Elizabeth Smart's Captor Targeted Cousin for 'Wife'

Elizabeth Smart has shared harrowing new details concerning her captor, Brian David Mitchell, and his prior criminal intentions. Mitchell, who had previously abducted Smart in June 2002, was already planning a subsequent crime: the kidnapping of Smart's teenage cousin, Olivia Wright, to be his 'next wife.'

Smart recounted that Mitchell envisioned a larger plan to abduct seven young girls, intending for them all to become his wives, with her being the initial victim. He specifically targeted July 24, a Utah state holiday, for Wright's abduction, believing the festivities would provide cover.

Mitchell's attempt to infiltrate Wright's home involved climbing through her bedroom window. However, the noise from trinkets falling off the windowsill alerted Wright's uncle, who discovered Mitchell and aborted the kidnapping attempt. This event occurred after Smart had been held captive for nine months.

During her captivity, Smart endured extreme abuse and control, with Mitchell using threats against her life and her family to maintain compliance. She confessed to a complex mix of guilt and a desperate, fragmented desire for companionship that momentarily led her to inadvertently reveal information about her cousin.

Smart was eventually rescued on March 12, 2003, after being recognized by a couple. Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping Smart, while his wife, Wanda Barzee, pleaded guilty and was released in 2018. Smart now works as a child safety activist.