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CNN Live Today
Elizabeth Smart's Ordeal
Aired March 14, 2003 - 10:22 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to begin in Salt Lake City and the center of Elizabeth Smart's ordeal. While police are saying very little about her physical treatment during the nine-month absence, they say there is evidence of psychological effects that are already apparent.
Our Rusty Dornin is in Salt Lake City, and she has more on that.
Rusty, good morning.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
A lot of questions about the psychological effects her abduction. You can see from the local news paper, that that's what they're looking for, one of the headlines, has Elizabeth become a psychological victim? So the curious thing is how long she was kept captive, basically in plain sight. That was possible because, of course, they were dressing up in religious garb.
We have a photograph taken in a park in San Diego, Mitchell, his wife and Elizabeth Smart, and you can see why no one did recognize her.
But the question, of why didn't she try to escape? Her family says she is a survivor, she went into the survival mode. She was afraid if she revealed it, something might happen. We spoke to Sandy Police this morning who talked about when they approached her two days ago that she was very reticent to say who she was and kept telling them her name was "Augustine Mitchell."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL O'NEAL, SANDY, UTAH POLICE: I know who you guys think I am, and we said who do you think we think you are? She said you think I'm Elizabeth Smart girl. We said, yes, you're right. She said, well, I'm not. And at that point, we said, look, we're out of earshot, you're safe, it's over, we know who you are, just tell us who you are, it's done, it's over, and she continued with Augustine, but physically, though, her eyes were welling up, her heart was pounding in her chest, she was very physically -- or emotionally, you could tell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Now, they even confronted her with a picture of herself from a poster, and then finally said, we know who you are, please tell us and she responded with a biblical quote, saying, though sayeth. And that's when she admitted it, officers say. Afterwards, she was relieved, although she did cry in the patrol car. They did make the observation, though, that there was something a little bit lost in her eyes, that she wasn't your average 15-year-old teenager, that it was obvious she had been through some kind of ordeal.
Of course here in Salt Lake City, there will be a police news conference later today, and the suspects are expected to face official charges, but also tonight is going to be a celebration, a very special celebration, thrown by the family. It's in park, Liberty Park, where there were many candlelight vigils for Elizabeth Smart. Tonight, they're going to be celebrating her home coming.
KAGAN: You know, when you think, Rusty, about what this girl has been through for the last nine months, your mind just races. I mean the list is just endless of what she could -- the poor thing could have been through. I want to focus though instead on the law enforcement here and the incredible number of near misses that law enforcement had in bringing the suspects into custody and, in fact, did once, and still that didn't lead to Elizabeth.
DORNIN: Well, at that point, they brought him into custody in San Diego. He was accused of burglarizing a church, and that, frankly, was last month. That was before any kind of bulletin had been put out on Mitchell. There was no bulletin put out on him until March 1st. They were still focusing much on Richard Ricci. Even now, the mayor of Salt Lake City is becoming somewhat critical of the police department here.
The family, the Smart family is saying, look, we know there were mistakes made along the way, but the important thing is that Elizabeth is home safe.
KAGAN: Well, that she is, and we're all happy for that.
Rusty Dornin, Salt Lake City, thank you so much.
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 - 10:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to begin in Salt Lake City and the center of Elizabeth Smart's ordeal. While police are saying very little about her physical treatment during the nine-month absence, they say there is evidence of psychological effects that are already apparent.
Our Rusty Dornin is in Salt Lake City, and she has more on that.
Rusty, good morning.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
A lot of questions about the psychological effects her abduction. You can see from the local news paper, that that's what they're looking for, one of the headlines, has Elizabeth become a psychological victim? So the curious thing is how long she was kept captive, basically in plain sight. That was possible because, of course, they were dressing up in religious garb.
We have a photograph taken in a park in San Diego, Mitchell, his wife and Elizabeth Smart, and you can see why no one did recognize her.
But the question, of why didn't she try to escape? Her family says she is a survivor, she went into the survival mode. She was afraid if she revealed it, something might happen. We spoke to Sandy Police this morning who talked about when they approached her two days ago that she was very reticent to say who she was and kept telling them her name was "Augustine Mitchell."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL O'NEAL, SANDY, UTAH POLICE: I know who you guys think I am, and we said who do you think we think you are? She said you think I'm Elizabeth Smart girl. We said, yes, you're right. She said, well, I'm not. And at that point, we said, look, we're out of earshot, you're safe, it's over, we know who you are, just tell us who you are, it's done, it's over, and she continued with Augustine, but physically, though, her eyes were welling up, her heart was pounding in her chest, she was very physically -- or emotionally, you could tell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Now, they even confronted her with a picture of herself from a poster, and then finally said, we know who you are, please tell us and she responded with a biblical quote, saying, though sayeth. And that's when she admitted it, officers say. Afterwards, she was relieved, although she did cry in the patrol car. They did make the observation, though, that there was something a little bit lost in her eyes, that she wasn't your average 15-year-old teenager, that it was obvious she had been through some kind of ordeal.
Of course here in Salt Lake City, there will be a police news conference later today, and the suspects are expected to face official charges, but also tonight is going to be a celebration, a very special celebration, thrown by the family. It's in park, Liberty Park, where there were many candlelight vigils for Elizabeth Smart. Tonight, they're going to be celebrating her home coming.
KAGAN: You know, when you think, Rusty, about what this girl has been through for the last nine months, your mind just races. I mean the list is just endless of what she could -- the poor thing could have been through. I want to focus though instead on the law enforcement here and the incredible number of near misses that law enforcement had in bringing the suspects into custody and, in fact, did once, and still that didn't lead to Elizabeth.
DORNIN: Well, at that point, they brought him into custody in San Diego. He was accused of burglarizing a church, and that, frankly, was last month. That was before any kind of bulletin had been put out on Mitchell. There was no bulletin put out on him until March 1st. They were still focusing much on Richard Ricci. Even now, the mayor of Salt Lake City is becoming somewhat critical of the police department here.
The family, the Smart family is saying, look, we know there were mistakes made along the way, but the important thing is that Elizabeth is home safe.
KAGAN: Well, that she is, and we're all happy for that.
Rusty Dornin, Salt Lake City, thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
