Imagine believing something so strongly, that not even facts, or mainstream religion can change what you, in your heart and mind, know to be true. For some, these beliefs can be harmless. For others, they can lead to kidnapping, polygamy, rape… Here’s the story of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.
Brian David Mitchell was born on October 18, 1953, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the third of six children in a Mormon family. His mother was a school teacher, and his father a social worker. Yet from a young age, Brian had an excessive interest in sex. He used a medical journal full of explicit photos to drive his initial urges, even playing “doctor” with other children in the neighborhood. It was no surprise when, at age 16, Brian exposed himself to a child and was sent to juvenile hall.
He had 2 unsuccessful marriages, and fathered 4 children. His second wife, Debbie, had 3 other children from a previous marriage, and after she and Brian separated, it came out that he had been sexually abusing their three year old son, as well as one of her daughters for the better part of 4 years.
Although the abuse claims could not be medically confirmed, Brian was only allowed supervised visitation with his children from that point on.
On the day of his divorce from Debbie, Brian married Wanda Elaine Barzee. Wanda was a monster, as claimed by one of her own children, yet she and Brian attended the LDS Church, committing their lives to God. Over time, their religious views became increasingly extreme, and he fell out of favor with the church. Brian began going by the name, “Emmanuel,” claiming he was a prophet of God, had experienced prophetic visions, and had the right to take multiple wives. Wanda began using the name, “Hephzibah,” and would preach in downtown Salt Lake City while panhandling to make a living. They began to dress in white robes and tunics, and Brian grew out a beard.
In the early hours of June 5, 2002, 9 year old, Mary Katherine Smart, awoke to a stranger in her bedroom. She heard a man threatening her sister, Elizabeth, with a gun. When Elizabeth stubbed her toe on a chair, she cried “ouch!” and the man told her “You better be quiet, and I won’t hurt you.”
Mary Katherine heard Elizabeth ask, “Why are you doing this?” but she couldn’t quite hear the answer. Once she believed Elizabeth and her abductor were gone, she crept out of her room, heading for her parents’ bedroom. Little did she know, her sister and her abductor were just outside her brothers’ bedroom. She carefully crawled back into bed where she hid for a time, until she felt certain she was safe.
Just before 4am, Mary Katherine woke her parents, telling them what had happened. But they thought she had just had a bad dream, and did not believe her, until they found a screen window had been cut with a knife.
They contacted the police, but the abductor left no clues, only a 9 year old eyewitness, who saw very little.
Mary Katherine did her best, and reported to investigators what she saw and heard.
The captor was:
- A white man about the height of her brother Charles (5 ft 8 in; 172 cm), about 30 or 40 years old, wearing light-colored clothes and a golf hat.
- He had dark hair, and also dark hair on his arms and on the back of his hands.
- The man threatened Elizabeth with a gun
- 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.”
- 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.”
- The abductor was soft-spoken, polite, calm, and nicely dressed.
- Although he spoke to Elizabeth quietly, Mary Katherine thought his voice seemed somehow familiar, but she could not pinpoint where or when she had heard it.
June 5, 2002, 14 year old Elizabeth Smart was awoken by the sound of footsteps and the feeling of cold metal against her cheek. “I have a knife to your neck. Don’t make a sound. Get out of bed and come with me, or I will kill you and your family.” She listened and was led out of her house and through the forest by Brian David Mitchell. They marched until they reached a camp where Wanda Barzee was waiting.
Wanda approached and gave her a tight, powerful hug. She led her into a tent where she washed Elizabeth’s feet and told her to change out of her pajamas and into a robe. Elizabeth refused, and was told if she didn’t do as she was told, Brian would rip her pajamas off. She obeyed, then Brian came and performed a marriage ceremony between himself and Elizabeth. He took her into his tent where he pushed her onto the floor and proceeded to rape her.. She tried to fight him off, even later testified, “A 14 year old girl against a grown man doesn’t even out so much.”
He told her he was an angel, that he was a Davidic King who would “emerge in seven years, be stoned by a mob, lie dead in the streets for three days and then rise up and kill the Antichrist.” He told her she was the first of many virgin brides he planned to kidnap, each of whom would accompany him as he battled the Antichrist.
Elizabeth fell asleep on the floor, and when she awoke, she was shackled to a tree with a metal cable. She was made to select a new name, and she chose Esther, of the Old Testament. Brian took to calling her Shearjashub.
As her family searched for her, they came so close, and were still so far. She could hear her uncle from the camp where she was being held, calling out, “Elizabeth!” but Brian heard him as well, and he grabbed her and told her, “I will kill you if you make a noise. I will kill whoever comes up here to find you. If they ever get into this camp, I will kill them.”
Brian repeatedly raped Elizabeth, sometimes multiple times in a day. She was forced to look at pornographic magazines, and he even threatened to kill her on a regular basis. Despite the fact that she was a devout mormon, and only 14, she was forced to drink alcohol and take drugs to lower her resistance. She was starved and fed garbage.
One day in July, Brian told Elizabeth that he had had a revelation. Her cousin, Olivia, who was the same age as Elizabeth, was to be his next wife.
On the evening of July 24, 2002, Brian went back down the mountain and into Salt Lake City, intent to kidnap Olivia in the same manner in which he had kidnapped Elizabeth. Fortunately, someone woke up, and he ran away. Police were notified, however they did not believe the 2 cases were connected. Elizabeth realized then that the only way to keep her friends and family safe, was to keep quiet and be compliant.
Then, in September, 2002, Brian and Wanda took Elizabeth and left Salt Lake City, choosing to relocate to San Diego County in California. There, Elizabeth was kept in an encampment in a dry creek bed in Lakeside. They moved several times, always to another encampment in the county, usually making the move in the middle of the night.
On February 12, 2003, Brian broke into a church in El Cajon, and was caught. He was arrested and spent several days in jail.
Brian and Wanda felt they had such a secure grasp on Elizabeth, that they began to take her out into public with them. She always wore a long robe, a headscarf, and a veil over her face, to keep her identity hidden. During one of these occasions, in August 2002, Brian and Wanda took Elizabeth to the Salt Lake City Public Library where they were researching potential places to relocate.
It was hard not to notice them with their unusual garb, and one library patron could see Elizabeth’s eyes. She looked closely and called police. When the arrived, they confronted Brian, Wanda, and Elizabeth, but the officer was deterred when Brian claimed that Elizabeth was his daughter, and that they were unable to remove their veils or garb on religious grounds. When the officer spoke with Wanda and Elizabeth, neither said a word, and Brian told him their religion prohibited women from speaking in public.
Elizabeth later reported that Wanda had signaled her not to move and gripped her legs beneath the table. “I felt like hope was walking out the door. I was mad at myself that I didn’t say anything, mad at myself for not taking the chance. So close. I felt terrible that the detective hadn’t pushed harder. He just walked away.”
In the fall, the three of them attended a party, where Elizabeth was photographed wearing her robe and veil.
All the while, her family never gave up hope, and in October 2002, Elizabeth’s sister, Mary Katherine suddenly realized that she did know who the abductor was. She realized the voice belonged to an unemployed man that the family knew only as Emmanuel.
Emmanuel had been panhandling one day, and Elizabeth’s mother had given him $5, and referred him to her husband for some work. They hired him for a day, to work on the roof and rake leaves. The girls had seen him for less than five minutes.
The police were skeptical, however the family had a sketch artist draw “Emmanuel’s” face, and the image was released to the media in February. The image was shown on both Larry King Live and America’s Most Wanted. Fortunately, the family of Brian David Mitchell recognized the face and contacted authorities.
On March 12, 2003, Brian was spotted with two women in Sandy, Utah by a couple who had seen his photos on the news. Elizabeth was disguised in a gray wig, sunglasses and a veil, yet officers were able to recognize her during questioning, and Brian and Wanda were both arrested.
In the end, Wanda Barzee pleaded guilty and was sentenced to concurrent terms of fifteen years in state and federal prison. Brian David Mitchell, however, was undergoing numerous mental evaluations which delayed his case nearly eight years before it ever made it to court.
His trial began on November 8, 2010, where his defense acknowledged that he was responsible for the crimes, however he was legally insane at the time of the crime and therefore should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
The insanity defense didn’t work for him, and on December 11, 2010, Brian David Mitchell was found guilty for kidnapping and transporting a minor across state lines with intent to engage in sexual activity. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Brian David Mitchell is currently serving his time at the United States Penitentiary, Tucson, a high-security federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.
Wanda Barzee was released from prison in September, 2018, an action that was protested by Elizabeth Smart. Her release came five years earlier than expected, and she promptly moved to an apartment near Parkview Elementary School, that teaches children pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
“Every possible caution and protection should be taken when it comes to protecting our children,” Smart told the Associated Press. “Whether a person is deemed a current threat or if they have a history of child abuse, neglect, sexual violence, etc., prudent measures should be taken, including housing them as far away as possible from schools, families and community centers.”
Some kidnapping victims get lucky – like Elizabeth Smart and Jayme Closs.
