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CNN Live At Daybreak
Man, Woman Being Held in Kidnapping of Utah Teen
Aired March 14, 2003 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN ANCHOR: Back in the U.S., the two suspects being held in connection with the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart face one count of aggravated kidnapping each. Meanwhile, police are trying to piece together what happened in the nine months she was missing.
Let's get more now from CNN's Kimberly Osias in Salt Lake City.
Good morning.
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Holly.
Police are now saying that Elizabeth was abducted at knifepoint, not at gunpoint like they had originally thought. They also believe that she was taken to the canyons and camped there in an area right around her home for about two months.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OSIAS (voice-over): Although police say Elizabeth was so close she could hear rescuers calling her name, investigators were far from finding her. In fact, they say she traveled in disguise and rode cross-country by bus with David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, now being held in a Salt Lake City jail facing counts of aggravated kidnapping.
Mitchell also spent time in a San Diego jail charged with church burglary.
CHIP BURRUS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: At this point, we've been able to match his fingerprints to an individual that was arrested down in San Diego. He gave a different name.
OSIAS: People in Salt Lake say David Mitchell was a religious fanatic, who wanted to convert everyone to Christianity. While it was two sets of witnesses who spotted Smart, it was Smart's younger sister, the only eyewitness in the case, who made the key connection.
ED SMART, ELIZABETH'S FATHER: I cannot get over that she was inspired to come forward on Emmanuel.
OSIAS: Grandparents described the homecoming as Thanksgiving in March. These pictures show a peek into those precious private moments.
Ed Smart believes his daughter was brainwashed by Mitchell and held against her will. Police say running wasn't an option.
CHIEF RICK DINSE, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: There is no question that at the time of the abduction, she was in fear and was fearful for a period of time.
OSIAS: Today, a push for Elizabeth's privacy and a deep desire for federal Amber alert systems, so that Elizabeth's nine-month ordeal might benefit others in the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
No formal charges have been made or an arraignment date set -- Holly.
FIRFER: Thank you, Kimberly.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired March 14, 2003 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN ANCHOR: Back in the U.S., the two suspects being held in connection with the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart face one count of aggravated kidnapping each. Meanwhile, police are trying to piece together what happened in the nine months she was missing.
Let's get more now from CNN's Kimberly Osias in Salt Lake City.
Good morning.
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Holly.
Police are now saying that Elizabeth was abducted at knifepoint, not at gunpoint like they had originally thought. They also believe that she was taken to the canyons and camped there in an area right around her home for about two months.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OSIAS (voice-over): Although police say Elizabeth was so close she could hear rescuers calling her name, investigators were far from finding her. In fact, they say she traveled in disguise and rode cross-country by bus with David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, now being held in a Salt Lake City jail facing counts of aggravated kidnapping.
Mitchell also spent time in a San Diego jail charged with church burglary.
CHIP BURRUS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: At this point, we've been able to match his fingerprints to an individual that was arrested down in San Diego. He gave a different name.
OSIAS: People in Salt Lake say David Mitchell was a religious fanatic, who wanted to convert everyone to Christianity. While it was two sets of witnesses who spotted Smart, it was Smart's younger sister, the only eyewitness in the case, who made the key connection.
ED SMART, ELIZABETH'S FATHER: I cannot get over that she was inspired to come forward on Emmanuel.
OSIAS: Grandparents described the homecoming as Thanksgiving in March. These pictures show a peek into those precious private moments.
Ed Smart believes his daughter was brainwashed by Mitchell and held against her will. Police say running wasn't an option.
CHIEF RICK DINSE, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: There is no question that at the time of the abduction, she was in fear and was fearful for a period of time.
OSIAS: Today, a push for Elizabeth's privacy and a deep desire for federal Amber alert systems, so that Elizabeth's nine-month ordeal might benefit others in the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
No formal charges have been made or an arraignment date set -- Holly.
FIRFER: Thank you, Kimberly.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
