Home / Crime and Justice / Elizabeth Smart: From Captivity to Advocate
Elizabeth Smart: From Captivity to Advocate
23 Jan
Summary
- Elizabeth Smart was abducted at knifepoint from her bedroom.
- She endured nine months of abuse before her rescue.
- Smart now advocates for child safety and shares her story.
A new Netflix documentary, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, details the shocking 2002 abduction of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart. Elizabeth was taken from her bedroom at knifepoint in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 5, 2002, while her younger sister watched.
Her captors, Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee, held Elizabeth for nine months in various remote locations. During this period, she was subjected to sexual abuse, with Mitchell claiming a divine marriage. Her sister, Mary Katherine, eventually provided crucial information leading to police identifying Mitchell.
Elizabeth was rescued on March 12, 2003. Mitchell received a life sentence, and Barzee was released in 2018 after serving 15 years. Elizabeth, now 38, has become a prominent child safety advocate.
She actively shares her story through various media, including podcasts and her documentary, aiming to give purpose to her ordeal and help other survivors. Elizabeth is married and has three children.
