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For the Canadian author, see Elizabeth Smart (author) Elizabeth A. Smart Born November 3, 1987 (1987-11-03) (age 21) Education Brigham Young University Religious beliefs The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Elizabeth Ann Smart (born November 3, 1987) is an American woman who was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah bedroom on June 5, 2002 at the age of 14. She was found alive nine months later on March 12, 2003 in Sandy, Utah, about 18 miles from her home, in the company of Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee, who were indicted for her kidnapping but ruled unfit to stand trial. Her abduction and recovery were widely reported and were the subject of a made-for-TV movie and a published book. She is now a music student at Brigham Young University and a political activist. Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Abduction 1.2 Search and investigation 1.3 Legal proceedings 1.4 Abduction timeline 2 Media 2.1 Television interviews 2.2 Book and film 3 Post-abduction life and political activism 4 References 5 External links // Biography Abduction Ed and Lois Smart, with their six children, resided in the upper class neighborhood of Federal Heights in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1] On the evening of June 4, 2002, the family attended an award ceremony at Elizabeth's school. After the family returned home and got ready for bed, Ed made sure the doors were all locked, but he did not turn on the alarm. "If the children got up and moved (in the night), it would set the alarm off. And so we just said we’re not going to bother with it," Lois later explained.[2] In the early hours of the morning, Brian David Mitchell broke into the home and came to the bedroom that Elizabeth shared with her 9-year-old sister, Mary Katherine.[3] While Mary Katherine pretended to be asleep,[4] she watched the abduction,[5] and later gave these hints as to what happened: A white man about the height of her brother Charles (5 ft 8 in)[6] about 30 or 40 years old, wearing light-colored clothes and a golf hat.[7][8] (He was actually wearing black, did not have a golf hat and was 49.)[9] He had dark hair, and also dark hair on his arms and on the back of his hands.[8] The man threatened Elizabeth with a knife.[10] When Elizabeth said "ouch" after stubbing her toe on a chair, Mitchell said something that sounded like: "You better be quiet, and I won’t hurt you."[11] She heard Elizabeth ask "Why are you doing this?" and though the answer was not clear, Mary Katherine thought the answer might have been "for ransom."[12][13] Mitchell was soft-spoken — even polite, calm, and nicely dressed.[8] Although Mitchell spoke to Elizabeth quietly, Mary Katherine thought Mitchell's voice seemed somehow familiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint where or when she had heard it.[14] She never got a good look at Mitchell's face.[15] This fact was kept a secret by the police during the investigation.[16] By listening to the creaking floor as Elizabeth and Mitchell walked, Mary Katherine
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