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American Morning

Interview with Ed, Lois Smart

Aired June 10, 2002 - 07:01   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: "Up Front" this morning, a family clinging to hope, investigators maddened by a lack of leads, and saddest of all, a little girl still lost.

Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the Utah girl who was kidnapped at gunpoint from her bedroom last week, is still missing. Some 4,000 volunteers spent the weekend helping police comb the Salt Lake City area, and the entire community is rallying around the girl's family.

Just moments ago, I spoke with Elizabeth's parents, Ed and Lois Smart.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (on camera): Mr. and Mrs. Smart, thank you very much for being with us this morning.

ED SMART, ELIZABETH'S FATHER: Thank you.

ZAHN: Lois, what is the latest information police have given you about this investigation?

LOIS SMART, ELIZABETH'S MOTHER: Well, they are doing everything in their power to press forward and to find Elizabeth.

E. SMART: They are -- you know, they are following up on hundreds of leads that they are receiving from, you know, people here in Salt Lake, throughout Utah, throughout the nation, and...

L. SMART: As far as Brazil.

E. SMART: We have just had an outpouring of love, and it has really been tremendous what the community, what the nation is doing for us.

ZAHN: I know you feel greatly empowered because of the number of volunteers that are helping in the search, and yet, Scott Atkinson of the Salt Lake City Police Department yesterday talked about some of the frustration they are beginning to feel. We are going to listen in on what he communicated to reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CAPT. SCOTT ATKINSON, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: I think our investigators are becoming very frustrated. As we get leads and follow them up, most of them aren't going anywhere. So we would encourage you to continue to call and give us any information that you might have, but I would say we are quite frustrated at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Ed, are you feeling that same sense of frustration yet?

E. SMART: You know, it is -- it's really hard having Elizabeth gone from us, and you know, it gets harder as the time goes by. We still have tremendous faith. And, Elizabeth, know that we are trying to get -- trying to help you in every way we can, and please, please hang in there. We love you very much. Your brothers and sisters send their love. We just want so much for you to be back home with us. You know, I carried your harp upstairs into the living room last night, and I couldn't help but feel you, and I love you very much.

L. SMART: Be strong, Elizabeth.

E. SMART: We want you to come home.

L. SMART: Be strong.

E. SMART: We want you to come home. And we ask that everyone pray for her. We pray that the -- that the perpetrator of this will soften his heart, realize what he has done. Please, please let her go. Please let her come home.

L. SMART: We need her, and she needs us, please.

E. SMART: You know, it's just heartbreaking to not have her at home. It's very difficult.

ZAHN: Ed, we know you had to be hospitalized for exhaustion last week, and we know obviously this is taking its toll on your children. In particular, how is your daughter, Mary Catherine, holding up? She, of course, is your nine-year-old daughter who was in the room at the time of the kidnapping.

L. SMART: She is completely away from here, and she is surrounded by a grandmother and cousins and aunts and uncles who are lifting her up and making her happy, and she is doing very well.

E. SMART: Very well.

ZAHN: I know last week, Ed, when you talked, you sort of reminded us of the circumstances and how she was threatened and told not to talk to you, and waited for a couple of hours after the kidnapping. Are you trying to not deal with this at all with her on an emotional level, so she can just try to escape?

L. SMART: Yes. We are just trying to help her to lead the normal life that she has been used to and not keep bringing this up. E. SMART: You know, we just -- we don't want it to be any harder than it absolutely has to be on the children, and you know, having them surrounded by their cousins and family, who they have a very strong bond with. They love being with them. And it's something that we, as a family, you know, just believe very strongly in the institution of family, you know, extended family. And our family has just been amazing.

And I would extend that to our community that they are our family, and we can't thank them enough. They have -- you know, they have been there. Every time we come down here to the Shriners, we start going through, and you know, there is so much love and support, it is just -- you know, it's amazing. It is one of the best feelings that we have.

ZAHN: We should point out that thousands of people showed up for a candlelight vigil in Elizabeth's honor last night. In addition to that, some 4,000 volunteers have been mobilized in the search. How much of a help has that been to investigators?

L. SMART: I think they have been a great support to them. They have turned up things, and they are working together. And through this effort, we're going to find her.

ZAHN: Before we let you go, is there any final word? I know that you wanted to make yet another direct plea to the person who may be responsible for Elizabeth's kidnapping.

E. SMART: Just that this person needs to realize that we love her. We love her so much. She is the light of our lives. And he just needs to let her go. He just...

L. SMART: Please let her go.

E. SMART: Please, be good to her. Please let her go and come home to us. I just really pity this person. I don't know why. I just can't even conceive of why he would come in and take her, but please, please, please have pity on our family and release her. Please know that we really, really need her home.

ZAHN: Lois Smart, Edward Smart, thank you again for joining us this morning. Our thoughts are with you as your family endures this horrible nightmare -- good luck to you.

L. SMART: Thank you so much.

E. SMART: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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