Elizabeth Smart was abducted at age 14 on June 5, 2002, and her captors were arrested on March 12, 2003. The case, which shook Salt Lake City and the nation, remains a stark reminder of the dangers that can lurk in familiar neighborhoods.
At a Glance
- Elizabeth Smart was taken from her home at 14 years old.
- Her kidnappers, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, were captured on March 12, 2003.
- Mitchell is serving a life sentence; Barzee was released in 2018 after a parole decision.
Background
In the mid-1980s, Mitchell and Barzee met during a Mormon church counseling session in Salt Lake City. They married on Nov. 29, 1985, and both were active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. By the mid-1990s, they had abandoned the church, stopped paying taxes, and lived off the land, panhandling across the country.
- Mitchell claimed to be a prophet named Immanuel.
- Barzee alleged she was ending a 20-year abusive marriage.
- They sold all possessions and began wearing religious robes.
The Kidnapping
On June 5, 2002, Mitchell broke into the Smart family’s home, cutting a hole in the kitchen window screen and entering the bedroom where Elizabeth and her sister shared a bed. He held her at knifepoint, threatening her family, and abducted the 14-year-old.
Elizabeth later recounted in federal court:
“He placed his hand on my chest and then put the knife up to my neck,” she said. “He told me to get up quietly and if I didn’t then he would kill me and my family.”
Mitchell forced Elizabeth to walk three miles through the woods to a makeshift camp where Barzee waited. There, he claimed to marry her in a pseudo-ceremony and raped her for the first time. Over nine months, he raped her up to four times a day and tethered her to a tree when not assaulting her. Barzee watched and did nothing to stop it.
- Mitchell raped Elizabeth up to four times a day.
- Barzee encouraged him, sitting beside Elizabeth during assaults.
- The couple held Elizabeth captive for nine months.
Capture and Trial
The first hint of the kidnappers’ identity came from Elizabeth’s sister, Mary Katherine, who recognized the voice of the man who had worked on their roof. A police sketch in February 2003 led to a photo release on America’s Most Wanted, which helped identify Mitchell.
On March 12, 2003, two couples who had seen the program spotted Mitchell walking in Sandy, Utah. He was carrying two women, and police called 911. When approached, Elizabeth, disguised with a gray wig and sunglasses, claimed her name was Augustine Marshall. She later confirmed her identity at the station, and the kidnappers were arrested.
- Mitchell and Barzee faced charges of aggravated kidnapping, burglary, and sexual assault.
- Barzee pleaded guilty in November 2009 and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
- Mitchell was found guilty in December 2010 and sentenced to life in prison.
Aftermath
Barzee’s 15-year sentence was credited for time served. In 2016 she was transferred to a Utah state prison for an additional sentence tied to an attempted abduction of Elizabeth’s cousin. In September 2018, a parole board reversed an earlier denial and credited her federal time, releasing her on September 19, 2018.
Elizabeth expressed shock and disappointment:
“It is incomprehensible how someone who has not cooperated with her mental health evaluations or risk assessments can be released into our community,” she said.
Barzee was arrested again in May 2025 for violating parole by visiting parks in Salt Lake City. She was released on judicial orders.
Mitchell remains in federal prison. He was housed at the United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, until October 2025, when he was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution-Lewisburg after multiple attacks. He has no possibility of parole.
Elizabeth Smart Today
Elizabeth married Matthew Gilmour in 2012 and has three children. Ahead of the release of her January 2026 Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, she told News Of Los Angeles:
“Why would any of us be alive if we didn’t have hope? Hope knowing that life is only going to get better. Hope that tomorrow’s better than today. Hope for happy memories to come.”
She says she does not dwell on her captors, but occasionally wonders how anyone could justify kidnapping a child. “They’re not people that I think of regularly,” she said.
Key Takeaways
- The kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart remains one of Utah’s most harrowing crimes.
- Mitchell is serving a life sentence; Barzee was released in 2018 after a parole decision.
- Elizabeth continues to advocate for victims’ rights and shares her story through books and public speaking.
