5 – Elizabeth Smart (2002)
Smart suffered a harrowing nine-month ordeal after her kidnap on June 5, 2002, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The case attracted widespread media attention as America was shocked that a 14-year-old girl could be snatched from her bedroom where she was supposed to be safe. Just after midnight on the fateful night, Brian Mitchell snuck into Smart’s bedroom, held a knife to her throat and told her not to make a sound. He marched her out of the house and into a camp in the forest where his wife, Wanda Barzee, awaited.
Mitchell believed he was a prophet called Immanuel and he performed a bizarre marriage ceremony before telling Smart that she was now his wife. Mitchell and Barzee held Smart captive for nine months, moving between Utah and California. Mitchell raped his unfortunate victim on a daily basis. Also, he forced her to consume alcohol and marijuana while starving her for several days at a time. During the ordeal, Mitchell routinely tried to convince his victim that he was, in fact, a prophet.
Smart’s traumatized sister, Mary Katherine, shared a bedroom with Elizabeth and was fortunate not to be taken on the night of the kidnapping. She pretended to be asleep and tried to identify the assailant. For months, she struggled to remember until one day, she recalled a laborer who worked at the house called Immanuel and came to the conclusion that he was the kidnapper, as he resembled the attacker on the harrowing night.
Eventually, the police identified the man as Brian Mitchell and featured his picture on an episode of America’s Most Wanted in February 2003. On March 12, 2003, someone spotted Mitchell walking with a young girl in a veil and sunglasses and alerted the authorities. Police swooped in and arrested Mitchell and Barzee, and Smart returned home to her family that same day.
Due to questions about Mitchell’s mental state, the case against him and his wife dragged on for years. Finally, Barzee was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The court dismissed Mitchell’s insanity defense, and on May 25, 2011, he was found guilty and sentenced to two life sentences.
One would expect Smart’s life to be ruined by such a horrible experience (like Steven Stayner), but remarkably, she has managed to lead a fulfilling life to date. Just weeks after her return, Smart hiked with her family to the camp where she was held hostage for nine months. She enrolled at Brigham Young University to study music performance in 2008 and in 2013, she released ‘My Story,’ a memoir outlining the horrors she faced while in the clutches of Mitchell.