Summary of ‘Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart’: the biggest bomb in the Netflix documentary
More than two decades later Elizabeth Slim was kidnapped as a 14 year old by Brian David Mitchell And Wanda Barzeeshe talks about the experience in the Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart.
In the film, Elizabeth is accompanied by her sister, Mary Katherine Smartand their father, Ed Slimto discuss the 2002 case and how it affected their family. Along with interviews with detectives who worked on the case, the documentary provides a new look at the case that has shocked people for more than two decades.
We weekly breaks down the biggest bombs Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smartbelow.
The Smart family members were considered suspects after Elizabeth Smart went missing
After Elizabeth was kidnapped from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, Detective Cordon Parks explained that officials were suspicious of Smart Family because “statistically, the perpetrator of these types of crimes is more often than not a parent or a family member.”
During interviews with the family, Parks said “a few things” emerged that further led them to suspect their involvement in Elizabeth’s disappearance. “I was told the alarm had been accidentally turned off. And the window. When I looked at it the first morning, there were no scuffs on the outside wall,” he recalls. “Even if you step on a chair, you make a scrape. I didn’t see one. My initial guess was that maybe this wasn’t the point of entry. Maybe it was a staged event.”
In the documentary, Ed reflected on being considered a suspect. “It’s terrible that your daughter is missing,” he said. “And to be a possible suspect was beyond words.”
Ed proved his innocence by taking a polygraph test, although the public blame shifted to his brother Tom Slim when his polygraph test proved inconclusive. The focus on Tom only got worse when he made some questionable comments about Elizabeth’s disappearance during interviews.
In the documentary, Tom said it was ‘mind-boggling’ how long it took for police to ‘clear the family’ of any involvement in the kidnapping. “And when the finger was pointed at us, we saw a real drop in the number of people coming to help us search,” he said.
Elizabeth Smart emotionally recalled the night she was kidnapped
Elizabeth became emotional as she recalled the night she was kidnapped by Mitchell in the documentary. “That night I remember a man’s voice. ‘I have a knife in your neck. Don’t make a sound. Get up and come with me,'” she said. “I was terrified.”
She said she was led through her backyard and up a hill by Mitchell. “I was so worried about missing my chance to escape. I asked him if he was going to rape and kill me because I thought that must be what he was going to do,” she said. “I wanted him to do it as close to my house as possible so my parents could find me.”
Elizabeth and Mitchell eventually reached a campsite, where they were greeted by Barzee. “She took off my shoes and started washing the dirt off my feet,” Elizabeth remembers. “And then she started trying to take off my pajamas.”
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After Elizabeth took off her pajamas to keep them on, Barzee said she would have to cooperate or Mitchell would “take her clothes off.”
Brian David Mitchell declared Elizabeth his “wife” the night of the kidnapping
Elizabeth finally put on a bathrobe and went to Mitchell. “I hereby seal you to me as my wife before God and his angels as my witnesses,” he told her. She said she screamed, and he replied, “If you ever scream like that again, I will kill you. If it will help you not to scream, I will tape your mouth shut.”
While Elizabeth argued that the marriage was not legally binding, Mitchell said it was time to “consummate the marriage” and he raped her.
“It didn’t matter what I did. He ended up raping me. And I remember being in a lot of pain. I remember begging him to stop,” she said. “And when he was done, he stood up and smiled like he didn’t care, and he walked out of the tent. And I just lay there on the ground.”
Brian David Mitchell planned to kidnap seven girls
Elizabeth recalled that Mitchell – who told her his name was Hephzibah Eledah Isaiah – told her that “God told them to kidnap seven young girls.”
“I was the first of seven. He said my sister would probably be one of his wives, and my cousin Olivia. I was shocked,” she said.
Mary Katherine Smart linked Brian David Mitchell to the kidnapping
Because Elizabeth and Mary Katherine shared a bedroom, she was the only witness to the crime. Detectives initially hoped she would be able to identify the kidnapper, although they were not able to identify Mitchell until later in the investigation.
Ed explained that the family had previously met Mitchell when he was homeless and hired him to help out in their home. That’s why Mary Katherine recognized him. However, police were skeptical whether Mitchell was really involved as it took a while for Mary Katherine to link him to the crime.
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Sketches of the suspect were eventually released, and Mitchell’s brother-in-law called Tom to say it might be him.
Police soon learned that Mitchell “believed he was a prophet of God.” One detective said: ‘Over the last few years it seemed like he was slipping into a violent state of mind.’
Elizabeth Smart convinced her captors to return to Salt Lake City
After Mitchell was identified as a suspect and the search for Elizabeth continued, he decided to leave Salt Lake City with Elizabeth and Barzee. However, Elizabeth managed to convince him to go back to her hometown by telling him that God had told her so and that he was a prophet.
“And he just turned to me and said, ‘Oh, well, God is finally starting to work on you. Now that you see your own insignificance, we’re expected to return to Salt Lake,'” she recalled.
When they returned to Salt Lake City, someone saw the trio on the street and reported it to the police. As they walked along the sidewalk, police cars pulled up to them and officers began questioning the adults. Elizabeth was then separated from the adults and eventually confirmed to the police who she was. She then returned to her family nine months after being kidnapped.
Elizabeth Smart reflected on the aftermath of her kidnapping
“Seeing my family again reminded me that everything that happened didn’t take away my value or my worth. Those monsters could never take that away,” she said in the documentary. “I remember being so excited to be home. I woke up a few times [first] In the evening, both my parents stood over me to make sure I was still there.’
Elizabeth added that she was “afraid of men” when she returned home. “I was afraid of a lot of things and I still didn’t hear anyone talking about rape or assault,” she said. “I felt a lot of shame and embarrassment about what happened, even though I knew it wasn’t my fault.”
She went on to say that her mother played “a huge role” in coming to terms with what happened. “I feel like the things that really helped the most were spending time with my family,” she said.
Elizabeth Smart decided to testify against Brian David Mitchell
Mitchell didn’t go to trial until 2010, which made it difficult for Elizabeth to move forward.
“I felt like the system was rigged against me and I thought, ‘This has gone on for almost a decade. It has to end. I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care if I have to sit in court every day for months on end. If this is the end of the case, then that’s what I’m going to do,'” she said of her decision to testify.
Elizabeth added that she “didn’t want to face him” in court, but felt it was important to testify so he wouldn’t be released and “go after another young girl.”
“When the verdict was finally found guilty, I mean, it was… It was just like, ‘It’s about time. Thank God. It’s done and I can leave it in the past now,'” she concluded.
Mitchell was found guilty of interstate kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor and was sentenced to life in prison. Meanwhile, Barzee was found guilty of kidnapping and other crimes. She received a 15-year federal prison sentence in 2009 and was released early on September 19, 2018.
