Elizabeth Smart Found Alive!

Shawn Madison · Posted: Mar 12, 2003 3:33 pm Post subject: Elizabeth Smart Found Alive!

Just came up on the news. This is unbelievable!

x2xwakegurlx2x · Guest

i just read that article on the AOL welcome screen, its great that they found her, they found her when they pulled over the suspect, and she was wearing a wig, but thats basically all they said on how she was found

TravelJunkie · Guest

huh? i think i'm lost here who is Elizabeth Smart? i dont watch the news.

x2xwakegurlx2x · Guest

elizabeth smart is a 15 year old girl, she disapered like 9 months ago and no one could find her, and there were a couple other kids that disapered as well and were found dead, and she was jsut found.....alive, which is like a miracle, here is the article i read if it helps ya out:

SALT LAKE CITY (March 12) - Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom nine months ago, was found alive Wednesday, riding in the car of a drifter who had once done work at the family's home, police said.

''Miracles do exist,'' said the girl's uncle, Tom Smart.

The girl was wearing a wig when police in suburban Sandy pulled over the drifter, a man known as Emmanuel, authorities said. She was taken to the Salt Lake City police department, where her father was with her.

The drifter's real name is Brian Mitchell, police said. An unidentified woman was also in the car, Sandy police spokeswoman Michelle Burnette said.

The car was pulled over after ''two separate women called in and said they thought they had spotted 'Emmanuel,''' Burnette said.

Witness John Ferguson said the arrest involved a man who looked like a transient and two women wearing unusual clothing.

He said the women appeared ''with the longer clothing on, blue almost like a pillow case ... over the face almost like a veil. They were all just kind of calmly talking to the police,'' Ferguson told KSL television.

Last month, Elizabeth's parents announced a new reward and asked for help in their search for the former handyman. They released a sketch of the man and said Elizabeth's sister, Mary Katharine, had come to them recently to say Emmanuel bore some resemblance to the man who took Elizabeth from their room at gunpoint.

Elizabeth was 14 when she vanished early on the morning of June 5. Her 9-year-old sister said Elizabeth was taken by a man who may have gotten into the house by cutting a window screen near the back door. The sister pretended to be asleep, and she said the gunman threatened to hurt Elizabeth if she didn't keep quiet.

The case was part of a frightening string of child disappearances that included the slayings of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam of San Diego and 5-year-old Samantha Runnion of Orange County, Calif.

The top potential suspect in Elizabeth's disappearance, Richard Ricci, a handyman who once worked in the Smart household, died Aug. 30 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while in prison on a parole violation. He said he had nothing to do with the kidnapping.

Investigators have said they believe he was involved but may not have acted alone.

On Tuesday, the family openly criticized the police department for not devoting enough attention to Mitchell. ''They should have caught this guy by now,'' Tom Smart said.

Elizabeth's father, Ed, was less harsh but expressed his ''frustration'' at public statements made by the police dismissing Mitchell as a potential suspect.

Over the summer, the Smarts held twice-daily news briefings and helped coordinate huge volunteer searches. Ed Smart, a real estate broker, vowed to keep the case in the spotlight.

The family often got calls from the police, but it was never the information they wanted to hear. Often, police were calling to alert them to grisly discoveries that might be linked to their missing daughter; they wanted the Smarts to know before the story hit the news.

Sometimes, the news beat the police. Hands and feet had been found in a canyon, or bones had been discovered in the desert, according to the news. The Smarts would call police to ask if it was Elizabeth. Every time, the answer was no.

Police said they followed up more than 16,000 leads from the public in addition to those they have come up with themselves.

AP-NY-03-12-03 1804EST

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Maestro · Posted: Mar 12, 2003 4:00 pm Post subject:

Never heard of her before and I must say that's quite disturbing... Glad to see her back with her parents...

TravelJunkie · Guest

I remember when that happened....i cant believe she's still alive.

x2xwakegurlx2x · Guest

ya me either, eccspecialy because of those other kids found dead, she is very lucky, i wonder what they did to her, or where she has been since she was gone.....her parents are probably the happiest people to have her back also

Bill Y Bob · Posted: Mar 12, 2003 4:56 pm Post subject:

Yeah it's really great especially since my dad knows Ed pretty well. Lots of excitement around here.

Grouch · Posted: Mar 12, 2003 5:52 pm Post subject:

Its so reassuring to hear something good happen once in a while. Very Happy

OttoNP · Addict Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 848 City: MI

It's great news, I hope Laci Peterson is found safe as well.

Nick
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CHEVROLET STRAIGHT-6 ENGINE

criminally_minded · Posted: Mar 13, 2003 4:47 am Post subject:

What the hell were they doing with her for 9 months? I mean did they want a ransom or what? Glad to hear shes back, I would say they could well be the happiest parents in the world tonight, but I sure bet they are paranoid forever now... Sad

Cruel World · Criminal Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 55 City: Waterford, MI

I can't even imagine the psychological damage to that family. I'm sure they are elated now, but they probably have a tough road ahead. But, it can't be worse than the last 9 months for them.

Nick, ditto on the Lacy Peterson thing. Her husband sure seems like a scum bag.

OttoNP · Addict Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 848 City: MI

Yeah, I'm thinking he is behind the whole thing.

But my little made up scenario in my mind is that she just ran away from him on her own since he cheated on her. Only problem with that is she probably would have told somebody, but still, that's what I'm going to think happened until I hear different...

There is also that Lindsey Ryan that has been missing to from MI.
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Motorcycle tires

forwaken · Addict Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 635 City: Turlock, CA

Otto and Cruel-

Coming from 10 min away from the whole Laci Peterson thing, that is pretty much the feeling here, that the Husband is behind it all. I personally think they have a case against him but they are making sure it is rock solid with all of the press coverage.

WRRide · Posted: Mar 13, 2003 12:19 pm Post subject:

Some people should have just been abortions- hence saving the good people of the world a lot of anguish!!!

wake152 · Posted: Mar 13, 2003 12:45 pm Post subject:

poor girl, i hope she will be able to put this in the past and lead a halfway normal life.

Cruel World · Criminal Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 55 City: Waterford, MI

forwaken,

I just can't imagine it. My wife is 4 months pregnant. I just can't see how anyone could be sick enough to even have an affair, much less do whatever he did to her. I'm pretty convinced he is the devil, but I could be wrong. I just hope the truth comes out soon and she and her child is OK.

I know one thing, expecting a child has made me a lot more interested in the world. The kidnapping, the Iraq deal are suddenly a lot more scary than they used to be.

Shawn Madison · Posted: Mar 13, 2003 2:53 pm Post subject:

Cruel World, Yeah-I think you are right about having a child and being more attentive to world politics, etc. Even though I do not have any experience personally-I have noticed this in several of my friends who have children/expecting. I guess you lose the fear nothing mentality and when your family's best interest is in mind.

Maybe Elizabeth Smart's experience will help bring a new and better system for finding missing and exploited children. I know John Walsh's plight has made a huge impact!

<i>Best Wishes to all the families of Missing Children!</i>