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CNN CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT
Elizabeth Smart Found Alive
Aired March 12, 2003 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CONNIE CHUNG, HOST: Good evening, I'm Connie Chung. Tonight, nine months later, they've found missing teen Elizabeth Smart. She's back with her family tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Found alive. Elizabeth Smart, missing for nine months is found outside Salt Lake City.
MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON, SALT LAKE CITY: It is indeed a great day for the people of Salt Lake City and throughout this nation. I just spoke Ed and Lois Smart. I saw Elizabeth in their arms. They wanted me to thank everybody for all of the great support, especially the continued hope and prayers that were sent their way. They believe, indeed, those prayers were answered today.
ANNOUNCER: Was a mysterious drifter responsible for her disappearance?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT. Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, Connie Chung.
CHUNG: Good evening. Tonight, 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart, kidnapped at gunpoint from her home in Salt Lake City nine months ago, was found alive today. She is now back with her family.
Elizabeth was taken from her bedroom early on the morning of June 5. Her 9-year-old sister was in the same bedroom when Elizabeth was abducted. Police found her today in the Utah suburb of Sandy, about 15 miles from her home, after receiving two tips about a drifter believed to have kidnapped her.
Police said she was found in the car of the drifter, Brian David Mitchell, who also goes by the name "Emmanuel". He once did work on her parents' house. Also in the car was a woman identified as Wanda Eileen Barzze.
Officials from Sandy and Salt Lake City just held a news conference to discuss Elizabeth's condition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK DINSE, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE DEPT.: We have Elizabeth here. She's upstairs with her parents. And she is in the process of being interviewed.
We also have two suspects. One of them is David Brian Mitchell (ph), previously known as "Emmanuel", an individual we have been looking for and attempting to contact for some time. The second suspect is a Wanda Eileen Barzze.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: Police also revealed what led to today's rescue and how it transpired.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF STEVE CHAPMAN, SANDY POLICE DEPARTMENT: I'd like to take all those accolades, but I'd actually like to thanks, first of all, the citizens that became involved in this, having recognized these people earlier this afternoon and then calling the Sandy Police Department and for their diligence in interviewing these people on the street and determining that it was Elizabeth Smart.
I will give you a short synopsis of what occurred this afternoon. At approximately 1:00 p.m., we were notified by our dispatch that two citizens had seen a Mr. Emmanuel, or at least that's who they thought he was. That had been broadcast earlier by the news media and also by Salt Lake City as being someone that needed to be talked to by Salt Lake in reference to the Elizabeth Smart disappearance.
Our officers confronted these people on the street. They were walking on State Street, about 104th South. When they confronted them, they were evasive in some of their answers. They were wearing, actually, wigs at the time, so they were not readily recognizable as who they were.
After some questioning, we were convinced that it was Elizabeth Smart. We were also convinced that it was the suspect that Salt Lake City was wanting to speak with. We, therefore, contacted Salt Lake City, gave them the information that we had. They responded to the scene and then eventually we transported them to the Sandy City Police Department where a short interview took place...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: In a moment we will hear from a member of the Smart family on how they're reacting.
Not surprisingly, officials who have investigated this case for nine months said they were elated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIP BURRESS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: What a great day for the state of Utah, right? Darn right. Up there in that interview room you've got a boat load of officers. You can't wipe the smiles off their face. They are so excited to have her back.
I can't tell you how many times in the FBI we've conducted investigations with our state and local partners where this has not been the outcome. We are so happy today that the outcome is that she's alive, she's back and she's ready and she looks good and we're ready to move on with the investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: It's not just investigators, of course. While people around the nation followed the case in its early days, it was never far from the minds of the people of Salt Lake City.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It is indeed a great day for the people of Salt Lake City and throughout this nation. I just spoke Ed and Lois Smart. I saw Elizabeth in their arms, and she couldn't let go of her little brother.
They wanted me to pass on, Ed and Lois wanted me to pass on their love and appreciation to the people of this community and throughout this nation. They wanted me to thank everybody for all of the great support, the search efforts, and especially the continued hope and prayers that were sent their way. They believe, indeed, those prayers were answered today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: No one was truly happier than the Smart family. Tom Smart is Elizabeth's uncle. I spoke with him on the telephone after the rescue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: Tom Smart is with us now. And I thank you so much for joining us, Tom. Congratulations. And how is Elizabeth?
TOM SMART, ELIZABETH'S UNCLE: Well, my brother told me that she's well, and that's all that I really know.
CHUNG: All right. Do you know how Elizabeth was found?
T. SMART: My understanding is that she was at a Burger King with -- and I believe two other girls and that was part of a religious sect. We heard initially that a transient girl had been found that they thought was Elizabeth.
Ed got a call from the Police Department, said come out to Sandy right now, and gave him an and address to Sandy Police Department and he went down there.
CHUNG: All right. Who has seen Elizabeth?
T. SMART: Well, Edward certainly has held her in his arms. I'm sure her mother has. And I believe her immediate family, brothers and sisters, have.
And I don't know anything beyond that. Our family's just trying to gather so they can have their own, you know, whatever they need at this point.
CHUNG: Sure. You must think this is a miracle.
T. SMART: Absolutely it's a miracle.
You know, we've always believed that miracles exist, and we've always prayed for that miracle. We know the odds of this happening have been -- are extreme. But we -- you know, I don't think there's been a little girl who's been prayed for more in the history of the world than this little girl. And we're so grateful for what's happened here that we can hardly express it.
But we also want to remember the missing children who are out there and let those families know that we're praying for them too.
CHUNG: Has Elizabeth been able to tell her mom and dad anything about her disappearance?
T.SMART: I don't know anything about that.
CHUNG: All right. What can you tell us? Did you know this man, Brian David Mitchell?
T. SMART: Well, he had been panhandling in the fall. And he seemed very clean and clean-cut and, you know, Lois gave him $5 and asked if he wanted to come up and do some work. She was impressed with him. And he came up and did some work on the house for five hours.
And then we never heard about it again until Mary Katherine walked in, you know, months after the kidnapping and Said, dad, I think I might know who it is.
CHUNG: That's Elizabeth's sister, the one who was in the bedroom.
T. SMART: Correct. And she described him in quite detail. And she'd remembered that. And she said that's who, you know, I think it is.
And so we've -- we've been trying to follow that and tried to find where she is ever since.
CHUNG: You followed that lead by having the police help you put together a sketch, and then you went out and held a news conference. Didn't you?
T. SMART: Yes. We held a news conference. And you know, the police tried to find him for months and months, and finally it came to the point where we just felt that we had to come out with it.
And on February 3 we came out and had a news conference with the -- and the police gave us a sketch and released the sketch, and we told the story about this homeless person. And apparently, his -- someone from his family called the police and said, you know, that's my brother that they're talking about, and that went on "America's Most Wanted" and just kind of evolved ever since then.
CHUNG: Had Elizabeth's parents ever met this man, Brian David Mitchell?
T. SMART: Only for that five hours that he worked on their home.
CHUNG: How would they describe him?
T. SMART: Well, he was very clean-cut back then. He had walked around -- he's a fairly famous transient down in Salt Lake. He walked around in white robes like he was -- and called himself a prophet. And his wife, Wanda, who was with him, they would beg down there.
I mean, a lot of people knew who he was, but apparently after 9/11 he had, what we are told is cleaned himself up and he looked like just a normal everyday person sitting there, although he seemed exceptionally well groomed and everything.
And I think he seemed very polite and, you know, that's -- that's how he was. The only time that they ever met him. They had no idea that this was the same person who walks around you know, in this kind of religious zealot, or whatever.
CHUNG: What's ahead, then?
T. SMART: Well, after a year from hell, hopefully a pretty good year.
CHUNG: Well, we only wish the Smart family happiness from day one on.
T. SMART: Well, you know, Connie, thank you. And you know, it's more than the Smart family. This is a story about a miracle that all of us should pray for and be thankful for, and we still -- our prayers go to the Peterson family and the other families that are out there with missing children. And we hope that -- we hope that the national Amber alert goes through, because those first few hours are the most important thing and Edward has dedicated himself to that, and we pray for that.
CHUNG: All right. Tom Smart, thank you so much for being with us. And we'll talk to you tomorrow.
T. SMART: Thank you, Connie.
CHUNG: OK.
T. SMART: Bye.
CHUNG: Thank you.
And the relieved family of Elizabeth Smart will be holding a news conference in just about 20 minutes. We'll bring that to you live.
More on this story when we return. A criminal profiler tells us about it and the mayor of Salt Lake City will be talking to us and much more.
Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I want to thank Ed Smart and Lois Smart in particular, for their courage for coming out day after day, week after week, never giving up, and I've got to say, this couldn't have happened without the media. The media was always there. The media cared. They got the word out. That's why these great people who called the police today knew to call the police. That's why Elizabeth has been recovered today. And the family is very, very grateful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: As we've been reporting, 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart was recovered today. She's been reunited with her family. The drifter had been a person of interest to police prior to now. His name is Brian David Mitchell, who also calls himself Emmanuel and had done some work on the Smarts' house.
Joining us now, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. Mayor Anderson, thank you so much for being with us. I know there are a lot of happy people, you included.
Now, you met with Elizabeth Smart and her parents, Ed and Lois. First tell us, how is Elizabeth?
ANDERSON: Elizabeth, by all appearances is fine. She was very happy to be with her family. In fact, I saw her swoop up her youngest brother. It didn't look like she was ever going to let him go.
She's grown up a lot, of course. There's a huge difference between a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old girl. But she's -- she seems to be doing very well. It was a wonderful, loving reunion between all the members of the family. And we couldn't be happier out here in Salt Lake City.
CHUNG: Was everybody crying?
ANDERSON: There were a lot of tears shed, yes. I think some of the younger kids actually, were just a bit stunned. I think, you know, letting all of this settle in is a huge thing. There's a lot of emotion there and I think it's going to take some time for all of this to really set in for everybody.
CHUNG: Sure.
Elizabeth comes from a family of six children. She's the oldest daughter, so I can well imagine that she really felt the need to hug them as well because she's big sister.
Now, tell us, what did Elizabeth -- Elizabeth's parents say to you? Did you talk to them? ANDERSON: Well, I did. And you know, a lot of this is a private matter, and I think that we ought to respect that.
But obviously, they were absolutely thrilled. There, as I said, were a lot of tears shed. They're ecstatic. And they're just -- there is a huge range of emotions, but they never gave up hope. And Ed Smart, particularly, and his brother Tom, a lot of people kept hanging in there and truly, the media hung in there with them, and I think if it hadn't been for that, if it hadn't been for everybody continuing to hold out hope and get information out about the different theories and the possible suspects, we may not be at this point we are today.
But it took everybody working together, and it's just a fantastic result. We are absolutely thrilled.
CHUNG: It is quite extraordinary.
Did Elizabeth say anything specifically to you?
ANDERSON: No.
Really, when she came in and was with the family, I just wanted to back away and let them have those moments together.
CHUNG: Sure.
What is the plan now for Elizabeth? She'll probably be staying with her parents, no doubt, tonight. And any plans beyond that?
ANDERSON: Well, you know, there's going to be a lot of debriefing, a lot of questioning. Obviously some medical work to be done. But she will be with her family tonight, and we're just urging everybody to back off a little bit, give them their privacy, and let all of this settle in because although it's a great, great result, there's a lot for this family to catch up on after these nine very difficult, tragic months, when I must say neither of these parents ever gave up hope.
CHUNG: I know you probably kept in touch with local police and the police in Sandy, Utah, as well. But police didn't give up hope as well.
ANDERSON: No. The police did, I think, a very vigorous job. The case was enormously complicated. And it was complicated further, of course, when Richard Ricci died in the middle of all of this. He was a major suspect, and after he was arrested on some other charges he died unexpectedly. And that, of course, made it very, very difficult for the police.
But they were looking at other theories, and this theory involving this man who went by the name of Emmanuel was being pursued. And fortunately we had some vigilant people who called the Sandy City police, and with just a great, great result.
CHUNG: That's right. You mentioned Richard Ricci, and I just wanted to remind our viewers, he was -- he had died of a brain hemorrhage when he was in the custody of police. And there was a great deal of mystery surrounding him.
Mr. Mayor, we thank you so much for being with us. And we congratulate you and all the authorities who helped so much. We hope to talk to you again...
ANDERSON: Thank you.
CHUNG: ...in a little bit. Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor.
ANDERSON: Thank you so much. And I must say the people throughout this nation really responded so beautifully, and the family felt their prayers and their hopes and asked me to communicate their gratitude for all of that.
CHUNG: Sure. It's really amazing. I don't think -- you probably haven't been through any kind of experience like this before, have you?
ANDERSON: No. Never want to do it again, either.
CHUNG: All right. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Go ahead.
ANDERSON: Thank you so much.
CHUNG: What were you going to say?
ANDERSON: No, I was just going to say, obviously, through something like this you get to know a family very well. Ed Smart and his brother Tom and I spent a lot of time together. And you become like part of the family in a way. The range of emotions are just tremendous. And I think it's really felt by so many people throughout this entire community and was throughout this nation.
And we appreciate all that you and the rest of the media did to help bring these people to justice and return Elizabeth safely to her family.
CHUNG: Mr. Mayor, you know, you mentioned Tom and Ed Smart. What was it, do you think, that caused them to hold on to their strength and belief that she was still alive? Was it their religion?
ANDERSON: Well, I know Ed and Lois have very strong religious views. But I also think, you know, as a parent sometimes you can't explain your feelings towards your children.
But Ed and Lois felt all along, I think, that Elizabeth was alive and that if she just kept this investigation alive, kept getting the word out to the public, that there was a really good chance that they'd bring Elizabeth home someday.
CHUNG: All right. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We appreciate your being with us.
ANDERSON: Thank you. CHUNG: One of the people whose tips helped police recover missing teen Elizabeth Smart in Sandy, Utah, today spoke to reporters about their role in helping police rescue Elizabeth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANITA DICKERSON, TIPPED POLICE: We were going north on State Street, and we saw the three people walking off on the side of the road and I made a remark to my husband, because of the way they were dressed, you know, with flowers in the hair.
And my husband said, well, that may be, you know, the person they're looking for in the Elizabeth Smart case. And when he said that, then I leaned over and actually looked at the man in the face, and I said, I believe that is him.
And so I asked him to pull off the road, and I got out of the car, walked towards the back as they were walking up the sidewalk. And I looked him in the face, he looked at me. And I turned around, went back to my husband. I said, that's him. Let me have your cell phone. And I called.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: She is the mother of seven children. She said it wasn't a reward, which she didn't even know about, it was the fact that she thought she knew who that little girl was and she wanted to report it.
Now, Pat Brown is an investigative criminal profiler who helps police and the families of victims analyze cold cases. She joins us now from Minneapolis. Good evening, Pat.
Pat, this is one of the few occasions where, you know, we have such great news. I'm thrilled to have you with us. It is quite extraordinary, isn't it, that after nine months Elizabeth Smart was found?
PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: It's extremely extraordinary. And that's why we are all happy tonight. It's nice to be on TV for something good for once.
And, yes, usually when people are abducted, especially children and teenagers, they are dead within the day. And that's for most of them. Once in a great while you'll have someone who actually wants to keep someone around for whatever reasons they have and keep them as a prisoner. And in this case this is what happened to Elizabeth.
CHUNG: According to police they have no idea as to whether or not -- why she was being held. In general, would you say -- do you have any idea of why someone would abduct a young girl and hold her, keep her alive?
BROWN: Well, the usual bad case scenario is that the man wants someone for his sexual slave. And he often has a female that he's been abusing sexually and physically for a while, and then he kind of gets tired of her and she kind of gets tired of him. And he says, hey, look, I'll let you off the hook, why don't we go kidnap a girl and she can sort of take your place as a second wife, shall we say.
That's the worst case scenario. Hopefully, there was something better here than that.
CHUNG: What do you think that woman, Wanda Barzze was -- what was her purpose, do you think? She was the other person who was arrested tonight.
BROWN: Well, the partner of a person in this kind of crime usually is someone who is trying to please her man and also trying to get herself a bit of a break from whatever he is doing to her. So she will often just go along.
She'll be the one to watch over the prisoner when the man is not around. And she'll do some of the -- pretty much do all of his bidding and keep the prisoner in line for him and just make sure everything goes smoothly. And that makes her very useful to him, and she gets something out of that relationship back. I guess she gets to keep her man.
CHUNG: In your experience, Pat, what kind of recovery is Elizabeth going to go through?
BROWN: Pretty long one. We hope that not the worst has happened to her, but she's been in a situation where she's been a prisoner for all these months. She's been separated from her family.
And she has to deal with all kinds of feelings herself. Her feelings toward what happened to her, her feelings toward being so close to her family but actually not being able to be near them and not being able to reach out for help.
Many of these people, you know, actually, as they're kept prisoner, sometimes they are actually allowed to even go into the community and go into a store and come back out, yet they do not go screaming for help.
And that's a very strange thing. It's like, why wouldn't they do that? And the reason is they are so much under that person's power and control they believe that perhaps if they run they'll be shot or their family will be killed, and they suffer from all kinds of paranoia at that point.
So later on, when they do escape or when they're finally found, they say themselves, why didn't I run away? Why didn't I go home to my family? They suffer a lot of feelings of guilt and, you know, everything else that's happened to them might affect what their recovery is going to be.
We just hope that it's going to be -- I think Elizabeth is going to have a lot of support. So I think she should have a good recovery.
CHUNG: That's right. One of the reporters who was talking to the authorities, who were holding a news conference, asked if Elizabeth knew that her family was looking for her, and no doubt if she saw the billboards she knew that. But he was not able to answer whether or not she tried to escape. And that's what you were talking about. It's very difficult to know. He did say that he was confident that she was kidnapped but didn't -- was unable to tell us whether or not she tried to escape. Escaping can be very difficult for girls who are held under this kind of duress.
BROWN: And in the beginning, Connie, what they usually do is in the beginning the captor usually keeps his prisoner pretty well imprisoned. In other words, she might not have been able to leave whatever abode she was in, a house, a basement, a trailer, whatever she was in.
She may have been locked into a room for a pretty long time until she became totally under his control. And then little by little given a little bit more freedom, maybe to move around the house, or whatever. And then eventually months later able to go out into the public. And this was actually their mistake. So good, you know, that she's freed from that.
CHUNG: All right. Pat Brown, thank you so much for being with us.
And once again, in just a few minutes we should be hearing from members of Elizabeth Smart's family. They'll be holding a news conference. We'll bring it to you live.
Now, moments before police swooped in Todd McCall encountered the three, and he joins us now from Salt Lake City. Todd, thank you for being with us.
TODD MCCALL, WITNESSED ELIZABETH IN MITCHELL'S CUSTODY: Thanks, Connie.
CHUNG: You actually saw the three of them, including Elizabeth. Tell us what you saw.
MCCALL: As I was leaving the office, I saw this man. He was -- just looked like a transient. The two women with him were obviously transients, been living on the street. They looked like they had all their belongings there with them. I made eye contact with this man. He looked harmless. He looked -- he looked like they were just milling around, waiting for the bus.
CHUNG: Can you tell us what Elizabeth was doing and how she was dressed?
MCCALL: Elizabeth was crouched down, if that was her. The other lady was -- was much older, and I only saw her. I didn't see Elizabeth. She was crouched down, had a large hat on. Right next to the bus stop.
CHUNG: Was she -- you say she was wearing a large hat. Was she wearing glasses? Was she wearing any kind of clothes that were peculiar to you? MCCALL: Well, the clothing was definitely homemade, very odd- looking. You know, from their wrists to their ankles covered in clothes. But I didn't see -- I didn't see her face, or anything. She was, like I said, crouched down. And the other lady was standing.
CHUNG: How would you describe the man?
MCCALL: The man had a trimmed beard. He had some flowers and things in his hair. He looked like a leftover from like a flower child kind of person, like a hippie. And he looked just very calm, very peaceful-looking person. Just kind of milling around.
CHUNG: Did any of the three of them appear to be anxious or nervous to you?
MCCALL: No, no.
CHUNG: No?
MCCALL: No, they didn't.
CHUNG: Do you believe that Elizabeth was being held against her will? I mean, was she showing any evidence of sort of trying to get away?
MCCALL: No. It didn't look like anyone was in distress. And I just looked at them and i went to my appointment. It didn't seem odd to me at all. Looked like people waiting for the bus.
CHUNG: Todd McCall, will you stay right there? I want to go to something else, and I might come back to you.
This is Ed Smart, Elizabeth's father.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
ED SMART, FATHER OF ELIZABETH SMART: ... and everyone else back there that the AMBER Alert has got to be passed now and they should be held accountable. They should absolutely be held accountable. And there is no excuse.
So, if you're hearing me, which I certainly hope you do, you can tell me that you're putting it at the bottom of the list, but I think that everyone out here knows exactly where it's supposed to be. And that AMBER Alert, for the sake of all of the children of America, cannot be held ransom by you. And I hope that you will pull your head together and make the right choice and bring it forward, because there is no excuse.
And I will be there. I'm going to be there for those children that can't be there talking to you. But the AMBER Alert needs to pass. It needs to pass now. We can't wait another day, because there are hundreds of children that are kidnapped. And they do not have this help. They do not have this press coverage. And we need to have the AMBER Alert go through.
But I'm here to celebrate. I'm here to thank everyone. And I'm just so very grateful. I am so grateful. And thank you all.
QUESTION: Ed, you held out hope and you felt like your daughter was alive the whole time, when a lot of people were kind of giving up hope.
E. SMART: Well, I did. And I had some strong feelings that she was still out there. The past month or so, it's been really hard. I haven't felt strongly.
But I -- I'm just -- I am so happy. And I'm so grateful for the prayers and the help and the eyes out there. It is just absolutely wonderful.
QUESTION: What is it going to be like to have Elizabeth back home and part of your family after so many long nights of her being gone?
E. SMART: It is going to be absolutely wonderful. I don't know what she's gone through. And I'm sure she's been through hell. But I just know that she's a part of our family, she's loved, and we love her so much.
QUESTION: Is she looking healthy for what she's gone through?
E. SMART: She looks very healthy. She looks very, very healthy. She's grown a lot. And I'm just so absolutely thrilled. I just -- I couldn't believe it. In fact, I had to take a double-take and pull her back away from me and say, is it really you?
QUESTION: What are your thoughts about her apparent abductors at this point?
E. SMART: You know, I haven't even gone there. I'm so very grateful, so very grateful that we have her back. I'm sure that they are going to see justice. And I just pray and hope that they haven't had other kids out there like this, because we didn't know. We didn't know if it was Richard Ricci. We didn't know if it was Emmanuel. And we were just doing what we could. And it took everyone's help to try and find out.
QUESTION: What happens tonight, tomorrow? When does Elizabeth actually come up this driveway?
E. SMART: You know, I don't know. But I am so, so very glad that this has a happy ending. And I just want to thank everyone for their prayers, their love and support, not just here in Utah, but across the nation, across the world, because we've had that kind of support.
And it just goes back to the importance. All of the children out there deserve to come home to their parents, the way Elizabeth has come back to us. And I just hope and pray that Congress will quickly pass the AMBER Alert, so that those children will have a better chance, because they cross the state line and they're out of commission. And we need to have this here. We really do. But I just am so grateful and so thankful. Thank you very much.
QUESTION: Can you describe Elizabeth's demeanor? You said she looked good. She was bigger. But she's been through this horrible ordeal. Is she still scared? Is she excited? Is she happy?
E. SMART: I don't know. I mean, it was just -- I'm sure she was just thrilled to be back. I just -- such happiness and such love. And I just held her, held her the whole way home as we came up to the Salt Lake P.D. And I just -- I appreciate so much the countless hours that the police, the FBI, the state crime lab have put into this, because it's been a very tough, tough scenario.
We never -- when Mary Katherine came in to me that night, Mary Katherine didn't see -- after all of this, you can know. Jeanne Boylan did not come up with anybody. She found that Mary Katherine talked about features and familiarities, but she did not -- she wasn't able to come out and say, of course, it was Emmanuel or it was this person. But there were some likenesses. There were some familiarities. And it is truly a miracle to me that she was able to come up with him. It is nothing but a miracle.
QUESTION: Thanks, Ed.
E. SMART: Thanks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So that's the latest here from the Smart home.
CHUNG: A very happy father. That's Ed Smart, the father of Elizabeth Smart. He said that he is sure that his daughter went through hell. He said: I don't know what she's been through, but she looks very healthy and she's grown a lot.
She was only 14 when she was abducted. Now she's 15. He said that -- he was asked if he thought Elizabeth was still scared. And he said he really didn't know. He held her all the way on their ride back home. Ed Smart was fiercely passionate about asking Congress to pass the AMBER Alert Bill. It's a systematic way to find missing children.
He also referred to a very tough scenario, as he put it. Mary Katherine, the 9-year-old sister of Elizabeth, was in the same bedroom when she was abducted. And Mary Katherine was never able to really describe the person that she believes took her sister until about October of last year. She came into her father one day and said: I think I know who it is.
So she described this person, wasn't able to really describe very -- in great detail who he is. But, as it turns out, it's the man who ended up being caught by police with Elizabeth and with another woman.
Now, Lee Benson is a columnist for "The Deseret News." He's been writing about the disappearance of Elizabeth Smart from the very beginning. He joins us now from Salt Lake City.
I know, Lee, you were very passionate about this. What did you think when you found out that Elizabeth had been found?
LEE BENSON, "THE DESERET NEWS": I think the emotion of this whole community and this whole valley was just one of enormous relief and happiness. I mean, everybody kind of considered her part of their family after all the things that happened, and everybody that searched for her. It's a great day in Salt Lake City.
CHUNG: It sure is.
Now, just recently, you wrote a series of articles about the investigation of Elizabeth Smart and about her disappearance. Why did you do that?
BENSON: Well, it seemed that the case had kind of stagnated. And the Smarts, I knew, in talking to -- Ed's brother, who works for our newspaper, "The Deseret News." And I had a little bit of a sense that maybe the police were not going on this new lead, even though the eyewitness had suggested that it might be this Emmanuel person, as actively as they might.
And I thought, well, they went after a bunch of other suspects, or potential suspects, and it could be that maybe...
CHUNG: Lee, I just want to interrupt you for just one second.
We are just looking at a picture of the impending news conference that the Smart family is going to hold. And as soon as it starts, I'm going to interrupt you. So let me go back to you and let me allow to you finish up what you were saying.
Go ahead.
BENSON: All right.
It's just that, because of the police perhaps maybe being, I don't know, worn out or they didn't want to follow this lead -- and it just seemed to me that, when an eyewitness had that kind of information, that it needed to be more aggressively done.
CHUNG: What can you tell us about this man who was arrested, Brian David Mitchell?
BENSON: In the interviews that I had with various members of his family, including members of his extended family, it appears that he took off on a different path, let's say, quite a few years ago.
He was a well-known fixture on the streets in downtown Salt Lake. He'd dress up like Moses or like Jesus. And he felt it was his calling in life to collect money from people and give them a chance to serve. Apparently, things just kind of spun out of control for this guy.
CHUNG: Lee Benson, I'm going to interrupt you for a moment. Stay right there, if you would.
We're going to join a news conference now. (JOINED IN PROGRESS)
CHRIS THOMAS, SMART FAMILY SPOKESPERSON: ... family spokesperson.
Today, you'll hear from David Smart, who is Elizabeth's uncle; Tom Smart, who is another uncle; Cynthia Smart-Owens, who is an aunt; and then Missy Larsen -- M-I-S-S-Y L-A-R-S-E-N -- as well as myself will be addressing.
To give you an update, Ed and Lois and the family are spending this evening together. They will not be doing any interviews for 24 hours. They want time as a family. And we hope that you will respect this privacy. Contacting them directly will hurt your chances to get an interview. So please go directly through me.
David Smart has a statement from the family.
DAVID SMART, UNCLE OF ELIZABETH SMART: First of all, we'd like to just come out and say, with the darkness -- with the darkness that surrounds us in these times of the possibility of war that could be coming upon us and a miracle that has been brought to us, an incredible miracle that has been brought to our family, words cannot express how grateful we are for the prayers around the world.
Do miracles still exist? And the answer is yes. And we have Elizabeth back.
We also would like to thank Brian's sister for her courage in coming forward and giving this information to law enforcement, and for those also that came forward today. And with the public awareness, with their awareness, were able to give this information to law enforcement to bring Elizabeth back in, we cannot express how grateful we are to them for doing this.
We also would like to thank law enforcement. It is the relationship, which is very important to understand, the relationship between law enforcement, family, and media, and especially the public, the public's awareness, in being able to keep their eyes open, being alert, and reporting information in to law enforcement, it's this type of symbiotic relationship that is going to help bring -- that brought Elizabeth home, but will also help bring many other missing children home.
If you want to talk about heroes in this story, Mary Katherine is our hero. Mary Katherine...
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
D. SMART: Mary Katherine has stood fast in what she knew and what she didn't know. And when she did remember, she came forward and had the courage to go forward to her parents and tell them that it might be Emmanuel. And she held fast to that. And for a 9-year-old girl to go through the trauma that she has gone through and has held fast to that is extraordinary.
I'd like to pass the time over to my brother Tom to talk about a couple of other things.
(APPLAUSE)
T. SMART: Thank God. Thank God.
From the beginning of this ordeal we've been through, we've felt very strongly that this was not about wealth, race. It wasn't. It was about a missing little girl. And there's missing children throughout America that have been benefited because of the awareness of this. We pray for those families. We knelt as a family in prayer in gratefulness praying for them. And we pray for you.
We have a father here, Shane Cywick (ph), whose daughter was saved from an abduction very soon into this thing because of the awareness. And that's important. My brother has dedicated his life to finding the truth here. But, most importantly, one of the things is, is the AMBER Alert. And he has rallied, and very strongly, because those first few hours are so critical to having the national -- a national alert. And Jake Garn here has offered his support behind it.
Utah's congressional and Senate, Senator Hatch, they have all been very much for it. And I just want you to know that I know that, if Edward was here -- and he is here in spirit -- he would say to please -- to bless the other people that we've been so blessed. It is a miracle. And Mary Katherine is our hero. Nobody can pretend to be in the club that Edward and Lois been in. They said this is a club no one wants to be in. And we pray for those people who have missing children and hope that this awareness will help them.
This is my sister Cynthia.
(APPLAUSE)
CYNTHIA SMART-OWENS, AUNT OF ELIZABETH SMART: On behalf of Edward, I guess I'd like to stand and also challenge. This is the most unusual reunion, the most wonderful we could ever, ever hope to have.
And while this is being celebrated across the country, we would challenge every senator and every congressman to quickly enact the AMBER Alert. It needs to be done, and every child deserves that. That's the least we can do.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SMART-OWENS: I'd also publicly like to thank the lord God almighty. In Isaiah, it says: "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered, for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and I will save thy children. And all flesh shall know that I, the lord, am thy savior and thy redeemer. Sing, oh heavens. Be joyful, oh earth. And break forth into singing, oh mountains, for the lord hath comforted his people and will have mercy upon his afflicted."
Thank the lord God almighty. Thank you for your prayers. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
T. SMART: This neighborhood, the Federal Heights neighborhood, everybody's been ripped up. Everybody's helped. Everybody's prayed to do whatever they can. We thank God for all the searchers, for all the people. In the history of the world, I don't think a little girl has been prayed for more than Elizabeth Smart. And we thank you for answering those prayers.
SMART-OWENS: Thank you.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
T. SMART: I'm not answering any questions, but I do want to thank the wonderful people in law enforcement, including the Salt Lake City Police and the FBI.
There have been people -- Cordon Parks (ph) and Bill Silver (ph) from the Salt Lake City Police, thank you for the last nine months of giving your life to this. And thank you to the many unnamed people that we can't name. Thank you.
QUESTION: Any family members take questions?
D. SMART: Well, just one second. We want to give more of a human side here. Chris Thomas, our spokesperson, was present at the reunion and would give some words on that.
THOMAS: I just wanted to give a couple of details.
Elizabeth is very healthy. She seems to be very sharp, very articulate, was very, very happy to be reunited with her family, a very tearful occasion. She -- it was a reunion, just like she'd been at school for a long time, where she started asking questions about how her brothers and sisters were doing. The fact that Andrew got straight A's surprised her.
(LAUGHTER)
THOMAS: And those types of questions were going back and forth.
Ed and Lois are doing well. I think they're still in somewhat of a state of shock. But they cannot, again, express their appreciation to everyone enough for everything that's been done.
Law enforcement has told the Smarts that they believe that Elizabeth is doing very well, considering what she's been through. They have not given them a lot of details as far as the questioning. And we're going to leave the facts tonight to law enforcement to answer regarding the investigation. The family would like to express their appreciation and to celebrate this time and not speak about a lot of those details.
Missy Larsen also was there for part of the reunion.
MISSY LARSEN, SMART FAMILY SPOKESPERSON: I just brought her little brother William in. And as William and she saw each other, it was such a wonderful reunion for them to just hug. And they -- he would hug her and look at her and hug her and look at her and couldn't believe, I think, as a 4-year-old now, that his sister is home.
And she was very, very sharp. Law enforcement told us while we were there that, as her questioning, he said, she's so sharp and articulate and bright, that the information she is giving them is just far beyond what they can imagine. So she is doing very, very well.
And, again, just hearing Ed and Lois today, they appreciate everybody so, so much. And they appreciate the love and the prayers and everything. Elizabeth will be overwhelmed. She was overwhelmed just by seeing her family. And I know that the public just wants to pour out their love to her. But, in doing that, please be aware that it has been an overwhelming experience for her and that the distance would be very nice for her.
Thank you.
QUESTION: Missy or Chris, recognizing that there is still an investigation, are you able to talk about how Elizabeth explained the last 9 1/2 months?
LARSEN: We don't know that. She's been in questioning with the police and we have not been there. So we really don't know any of those details.
QUESTION: We also have, 2 News, a picture. And I believe it is on that monitor right next to the podium. This is a picture taken at a party in September. And it is taken by a man who said he was at the party and Mr. Mitchell was there and there were two women in veils. And this may be Elizabeth, one of the women. Have you seen the picture? And if not, now you're looking at it. What's your reaction to it?
THOMAS: There was another report from a local restaurant, also this alleged suspect being spotted with two veiled women. The person who worked there thought possibly that it could be her, so it would not come as a surprise.
QUESTION: And this was only blocks away from the Smart family home.
LARSEN: Yes. And the restaurant wasn't far away either.
QUESTION: Having her right under your nose, so to speak, that has to be -- well, what's your reaction to that?
THOMAS: Well, I think we're grateful for the people today who took action, because, obviously, there were a lot of people who saw her, whether they realized it or not, and were reluctant to call in. And we're hoping that the public will be very vigilant regarding any type of criminal activity in coming forward with information.
QUESTION: A Seattle newspaper is reporting, quoting police sources, that she's been in a polygamist marriage with Emmanuel in Sandy this whole time. Is there any truth to that?
THOMAS: I wouldn't know. I couldn't speculate on that.
LARSEN: Well, the police did talk about, was she kidnapped? And they said, yes, she was kidnapped.
THOMAS: They did confirm this.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) know anything about that?
LARSEN: So we know nothing about that.
QUESTION: How has Elizabeth changed? I mean, when the family saw her, physically, different hair, different look, different physical build, anything change over the last couple months?
THOMAS: Ed mentioned that he was surprised at how much she'd grown up during that time.
LARSEN: She still has long blonde hair. But, as we can see, and what we've heard from the sightings, she was always veiled. So I don't think they felt like they needed to do anything real drastic to her normal looks, because they kept her under cover. But, no, she doesn't look incredibly different. She has aged.
QUESTION: Could Tom (OFF-MIKE) anyone in the family sort of talk about who gave them the news first? What meant through your mind? Who did you call first? What was that initial moment like?
THOMAS: Do you want to answer this, Tom?
T. SMART: Sure.
Edward called me. And he was just told that the police called him and asked him to come right down to the Sandy Police Department. Ed and I have talked. And we believed that she was alive. And we've -- we have -- I just -- that's what we thought he was going down for. He was very nervous. But...
QUESTION: They didn't tell him on the phone, then, that they found her and she was alive?
T. SMART: They didn't tell him that, no. He just went down there and -- obviously, it was important.
QUESTION: Did she make any attempts to escape from where she was being held?
THOMAS: Again, we weren't in on the questioning.
Back to your question, though. Ed called me, I think, right after Tom, and said -- we had another interview scheduled for about that time -- and said: I'm not going to be able to make it. I've been called to the Sandy Police Department. I don't know why. They told me to come down without stopping, just to get here as quickly as I possibly could. QUESTION: So Ed reunited with Elizabeth in Sandy?
LARSEN: Yes.
THOMAS: Yes. Yes.
And also I would like to thank the Sandy Police Department. We understand that they did a terrific job, as well as all of law enforcement. But I especially would like to express the family's appreciation for their efforts this afternoon.
QUESTION: You have kind words for law enforcement, and yet this information about Mitchell has been around for a number of months. And, at some point, the family was not pleased with the way the police department was handling the investigation. Did the police drag their feet and could she or should she have been found earlier?
THOMAS: We're not law enforcement. And I really would hate to speculate, not walking in their shoes. The important thing is that we have Elizabeth back tonight. And beyond that -- beyond that, at this point, we just want to celebrate the fact that we have her.
(APPLAUSE)
QUESTION: Did the family all, throughout this whole ordeal, besides Ed and Lois, who seem to have been expecting her to return, how was the extended family? Have you guys thought that she would return? Or is this something that -- was hope starting to fade? How were you guys dealing with it?
T. SMART: Because of all the searching and everything that's gone on and because of the prayers, we knew that, statistically, it was not -- that it would be nothing less than a miracle, but we've always believed in miracles.
QUESTION: How soon will Elizabeth be making statements? Or what will the next 24 to 48 hours entail for her?
THOMAS: Right now, the focus is on Elizabeth. The family is spending time together. Outside of that, they have no plans. As far as Elizabeth making a public appearance, there are no plans at this point. I don't know if there will be future plans to do that or not.
QUESTION: Could you talk about Mary Katherine's reunion?
THOMAS: Mary Katherine was elated to see her younger sister. I talked to her...
(CROSSTALK)
THOMAS: I'm sorry.
Mary Katherine was elated to see her older sister. She was pulled out of class two minutes before school ended and was given the information. She said she couldn't believe it. QUESTION: Did Elizabeth give you any indication that she knew that there was this huge search effort for her or did she have no clue what was going on (OFF-MIKE)
THOMAS: She didn't really go into detail. I saw her for maybe 15 minutes.
LARSEN: And it was all with the family. They were really -- it was a reuniting. They weren't talking about what was going on, on the outside. They were really talking about each other. And it was -- yes, and what -- yes, each other.
QUESTION: Missy and Chris, you said that she didn't offer an explanation as to what occurred or how she survived or how she was treated over nine-plus months. What did she say in that reunion?
LARSEN: I just came in at the tail end.
THOMAS: And I saw just part of it, Brian (ph). But to answer -- I know where you're going with this. And to answer your question, my understanding is that she camped a fair amount of that time. She also traveled around the country to different places.
QUESTION: Did she say where?
THOMAS: I believe Ed mentioned San Diego, but I'm not positive.
LARSEN: And she had said something about a desert, but we don't know where that is.
QUESTION: Do we know how she was transported or taken to these places?
LARSEN: No.
THOMAS: We don't at this time. That would be something for law enforcement to discuss.
QUESTION: Is it true that he spent the first few nights up in just the hills just up behind the neighborhood here?
THOMAS: I have heard that. I don't know the validity of it.
QUESTION: Do you know if she tried to escape? Did she say that she wanted to come home?
THOMAS: She definitely wanted to come home. She was very happy to see her family. She said -- apparently, she said that she -- there was no way, that she had two people with her at all times.
QUESTION: Was she ever threatened in any way?
THOMAS: I don't know the answer to that. Initially, she was.
QUESTION: Did she have any indication that she knew that she had returned to Utah? THOMAS: Again, I don't know. I just have -- I just have a very, very shallow understanding of that.
If we could take just a couple more questions.
QUESTION: Has she been seen by a doctor?
QUESTION: Is there any indication as to why her, why did they take her? Is there any idea?
LARSEN: No.
THOMAS: We still don't know the motive on it. And it's something the police are trying to figure out.
The other question is, has she been taken to a hospital? Yes, she has.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) she was examined and then released and given a clean bill of health?
THOMAS: I know she was taken. I don't know if she's been released yet.
QUESTION: Are you aware how the suspects were identified?
THOMAS: I don't know.
QUESTION: Did she ever have access to a phone or could she communicate any other way?
THOMAS: Again, I don't know the answer to these questions.
LARSEN: I highly doubt it.
THOMAS: Hopefully, we'll be able to give you some more information tomorrow and as this progresses.
Thank you.
QUESTION: I'm just wondering, earlier at the press conference, there were two suspects mentioned. And I know this might be out of your realm of understanding, quite obviously. I'm just wondering if you know if there's any relation between the two suspects mentioned this afternoon and the Smart family or with each other or if you know anything about that at all.
LARSEN: I believe there's no relationship, no.
QUESTION: OK.
THOMAS: Thank you.
LARSEN: Thanks. T. SMART: I just want to thank one person. There are millions of people to thank here. But thank you, Wayne Owens (ph), up there. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
CHUNG: Members of the family of Elizabeth Smart and friends of Elizabeth Smart.
She is healthy. She's articulate. She's sharp. They say that she is doing just terrifically well. Ed and Lois, the parents, were in shock, they say. Elizabeth apparently camped and traveled around the country, perhaps even in the desert.
I'm going to turn these duties over to my colleague Larry King now.
And we thank you so much for joining us. Do miracles still exist? The answer is yes.
Good night.
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