Elizabeth Smart Opens Up About Her 2002 Kidnapping in New Netflix Documentary

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The Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, released on January 21st, features Elizabeth Smart recounting the night she was taken from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her abductor, Brian David Mitchell, believed he was acting on divine instruction.

For nine months, Mitchell held Smart captive and subjected her to repeated sexual assault. On March 12, 2003, she was discovered walking alongside a highway with Mitchell and his wife.

The documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart details the extensive search for Elizabeth Smart, including interviews with her family and the police investigators involved. The film also features Elizabeth Smart herself, sharing her journey of recovery and her current life.

Here’s a look at the major milestones in the case.

The night Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped

One of the most disturbing parts of the documentary focuses on the night Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped. Her younger sister, Mary Katherine, was in the room and saw everything happen. In the film, Mary Katherine recalls saying prayers with Elizabeth before going to sleep. She then remembers waking up to a man in their bedroom threatening to kill Elizabeth if she made a sound, leaving her frozen with fear.

Smart recalls the terrifying moment she woke up to find a knife pressed against her throat. “I was so scared,” she explains. “I didn’t know if he was going to harm me, or even kill me. I kept hoping my parents would hear something and come help, but no one did.”

Mary Katherine was stunned, but she finally found the strength to tell her parents that her sister was gone. They initially believed she was having a bad dream, but a broken window quickly proved that someone had broken into their home.

I remember Elizabeth Smart saying a man, who called himself Emmanuel David Isaiah but was actually Brian David Mitchell, led her from her backyard and up into the woods. He kept telling her he wasn’t going to hurt her, that he wouldn’t rape or kill her. They eventually got to a tent, and a woman came out – she went by Hephzibah, but her name was Wanda Barzee. She was wearing a long robe and a head covering. She hugged Elizabeth and even washed her feet, then gave her clothes just like hers to wear.

Smart recalls feeling terrified after the abuse started, remembering a moment where she felt like something terrible was about to happen. She says he declared her his wife ‘before God and his angels,’ and when she protested, he threatened to harm her if she cried out again, even saying he’d tape her mouth shut. He then sexually assaulted her, causing her significant pain. Afterwards, he claimed God had instructed him to kidnap seven young women, and that her sister and cousin were his next targets.

Life in captivity

In 2002, Smart revealed that Mitchell repeatedly sexually assaulted her throughout their time at a campsite, sometimes multiple times a day. She stated that following each assault, he would then spend 45 minutes in prayer.

What struck me most about this character wasn’t his religious fervor, but his insatiable need for control. As the actress put it, he didn’t believe in God so much as he used the idea of God to excuse his actions. Ultimately, it was all about power – the feeling of being in charge, of dictating events. That hunger, that desire to control, was the driving force behind everything he did, far more than any spiritual conviction.

According to Smart, his wife witnessed his constant mistreatment of her. He reportedly controlled her by withholding food when he felt she didn’t obey, and even put a leash around her neck, forcing her to walk to a spring for water. He also allegedly made her drink beer until she threw up, leaving her lying in her own vomit.

Mitchell was aware authorities were searching for Elizabeth Smart and cruelly teased her with news clippings and missing person posters, letting her know the whole city was looking for her but that he would prevent her rescue. He even showed her the knife he threatened to use on anyone who tried to save her.

How Elizabeth Smart was rescued

Around four months after her daughter was kidnapped, Mary Katherine suddenly realized that Emmanuel, a former handyman for the family, might be responsible. Her mother, Lois, first encountered Mitchell in downtown Salt Lake City in November 2001, when he asked her for five dollars, which she gave him. She then hired him for a day to fix their roof and rake leaves. He got along well with Mary Katherine’s parents, and they invited him back for future home repairs, but he disappeared and they never heard from him again.

The Smart family actively sought publicity regarding Mitchell’s disappearance, even releasing a police sketch themselves when they felt the investigation was too slow. This led to a call from a man who believed Mitchell might be related to his brother-in-law. In the documentary, Smart’s uncle, Tom, plays a recording of this conversation, where the caller describes Brian David Mitchell as living in a teepee in the mountains.

The turning point in the film comes when the family shares the sketch of the suspect, explains executive producer Claire Goodlass. This led Mitchell’s brother-in-law to come forward with crucial information, which revitalized the police investigation.

Investigators followed up on the lead and discovered Mitchell had been arrested for shoplifting beer in September 2002, which was around the time Susan Powell went missing.

On March 12, 2003, a 911 call reported suspicious figures—people in long white robes and veils, matching descriptions from the TV show America’s Most Wanted—walking along a highway in Sandy, Utah, near Salt Lake City. This occurred shortly after Elizabeth Smart and her captors arrived by bus from California. As media coverage of her disappearance increased, Mitchell attempted to take her to San Diego to avoid capture. However, Smart cleverly convinced him to return to Salt Lake City, claiming God had communicated with her—using language that mirrored Mitchell’s own distorted beliefs, according to director Benedict Sanderson. Sanderson is amazed by Smart’s resourcefulness at age 14 and notes that she played a more active role in her rescue than initially understood.

When police arrived in Sandy, they immediately approached the youngest girl and showed her a flyer with a picture of Elizabeth Smart, asking if she was the girl in the photo. The girl responded with an old-fashioned phrase, saying, “Thou sayeth.”

As a critic of true crime narratives, I find the details of this case particularly disturbing. Steven Mitchell received a life sentence after being convicted of kidnapping and sexually exploiting a minor, taking them across state lines. His accomplice, Lori Barzee, admitted to the same crimes and, after serving fifteen years, was released back into society in 2018. It’s a chilling reminder of the darkness that exists, and the long-lasting impact on victims.

Where is Elizabeth Smart now?

After she was rescued, Smart struggled with feelings of guilt.

“I was scared of men,” she says. “I felt a lot of shame and embarrassment about what happened.” 

Despite everything she went through, Elizabeth Smart didn’t give up. She finished high school soon after being rescued and later graduated from Brigham Young University. Now 38 and living in Utah with her husband and three children, she shares, “I always hoped to find someone to love, and I did.”

As a movie lover, I’ve always been struck by incredible true stories, and Elizabeth Smart’s is one of them. After everything she went through, she founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation to help others who’ve experienced sexual violence. She’s incredibly brave, sharing her story in two memoirs and by speaking publicly. She’s really focused on reaching out to other survivors, letting them know they’re not alone and that there’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of – and that message really resonates with me.

The film concludes by showcasing her resilience, both physically and emotionally. Viewers will hear her reflect on finding inner strength as they see her running through the mountains where she was once held captive, according to director Sanderson. The documentary ends with Smart declaring, “I’m stronger than I thought I was.”

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2026-01-21 22:07