Elizabeth Smart, at the age of 14, was abducted by a street preacher armed with a knife while she was asleep in her Salt Lake City, Utah home in June 2002. The preacher, Brian David Mitchell, then 48, along with his wife Wanda Barzee, 56, subjected Elizabeth to nine months of captivity, during which she was sexually assaulted multiple times daily.
Mitchell and Barzee took Elizabeth to a wooded camp where they continued to abuse her, making her endure degrading treatment, including walking on all fours with a cable around her neck and confining her to a dark hole to avoid detection. They used alcohol and drugs to subdue Elizabeth and prevent her from resisting their assaults.
After an extensive missing persons search, Mitchell’s reign of terror ended when a vigilant viewer of America’s Most Wanted recognized him based on a sketch. Mitchell and Barzee were found preaching on the streets, and Elizabeth, disguised in a dark wig and veil, was rescued. Despite initial difficulties in sharing her traumatic experience, Elizabeth later founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation to support other survivors of sexual abuse.
Mitchell stood trial for interstate kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor in 2010, where he unsuccessfully attempted an insanity plea. He was sentenced to life in prison. Barzee, who admitted to her role in the kidnapping, received a 15-year prison term.
Elizabeth’s harrowing story has been transformed into a Netflix documentary called Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, featuring exclusive footage and interviews with her family. Through her foundation and advocacy, Elizabeth aims to empower survivors of abuse, stressing that they are not alone and should not feel ashamed of their experiences.
