On this day in history, a harrowing search came to an end.
In the early hours of June 5, 2002, Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her home by Brian David Mitchell in Salt Lake City.
Mitchell had previously worked for the Smarts as a landscaper. He took Smart to a nearby remote campsite where his wife, Wands Barzee, was waiting as an accomplice. Mitchell believed himself to be a prophet of a new Mormon sect and sexually assaulted the 14-year-old Elizabeth.
She was kept with the captors for nine months, forced to wear a wig and dress discreetly, and was taken by Mitchell and Barzee to San Diego, where they lived under bridges. Upon returning to Salt Lake City, several witnesses recognized the disguised Smart and reported it to the police, who eventually pulled over a car containing the three individuals. On March 12, 2003, Smart was finally rescued.
Smart initially denied her identity, likely out of fear and intimidation by Mitchell, but was nevertheless taken in by authorities and reunited with her family once she was separated from her captors. During his trial, Mitchell claimed that he received a call from God to abduct Smart and that she was his spiritual wife.
Barzee was sentenced to 15 years in prison and was released in 2018. Mitchell was later additionally charged with attempting to abduct Smart’s cousin and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
