Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Talk with Elizabeth Smart's Uncle
Aired March 14, 2003 - 08:03 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: More now on our top story this morning. As authorities work hard to uncover exactly what happened to Elizabeth Smart during the past nine months, her father spoke yesterday about the joy of finally having her home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED SMART, ELIZABETH'S FATHER: Last night when we got her home, we did a few things. Everyone was pleading with her to get on the harp and she struggled through a couple of pieces. She says, well, it's been nine months. But it was absolutely wonderful to hear her play. We spent some time together watching her favorite video, which was, is "Trouble With Angels." And it's just, it's unbelievable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: For more now on the family's incredible story, we're joined by Elizabeth's uncle, David Smart.
Welcome back, David.
Good to see you again.
Tell us how Elizabeth's getting along.
DAVID SMART, ELIZABETH'S UNCLE: Elizabeth is doing very, very well. Elizabeth is a survivor. She's been in that survival mode for the last nine months and just to see her interact with all of her cousins yesterday as I was up at the house, all the cousins were surrounding her and she was having her hair cut. A good friend of the family came over and cut her hair. And she just had a smile from ear to ear that was always there. And she was joking with her cousins of how tall they had gotten and it was just, it was very comforting to see her responding in the manner that she was and I'm very happy about that.
ZAHN: You just described her as a survivor and I know the chief of police yesterday at the news conference talked about her strength and actually pointed to the fact the he believed she was psychologically influenced by her captors.
What can you tell us about that?
DAVID SMART: I really can't get into any of the details of that. But, you know, in such a traumatic situation, being taken at knifepoint, it was nice that, to have Chief Dinse clarify that he cut the screen, that Brian David Mitchell cut the screen, that he went in through the window. And I know, as a family, we've come under some scrutiny in the beginning and off and on about that.
But he went in through that window and took Elizabeth at knifepoint. This wasn't a runway situation. He took her at knifepoint and then went from there.
But just the survival, what must have happened, what must have been going through her mind that morning when he came in and she asked why are you doing this? And, you know, just what must have been going through her mind of, you know, is my younger sister going to be in jeopardy if I do anything wrong here or if I yell out? Is he going to do something to any of the other family members?
But she's incredible. And just in going through that, it's difficult to think what was going through her mind in that whole process and that she did what she was told too, she -- and because of that, we have her today. And I think that's a very important thing to understand, that with her going through and doing what she was told to do, that she survived this. And we probably wouldn't have her today if she didn't.
And we're just, I mean we're just happy to have our angel back and no matter what she's been through, the horrific -- you know it's going to be a horrific thing, and I've heard this polygamy thing and off and on I've heard this polygamy theory and maybe, maybe that might be a case here. I don't know.
But one thing I can say is she was taken at knifepoint. She was taken against her will and she did what she had to do to survive. And I love her, the family loves her and we're going to support her in any possible manner we can. And I'll tell you, as a family, we have laid it all on the line through this whole thing. We've told law enforcement we would do whatever we had to do. And we came under fire at times for that. But so be it. And we have Elizabeth back now.
ZAHN: And, David, I guess I was struck by when you talked about the importance to your family of having the police confirm that the screen of the home was actually, in the door, was actually cut by a knife. Are you saying that because you believe that until very recently some members of your family have remained under suspicion?
DAVID SMART: Well, there have been those who have continually, because in the very beginning of this horrific event, they were, they did not get their way in being able to have people come in and bypass law enforcement and they continued, even last January, brought up my brother Tom's name again under scrutiny. And it's just very, very frustrating that this individual who has been in a situation much like this would step out and make the kind of comments he made just for the mere fact that he wasn't able to get his way in having someone get in and talk to Mary Katherine.
And it's because Mary Katherine was not tainted from outside that -- and allowing her to with time, psychologists -- I had heard psychologists and I had also heard other law enforcement agents say, officers say, you know, with time it may just be some odd thing that all of a sudden this memory pops. Something will jar her memory where she would remember something about that night and why it's, why this individual seemed so familiar to her.
And we did not ask her questions about that. The family tried to preserve that. We had, law enforcement were the only ones that were asking those type of questions, unless she offered that up to her parents. And I firmly believe that because we took this approach, we listened to law enforcement on that issue with Mary Katherine and all of a sudden, sure enough, our little hero came up with the single most important lead in this entire investigation.
ZAHN: Well...
DAVID SMART: And coming to her parents and saying I think I know who might have done this. And that, and saying that Emanuel and the questioning, well, why do you think that and her response with some detail about this individual and her parents going well, yes, that's right. He did have that, or that's right, he did act that way.
And so she was incredible and I think that was, I think that was really, with all of the prayers that were given, that was god sent...
ZAHN: A heroine, indeed.
DAVID SMART: ... to be able to have her come up with that.
ZAHN: Well, David Smart, always good to see you.
Thank you very much for spending some time with us this morning.
DAVID SMART: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: Good luck to your family.
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 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on our top story this morning. As authorities work hard to uncover exactly what happened to Elizabeth Smart during the past nine months, her father spoke yesterday about the joy of finally having her home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED SMART, ELIZABETH'S FATHER: Last night when we got her home, we did a few things. Everyone was pleading with her to get on the harp and she struggled through a couple of pieces. She says, well, it's been nine months. But it was absolutely wonderful to hear her play. We spent some time together watching her favorite video, which was, is "Trouble With Angels." And it's just, it's unbelievable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: For more now on the family's incredible story, we're joined by Elizabeth's uncle, David Smart.
Welcome back, David.
Good to see you again.
Tell us how Elizabeth's getting along.
DAVID SMART, ELIZABETH'S UNCLE: Elizabeth is doing very, very well. Elizabeth is a survivor. She's been in that survival mode for the last nine months and just to see her interact with all of her cousins yesterday as I was up at the house, all the cousins were surrounding her and she was having her hair cut. A good friend of the family came over and cut her hair. And she just had a smile from ear to ear that was always there. And she was joking with her cousins of how tall they had gotten and it was just, it was very comforting to see her responding in the manner that she was and I'm very happy about that.
ZAHN: You just described her as a survivor and I know the chief of police yesterday at the news conference talked about her strength and actually pointed to the fact the he believed she was psychologically influenced by her captors.
What can you tell us about that?
DAVID SMART: I really can't get into any of the details of that. But, you know, in such a traumatic situation, being taken at knifepoint, it was nice that, to have Chief Dinse clarify that he cut the screen, that Brian David Mitchell cut the screen, that he went in through the window. And I know, as a family, we've come under some scrutiny in the beginning and off and on about that.
But he went in through that window and took Elizabeth at knifepoint. This wasn't a runway situation. He took her at knifepoint and then went from there.
But just the survival, what must have happened, what must have been going through her mind that morning when he came in and she asked why are you doing this? And, you know, just what must have been going through her mind of, you know, is my younger sister going to be in jeopardy if I do anything wrong here or if I yell out? Is he going to do something to any of the other family members?
But she's incredible. And just in going through that, it's difficult to think what was going through her mind in that whole process and that she did what she was told too, she -- and because of that, we have her today. And I think that's a very important thing to understand, that with her going through and doing what she was told to do, that she survived this. And we probably wouldn't have her today if she didn't.
And we're just, I mean we're just happy to have our angel back and no matter what she's been through, the horrific -- you know it's going to be a horrific thing, and I've heard this polygamy thing and off and on I've heard this polygamy theory and maybe, maybe that might be a case here. I don't know.
But one thing I can say is she was taken at knifepoint. She was taken against her will and she did what she had to do to survive. And I love her, the family loves her and we're going to support her in any possible manner we can. And I'll tell you, as a family, we have laid it all on the line through this whole thing. We've told law enforcement we would do whatever we had to do. And we came under fire at times for that. But so be it. And we have Elizabeth back now.
ZAHN: And, David, I guess I was struck by when you talked about the importance to your family of having the police confirm that the screen of the home was actually, in the door, was actually cut by a knife. Are you saying that because you believe that until very recently some members of your family have remained under suspicion?
DAVID SMART: Well, there have been those who have continually, because in the very beginning of this horrific event, they were, they did not get their way in being able to have people come in and bypass law enforcement and they continued, even last January, brought up my brother Tom's name again under scrutiny. And it's just very, very frustrating that this individual who has been in a situation much like this would step out and make the kind of comments he made just for the mere fact that he wasn't able to get his way in having someone get in and talk to Mary Katherine.
And it's because Mary Katherine was not tainted from outside that -- and allowing her to with time, psychologists -- I had heard psychologists and I had also heard other law enforcement agents say, officers say, you know, with time it may just be some odd thing that all of a sudden this memory pops. Something will jar her memory where she would remember something about that night and why it's, why this individual seemed so familiar to her.
And we did not ask her questions about that. The family tried to preserve that. We had, law enforcement were the only ones that were asking those type of questions, unless she offered that up to her parents. And I firmly believe that because we took this approach, we listened to law enforcement on that issue with Mary Katherine and all of a sudden, sure enough, our little hero came up with the single most important lead in this entire investigation.
ZAHN: Well...
DAVID SMART: And coming to her parents and saying I think I know who might have done this. And that, and saying that Emanuel and the questioning, well, why do you think that and her response with some detail about this individual and her parents going well, yes, that's right. He did have that, or that's right, he did act that way.
And so she was incredible and I think that was, I think that was really, with all of the prayers that were given, that was god sent...
ZAHN: A heroine, indeed.
DAVID SMART: ... to be able to have her come up with that.
ZAHN: Well, David Smart, always good to see you.
Thank you very much for spending some time with us this morning.
DAVID SMART: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: Good luck to your family.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
