Mary Katherine Smart heard a man take her older sister from the bedroom they shared in Salt Lake City. Elizabeth was fourteen. Mary Katherine was nine. Months would pass before the younger girl connected the voice she remembered with a man who had once worked for the family. She knew him by the name Emmanuel.
The Night Elizabeth Smart Disappeared
Brian David Mitchell took Elizabeth from her home at knifepoint on June 5, 2002. In federal court years later, Elizabeth described the walk to a campsite in the mountains above her neighborhood. Mitchell’s wife, Wanda Barzee, was there. The girl’s testimony eventually supplied a firsthand account of what her family could only try to piece together while she was missing.
Timeline of the Elizabeth Smart Case
- June 5, 2002 — Mitchell abducts Elizabeth, fourteen, from the bedroom she shares with Mary Katherine.
- Autumn 2002 — Mary Katherine connects the intruder’s voice to a man the family knew as Emmanuel.
- March 12, 2003 — Two couples report sightings in Sandy, Utah. Police find Elizabeth with Mitchell and Barzee.
- November 2009 — Barzee pleads guilty to federal kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor.
- December 2010 — A federal jury convicts Mitchell of interstate kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor.
- May 25, 2011 — Mitchell is sentenced to life in federal prison. Barzee is released in September 2018 after serving her sentence.
The Search and the First Suspects
Elizabeth’s family publicized the search while police followed tips. The missing person’s face was widely known. The face that eventually helped bring her home was someone else’s. Remembering a former worker gave the family a person to describe and gave people who had never met Elizabeth a way to recognize the adults traveling with her.
The Captivity Hidden in Plain Sight
Elizabeth testified that Mitchell raped her and threatened to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. She described being tethered at the camp. Mitchell invoked religious authority and called her a wife. Elizabeth was a child under threat. The words he used to justify his conduct did not make it consensual.
The Memory That Changed the Investigation
In an interview with ABC, Mary Katherine recalled leafing through a book months after the abduction when she connected the remembered voice to Emmanuel. He had worked at the Smart home the preceding year. Her recollection offered a lead to a person the family already knew. It did not identify a stranger by his legal name in the hours after the abduction.
The family shared a sketch with the public. On the street months later, witnesses could compare the people before them with a description that originated with a child in the next bed. Recognition was possible even though Elizabeth’s appearance had been concealed.
Life Inside the Captivity
At trial, Elizabeth described what she thought she might lose by trying to get away. Mitchell had threatened the lives of people she loved. She said she decided to do what would reduce the danger and keep herself and her family alive. That testimony explains why appearing in a public place with her captors did not give her a safe opportunity to leave.
Mitchell and Barzee kept her for roughly nine months. They traveled outside Utah during that period. When the case reached federal court, the interstate movement was part of what prosecutors had to establish.
The Public Sighting That Ended the Nightmare
On March 12, 2003, police in Sandy received reports from two couples who thought they had seen the missing girl with Mitchell and Barzee. Officers stopped the group. Sergeant Victor Quezada later described the encounter to the Salt Lake Tribune. Elizabeth’s identity was confirmed, and police took the two adults into custody.
The return was widely photographed. One contemporary image shows Elizabeth with her mother leaving the police department. The picture records a family reunion, a moment quite different from the hours that officers and witnesses would later have to recount in court.
The Return Home
Elizabeth was fifteen when she returned home. Her family thanked the people who had helped find her. The end of the search left Elizabeth with choices about how to speak for herself, including in a courtroom before the man who had taken her.
The Trials and Convictions
Barzee pleaded guilty in federal court in 2009. Her agreement called for cooperation and a fifteen-year sentence. In December 2010 a jury found Mitchell guilty on two federal counts. The sexual assaults were part of Elizabeth’s testimony about captivity. The offenses of conviction were interstate kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor.
On May 25, 2011, Judge Dale Kimball imposed life imprisonment on Mitchell. Barzee later completed her sentence and was released in September 2018.
Why the Elizabeth Smart Case Still Haunts People
A memory, a public appeal and two calls from strangers connected the long search with one street in Sandy. Elizabeth’s own account gives those events their necessary context. People looking for her had to recognize whom they were seeing. The child they hoped to find had been working to survive the threats made against her and her family.
FAQ
Who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart?
Brian David Mitchell abducted Elizabeth from her home. Wanda Barzee participated in holding her and later pleaded guilty.
How long was Elizabeth Smart missing?
Approximately nine months, from June 5, 2002, to March 12, 2003.
How was Elizabeth Smart found?
Two couples reported sightings to authorities. Sandy police stopped the group and confirmed her identity.
Did Elizabeth Smart survive?
Yes. She was reunited with her family and later testified in the criminal proceedings.
What sentence did Brian David Mitchell receive?
Mitchell received a federal life sentence on May 25, 2011.
Research Sources
The following resources were consulted to verify and update this article.
- Mary Katherine Smart’s ABC interview — Her firsthand account of recognizing the voice of a former worker months afterward.
- The Salt Lake Tribune, Smart’s trial testimony — Elizabeth’s account of the campsite, threats, assaults and survival decisions.
- The Salt Lake Tribune, the Sandy rescue — Officer and family recollections, the two couples’ tips, March 12 date and reunion.
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barzee’s guilty plea — Pleaded offenses, cooperation and fifteen-year sentence agreement.
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mitchell sentencing — December 2010 convictions and May 2011 life sentence.
- Associated Press, Barzee’s release — September 2018 release.
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Elizabeth Smart: The Girl Who Survived the Impossible
