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CNN Live At Daybreak

Elizabeth Smart's Ordeal

Aired March 14, 2003 - 07:04   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now that she's home safe again after nine months of captivity, the focus is turning to the question in the Elizabeth Smart case: Did police handle the investigation properly? A lot of second-guessing going on at this hour. And why didn't Elizabeth try to escape during those nine months?
Let's check in with Rusty Dornin, who is standing by live in Salt Lake City. She has the very latest on the investigation for us this morning.

Good morning -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, the thing that's so incredible is how close Elizabeth Smart was to her own home immediately following her abduction. Apparently, she was just taken to the foothills above her house, and was kept there camping for months. Yes, she could hear the searchers, but she even was close enough that she could hear her own uncle calling out her name. She stayed up there, and then in October apparently they boarded a bus for San Diego.

Now, they came upon people, they met people in the street, they went to parties, they were in the park. No one recognized her.

Now, we have a picture of the trio walking in a park in San Diego, and I think you can get a good idea of why people didn't recognize her. She was fully robed, veiled, only her eyes showed when she was walking around town apparently with Mitchell and his wife.

Now, many people are saying, well, why couldn't she have walked away during these parties or when she was at a mall or that sort of thing? And apparently police are saying that her abductors had a very powerful influence on her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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. The other part of the question is whether she had compassion for them. Again, there is no -- she was psychologically affected by this abduction and by this imprisonment. And to say that she could walk around in a free area where she could have walked away is to say that she was affected by them psychologically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now, she was so powerfully affected that police, when they even approached her on the street in Sandy the other day, she blurted out, "I know who you think I am; you think I'm Elizabeth Smart, that girl who ran away." When police pressed her, they said, "Do this for your family, we know you are Elizabeth Smart." She responded with a biblical quote saying, "Thou sayest."

Now, but apparently it looks like Elizabeth Smart has recovered somewhat. We don't know how well from her ordeal -- nine-month ordeal, but these family photos taken just the day after she was found show her having a birthday party with family, with her uncles, with her grandmother, a very smiling Elizabeth Smart.

And I spoke to a couple of her cousins, who say she seems to be really doing great. She seems very happy. But the family is very careful about not asking her what did happen. Her father is still saying, "I am not ready to go there yet."

And the interesting thing is that police are saying that just from the very short interview they had with her, she was so articulate about what happened to her that they are not planning to interview her anytime soon -- Paula.

ZAHN: So, I know, Rusty, among the theories that are being explored by police is this polygamy angle, allegedly that Brian Mitchell was a polygamist and apparently was seeking a second wife. But there's another theory that also has taken some weight among certain investigators, and that's the theory you set forward yesterday, the idea that in some way Elizabeth was seen as a completion, as a daughter for Ms. Barzee. Tell us a little more about that.

DORNIN: Well, his wife apparently, her daughter lived with them for a very short period of time, and ended up leaving because she was very uncomfortable around Mitchell and went to live with her own father. And apparently Ilene Brazee was very, very upset about that. And so there are, you know, some theories that perhaps she was taken to fill in to be a daughter.

There was at one point that someone asked Mitchell who Elizabeth was when she was covered up, and he responded, "It's my daughter." That was with a gentleman that they stayed with apparently in his apartment for a week.

So, there may have been that going on. The FBI, you know, is very reticent to talk about this polygamy theory. They will only say that he is a self-proclaimed polygamist, but they will not say whether they believe that absolutely that's why Elizabeth was taken.

ZAHN: Rusty Dornin, thanks for the update.

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 - 07:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now that she's home safe again after nine months of captivity, the focus is turning to the question in the Elizabeth Smart case: Did police handle the investigation properly? A lot of second-guessing going on at this hour. And why didn't Elizabeth try to escape during those nine months?
Let's check in with Rusty Dornin, who is standing by live in Salt Lake City. She has the very latest on the investigation for us this morning.

Good morning -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, the thing that's so incredible is how close Elizabeth Smart was to her own home immediately following her abduction. Apparently, she was just taken to the foothills above her house, and was kept there camping for months. Yes, she could hear the searchers, but she even was close enough that she could hear her own uncle calling out her name. She stayed up there, and then in October apparently they boarded a bus for San Diego.

Now, they came upon people, they met people in the street, they went to parties, they were in the park. No one recognized her.

Now, we have a picture of the trio walking in a park in San Diego, and I think you can get a good idea of why people didn't recognize her. She was fully robed, veiled, only her eyes showed when she was walking around town apparently with Mitchell and his wife.

Now, many people are saying, well, why couldn't she have walked away during these parties or when she was at a mall or that sort of thing? And apparently police are saying that her abductors had a very powerful influence on her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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. The other part of the question is whether she had compassion for them. Again, there is no -- she was psychologically affected by this abduction and by this imprisonment. And to say that she could walk around in a free area where she could have walked away is to say that she was affected by them psychologically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now, she was so powerfully affected that police, when they even approached her on the street in Sandy the other day, she blurted out, "I know who you think I am; you think I'm Elizabeth Smart, that girl who ran away." When police pressed her, they said, "Do this for your family, we know you are Elizabeth Smart." She responded with a biblical quote saying, "Thou sayest."

Now, but apparently it looks like Elizabeth Smart has recovered somewhat. We don't know how well from her ordeal -- nine-month ordeal, but these family photos taken just the day after she was found show her having a birthday party with family, with her uncles, with her grandmother, a very smiling Elizabeth Smart.

And I spoke to a couple of her cousins, who say she seems to be really doing great. She seems very happy. But the family is very careful about not asking her what did happen. Her father is still saying, "I am not ready to go there yet."

And the interesting thing is that police are saying that just from the very short interview they had with her, she was so articulate about what happened to her that they are not planning to interview her anytime soon -- Paula.

ZAHN: So, I know, Rusty, among the theories that are being explored by police is this polygamy angle, allegedly that Brian Mitchell was a polygamist and apparently was seeking a second wife. But there's another theory that also has taken some weight among certain investigators, and that's the theory you set forward yesterday, the idea that in some way Elizabeth was seen as a completion, as a daughter for Ms. Barzee. Tell us a little more about that.

DORNIN: Well, his wife apparently, her daughter lived with them for a very short period of time, and ended up leaving because she was very uncomfortable around Mitchell and went to live with her own father. And apparently Ilene Brazee was very, very upset about that. And so there are, you know, some theories that perhaps she was taken to fill in to be a daughter.

There was at one point that someone asked Mitchell who Elizabeth was when she was covered up, and he responded, "It's my daughter." That was with a gentleman that they stayed with apparently in his apartment for a week.

So, there may have been that going on. The FBI, you know, is very reticent to talk about this polygamy theory. They will only say that he is a self-proclaimed polygamist, but they will not say whether they believe that absolutely that's why Elizabeth was taken.

ZAHN: Rusty Dornin, thanks for the update.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.