Elizabeth Smart, A Survivor's Story...

      On June 5 of  2002, a 14 year girl, named Elizabeth Smart, was abducted from her bedroom by a man with a knife. The man's name is Brian Mitchell and his wife's name is Wanda Barzee.


Elizabeth Smart at age 14

     She was gone for nine months before anyone had ever found her. She was forced to walk the heels behind her house up to Mitchell's camp, where his wife was waiting. Barzee forced her to remove her pajamas and put on a robe. Then Mitchell had performed a marriage ceremony, according to http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13461174 . After that was all done, he had proceeded to rape her time and time again. Smart said that He was obsessed with this and would do it about four times a day, according to that same article.
     Mitchell had claimed to be a prophet of god and then he had claimed religious rights to everything that he was doing. In the earlier days of her kidnapping, she had to have her leg bolted to a tree or table so that she wouldn't escape. She was forced to consume drugs and alcohol to lessen her resistance of the sexual crimes.     
     He would show her pornography and tell her that this meant she had to be humble to him.
She said Mitchell once forced her to drink too much alcohol and she became sick. He made her lie face down in her vomit for the entire night so Smart would understand "the true state" she was in, she testified, according to http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13461174.
When he had broken into her room, he had held a knife to her throat and told her that if she did not go with him that he would kill her and her family. He had told her that he was taking her for ransom.
     Smart had said that Barzee had started to get jealous of the sexual contact between Mitchell and Smart and she had asked Mitchell if he could switch between them every other day. He had started to do that, although he would still sometimes rape Smart even if he wasn't scheduled with her that day. He was also singing hymns all the time during those days. She was rescued on March 12, 2003. Smart was found walking along the sides of the road with her abductors. Mitchell and Barzee have undergone many mental procedures after they were caught and arrested, however now they are facing up to life in prison for kidnapping and sexual abuse towards a minor.
      This story is just so sad to read. I had never heard of this young woman until today and i just can't help but want to just hug her and tell her how blessed her life is. Not to maIy people ever make it back from things like that but I am so happy that she survived. Just one thing i was thinking about, how long were they going to keep her???


Smarts Kidnapper, Brian Mitchell

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13461174.
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