Elizabeth Smart revealed why she has ‘forgiven’ rapist who abducted her at 14 years old as story told in new Netflix doc
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Elizabeth Smart revealed why she chose to forgive the people who abducted and tortured her after she was taken from her home and held captive for nine months when she was just 14.
In the early hours of June 5, 2002, Elizabeth was snatched from her bedroom at knifepoint in Salt Lake City, Utah.
She was taken by Brian David Mitchell, who threatened to kill the young girl if she screamed, before taking her to the mountains.
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There, she met Mitchell's wife and accomplice, Wanda Barzee, who changed Elizabeth from her pyjamas into a loose-fitting robe. She warned Mitchell would come and 'rip the clothes off' Elizabeth if she didn't get changed.
Shortly after, Elizabeth was raped by Brian for the first time - something she'd go on to endure up to four times a day.
The teenager was put on a leash, made to 'walk like a dog' and forced to drink alcohol in the months that followed.
One of the US' highest-profile missing persons cases, Elizabeth was featured on America's Most Wanted, which led to a bystander recognizing her and calling for help on March 12, 2003.
Now, Elizabeth is reliving her ordeal in a new Netflix documentary, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart.
In her own words, the 38-year-old reveals what happened during her time in captivity, and the impact it has had on the rest of her life.
The documentary also features interviews with those who worked on the case as well as Elizabeth's family.
Elizabeth gave her first interview after her ordeal to Larry King on his Live CNN show in May 2006, at just 18 years old.
Joined by her father Ed, she discussed how she was coping, both during and after the kidnapping.
King asked if she had forgiven her abductors - Elizabeth and her family were devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had 'strong faith.'
She responded: "Yes. Yes, I do. One day my mom sat me down and she said, 'You know, Elizabeth, you can either... forgive them and move on and just forget that it ever happened to you and... continue on in your life or... [believe] what they did to you was horrible and you didn't deserve that and no one should deserve that and... you can just sit there and be mad at them...
"'But really then... your whole life is going to be wrapped up in it and you won't be able to move on. And you'll... always think to yourself: Oh well, my life would be so much better if these two people never had happened... And just blame everything on them.'"
Mitchell and Barzee were charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, and aggravated burglary.
In 2011, Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison while Barzee was sentenced to 15 years. However, she was released in 2018.
Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart premieres on Netflix on January 21.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.
Topics: Netflix, True crime, Film and TV, Streaming, US News, Crime, Religion
Ellie Kemp