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CNN Live Sunday
Police Search for New Insight Into Smart's Kidnapping
Aired March 16, 2003 - 18:47 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Ed Lavandera spent the day tracking the police investigation as detectives search for new insight into the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart. He joins us now from Salt Lake City. Good afternoon.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Anderson. Well, law enforcement authorities here in Salt Lake City, Utah, the different agencies that have been working this case for the last nine months have spent most of the weekend meeting, preparing a strategy and the timing of how exactly they're going to bring against the charges against Brian David Mitchell and his wife.
We're told by family -- Elizabeth Smart's family that Elizabeth Smart has met with authorities several times recounting to them the ordeal that she's gone through over the course of the last nine months.
And Elizabeth Smart's family today also said that while they think that Brian Mitchell is someone, is a person who needs help and they would like to see him get help, they also think that he should spend the rest of his life in prison so that he could no longer torment Elizabeth Smart. That's what they had to say.
Now, as far as Elizabeth, the family said that she is doing well, spending time at home, has had the opportunity to meet with several friends. They're limiting the number of people that she does see, trying to ease her back into a daily routine here in Salt Lake City.
One of her aunts says that she's starting to play the harp again, which as you might have paid attention to over the course of the last nine months is something she would like to do dearly. But they say the important thing at this point, and the one thing that they're taking a lot of precautions in, is making sure they just ease her back into it, not put a lot of pressure on her so that she can regain a normal life here in Salt Lake City.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The starting of therapy really though is having her with her family, having her surrounded with love, and letting her know how much she is appreciated and how much she is worth to us, her self worth. That's very important and we're just going to take it very, very slowly and not rush her into anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LAVANDERA: The family says they've been paying attention to what Patty Hearst has been saying in several news media accounts over the last couple of days, saying that they've listened to her and they say that it should just be up to Elizabeth to want to be able to talk about what has happened to her over the course of the last nine months.
The family also says that there are no plans. They haven't made any decisions as to how Elizabeth will be brought back into school. She has told her family members though, we're told, that she would like to graduate with her class but she's missed most of this school year so they're trying to figure out a way to make that happen.
And, of course, what we've heard a lot over the last couple of days are the different close encounters. As you mentioned just a little while ago, Anderson, that Elizabeth Smart presumably also with Brian Mitchell and his wife were seen at a Christmas dinner at a homeless shelter in San Diego on Christmas Day.
The family says that although that -- you know they see them. They see a lot of missed opportunities. In the end here they're just extremely grateful for the way everything here has turned out.
And one last note, the family has received more than 13,000 e- mails from around the world congratulating them and wishing them well and wishing Elizabeth well. They say they're completely overwhelmed by that reaction -- Anderson.
COOPER: Ed, it's interesting that you bring up Patty Hearst. She was on "LARRY KING LIVE" a couple days ago and one of the things she said that really struck me was that at some point in the aftermath of all this that having to go over it and over it and over it again with investigators and prosecutors and police made it much more difficult, sort of get over it or sort of recover in whatever way one can do that.
Is that one of the things the family -- I mean you mentioned earlier that she has already talked to investigators. Is she going to have to do that a lot more in the coming weeks and months?
LAVANDERA: You know what, this is an excellent point because it's exactly the type of thing I think the family has taken to heart from what Patty Hearst has been saying, and we asked a family spokesperson earlier today if the family is trying to limit the number of interviews that they have with authorities.
They wouldn't come out and say so directly but the overall message is that they're trying to take every precaution possible and every caution possible they need to to make sure that Elizabeth doesn't do exactly that, relive at someone else's expense her that have to relive all these different stories and have people drag that out of her. They want her to be able to just come out and say it whenever she's ready to say it. They feel that's going to be the most important part of her recovery.
COOPER: All right, Ed Lavandera, thanks very much. LAVANDERA: Sure.
COOPER: Elizabeth Smart's first weekend home, thanks very much Ed.
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 16, 2003 - 18:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Ed Lavandera spent the day tracking the police investigation as detectives search for new insight into the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart. He joins us now from Salt Lake City. Good afternoon.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Anderson. Well, law enforcement authorities here in Salt Lake City, Utah, the different agencies that have been working this case for the last nine months have spent most of the weekend meeting, preparing a strategy and the timing of how exactly they're going to bring against the charges against Brian David Mitchell and his wife.
We're told by family -- Elizabeth Smart's family that Elizabeth Smart has met with authorities several times recounting to them the ordeal that she's gone through over the course of the last nine months.
And Elizabeth Smart's family today also said that while they think that Brian Mitchell is someone, is a person who needs help and they would like to see him get help, they also think that he should spend the rest of his life in prison so that he could no longer torment Elizabeth Smart. That's what they had to say.
Now, as far as Elizabeth, the family said that she is doing well, spending time at home, has had the opportunity to meet with several friends. They're limiting the number of people that she does see, trying to ease her back into a daily routine here in Salt Lake City.
One of her aunts says that she's starting to play the harp again, which as you might have paid attention to over the course of the last nine months is something she would like to do dearly. But they say the important thing at this point, and the one thing that they're taking a lot of precautions in, is making sure they just ease her back into it, not put a lot of pressure on her so that she can regain a normal life here in Salt Lake City.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The starting of therapy really though is having her with her family, having her surrounded with love, and letting her know how much she is appreciated and how much she is worth to us, her self worth. That's very important and we're just going to take it very, very slowly and not rush her into anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LAVANDERA: The family says they've been paying attention to what Patty Hearst has been saying in several news media accounts over the last couple of days, saying that they've listened to her and they say that it should just be up to Elizabeth to want to be able to talk about what has happened to her over the course of the last nine months.
The family also says that there are no plans. They haven't made any decisions as to how Elizabeth will be brought back into school. She has told her family members though, we're told, that she would like to graduate with her class but she's missed most of this school year so they're trying to figure out a way to make that happen.
And, of course, what we've heard a lot over the last couple of days are the different close encounters. As you mentioned just a little while ago, Anderson, that Elizabeth Smart presumably also with Brian Mitchell and his wife were seen at a Christmas dinner at a homeless shelter in San Diego on Christmas Day.
The family says that although that -- you know they see them. They see a lot of missed opportunities. In the end here they're just extremely grateful for the way everything here has turned out.
And one last note, the family has received more than 13,000 e- mails from around the world congratulating them and wishing them well and wishing Elizabeth well. They say they're completely overwhelmed by that reaction -- Anderson.
COOPER: Ed, it's interesting that you bring up Patty Hearst. She was on "LARRY KING LIVE" a couple days ago and one of the things she said that really struck me was that at some point in the aftermath of all this that having to go over it and over it and over it again with investigators and prosecutors and police made it much more difficult, sort of get over it or sort of recover in whatever way one can do that.
Is that one of the things the family -- I mean you mentioned earlier that she has already talked to investigators. Is she going to have to do that a lot more in the coming weeks and months?
LAVANDERA: You know what, this is an excellent point because it's exactly the type of thing I think the family has taken to heart from what Patty Hearst has been saying, and we asked a family spokesperson earlier today if the family is trying to limit the number of interviews that they have with authorities.
They wouldn't come out and say so directly but the overall message is that they're trying to take every precaution possible and every caution possible they need to to make sure that Elizabeth doesn't do exactly that, relive at someone else's expense her that have to relive all these different stories and have people drag that out of her. They want her to be able to just come out and say it whenever she's ready to say it. They feel that's going to be the most important part of her recovery.
COOPER: All right, Ed Lavandera, thanks very much. LAVANDERA: Sure.
COOPER: Elizabeth Smart's first weekend home, thanks very much Ed.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
