense. And when detectives pressed him, he would launch into religious rants and singing hymns and screaming,

• 48:16Speaker 04

  Get thee behind me Satan!

• 48:18Speaker 02

  And every time investigators got close to cornering him on a detail, Brian would deflect with another religious tirade. So he was clearly unhinged, but there was something calculated about it as well. And the detectives could see that he was sharp, crafty, and fully aware of what he was doing. And one moment in particular was stomach turning. Because when asked about what he'd done to Elizabeth, Brian described her experience as,

• 48:43Speaker 04

  She's had, she's had a glorious experience. A glorious experience?

• 48:46Speaker 02

  With you? And you could practically see the detectives in the room restraining themselves from lunging at him, which I don't blame them. And Wanda Bartzy's interrogation was no better. And she pulled the exact same religious ramblings, deflection, and refusal to engage meaningfully with the questions. And the legal process that followed was agonizingly slow. And on July 26, 2005, more than two years after their arrest, both Brian Mitchell and Wanda Bartzy were deemed unfit to stand trial and were confined to the Utah State Hospital. And it wasn't until June 2006 that they were forcibly medicated to stabilize them mentally and make them competent enough for legal proceedings. And once stabilized, their case was transferred into federal court system.

• 49:31Speaker 02

  But the delays continued. And it wasn't until March 5th, 2008, nearly six years after the kidnapping, that Brian and Wanda were formally indicted on federal charges of interstate kidnapping and unlawful transportation of A minor across state lines. We gotta fix that system. What the fuck? And the paperwork, the motions, the hearings, it just dragged on and on. Then on November 17th, 2009, someone finally cracked. And Wanda Bartsi pleaded guilty to her involvement in the kidnapping in exchange for a reduced sentence as part of a plea deal. She agreed to testify against Brian. And she was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

• 50:14Speaker 02

  And in court, she offered an apology to Elizabeth, who was not present, saying she was sorry for the pain and suffering she had caused and that she hoped Elizabeth could find it in her heart to forgive her. Fuck you, Wanda! And Brian, on the other hand, continued to delay. And his defense team pushed for a competency trial, arguing he was too mentally ill to stand trial. And this was a critical moment, because if he was found incompetent, he might never face a proper sentence. But that's when Elizabeth Smart would be as brave as ever and take the stand to testify against him. She described in detail what he had done to her, and the prosecution methodically established that Brian was articulate, quick on his feet, and capable of adapting to his surroundings.

• 50:59Speaker 02

  All hallmarks of a competent man who was putting on an act for the cameras and to get the mentally unstable plea.

• 51:07Speaker 05

  Smart testified, "He then put the knife up to my neck. He told me to get up quietly, and if I didn't, then he would kill me and my family."

• 51:14Speaker 02

  And during the trial, Brian reportedly even had a seizure in the courtroom and was wheeled out on a gurney and loaded into an ambulance, which was behavior that many believed that was just staged. And on December 10th, 2010 now, Brian David Mitchell was found guilty and convicted of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart. And on May 25th, 2011, he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in federal prison with no possibility of parole, so Brian David Mitchell would never see the light of day again. And when asked about the verdict in interviews afterward, Elizabeth said-

• 51:49Speaker 06

  I was happy for the opportunity to say what I felt that I needed to say. And I thrilled it sober.

• 51:56Speaker 02

  Like, oh my, imagine it dragging on so long, she finally got justice years and years and years after. And as for Wanda Bartsi, she was actually released from prison on parole on September 19th, 2018, a decision that outraged many, rightfully so. But her freedom was short-lived. And on May 1st, 2025, Bartsi was arrested again after wandering into a public park, which violated the terms of her offender registration. And her reported explanation was that the Lord told her to. But I guess caused her to get arrested, so good on you, Lord. I don't know. But after being reunited with her family, Elizabeth was thrust into a media frenzy. And reporters wanted interviews and cameras were everywhere

• 52:41Speaker 02

  in the world wanted answers. But the Smart family was fiercely protective of their daughter, and they shielded her from the worst of it, giving her time and space to adjust to normal life again. And her first major interview was with Katie Couric on the Today Show, and the questions were uncomfortable. Because interviewers asked her why she didn't run and why she didn't scream for help. And Elizabeth just answered honestly, explaining the thoughts and fears that run through a 14-year-old's mind when a man is holding a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her and her family. So, the tone-deaf questions were insane. But it was a sobering reminder that life's not a movie. There was no moment where she could have simply escaped. And eventually, the interview slowed down, and Elizabeth

• 53:25Speaker 02

  was able to focus on something she actually cared about: making a difference. And on April 30th, 2003, less than two months after her rescue, Elizabeth met President George W. Bush at the White House for the signing of the Protect Act of 2003. And the act was designed to strengthen penalties for pedos, child abusers, and sexual predators across the country. And Elizabeth's case had been one of the driving forces behind that legislation. And from there, Elizabeth founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which I will link below, which is an organization dedicated to bringing hope and empowerment to victims of sexual violence. And she became a vocal advocate, speaking out about Everything from harassment on airplanes to sexual assault in the military.

• 54:08Speaker 02

  And her message was powerful and consistent. What happened to you does not define you. And she also went on to publish a memoir titled My Story, along with additional books about her experience and the process of healing. And she became a public speaker and bestselling author, and one of the most recognized voices in the fight against child exploitation. And her personal life moved forward as well. And in February of 2012, Elizabeth married Matthew Gilmer, a man she met during a church mission in Paris. And together, they have had three children. But Elizabeth has always been open to the fact that recovery is not a straight line. And she knew life would be difficult after her rescue. And the pain and trauma she experienced during those nine months didn't simply vanish when she was found,

• 54:53Speaker 02

  but she made a choice early on. She refused to let what happened to her define who she was. And she had already been isolated and discarded during her captivity, and she was not going to let that continue. And she's glad to be alive. And she's glad to be an advocate. And she wants other survivors to know that life was still worth living. And that is the case of Elizabeth Smart. Just an absolute harrowing, inspiring, just brave woman. I like, ugh, my heart breaks every time I think about this case. I'm so happy that she's living her life now and advocating and doing all these wonderful things. Like I said again, I will link her foundation down below. And if you have any other cases you want me to deep dive into, let me know down below. I always read the comments.

• 55:38Speaker 02

  And until then, please stay safe out there. And I will see your beautiful face in the next one. All right. Bye.

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