Elizabeth Smart, the activist who was kidnapped in 2002, has proven she can achieve anything she sets her mind to. Just days after sharing her interest in bodybuilding, she won first place in her category – NPC Fit Model – at the Wasatch Warrior competition.
At the Salt Lake City event on April 18th, 38-year-old [Name]—who has three children with her husband, Matthew Gilmour—explained her reasons for sharing her new hobby.
Elizabeth explained in an Instagram post on April 22nd that she had hesitated to share something because she feared judgment and worried people wouldn’t take her seriously. She was concerned this might make others question her ability to continue supporting survivors. However, over the weekend, she realized how common these feelings are among those who have experienced trauma.
Elizabeth acknowledges that being a survivor is part of who she is, but she doesn’t want it to define her completely.
She explained that she’s interested in a wide range of subjects and isn’t defined by a single thing. As she’s gotten older, she’s increasingly focused on appreciating the present moment, because you never know what the future holds.
Elizabeth doesn’t know what the future holds, but she’s feeling good right now thanks to bodybuilding.
She explained that her body has helped her overcome every difficult experience and even brought three wonderful children into the world. Because of everything it’s allowed her to do, she proudly embraces it and refuses to feel ashamed.
When Elizabeth Smart was just 14 years old, she experienced an incredibly difficult ordeal. She was kidnapped from her bedroom and held captive for nine months by Brian David Mitchell, who is now in prison for life for kidnapping and sexually exploiting her. He was convicted of taking her across state lines for this purpose.
Even though the mother of three said she was afraid after what happened, she decided to live without fear, both for her own well-being and to inspire other survivors, following Brian’s trial in 2011.
Elizabeth explained to CNN that once she realized details of her experience would become public, she wanted to use it to help others, which led her to become an advocate.
For more on Elizabeth’s kidnapping and how it affected her and her loved ones, keep reading…
When Elizabeth Smart disappeared from her home in Salt Lake City on June 5, 2002, investigators initially had to explore the possibility that the disappearance involved someone within her family.
According to lead investigator Cory Lyman in the 2026 Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, the family initially appeared happy and normal. However, statistically, most abductions of this kind are committed by a parent or another family member, so investigators quickly focused their attention on them.
He remembered that investigators did detailed interviews and took 12 computers from the large Smart family.
Lyman realized the alarm hadn’t been set and there were no signs anyone had used the kitchen window – no scuff marks from a chair, for example. He began to suspect the break-in wasn’t what it seemed. He thought someone might have cut the window screen after they’d already entered the house, creating a false impression of how they got in.
Investigators found no evidence of wrongdoing on the family’s computers and in their email accounts. Elizabeth Smart’s father, Ed Smart, also passed a lie detector test, and eventually, all family members were ruled out as suspects.
Losing a daughter is a terrible experience,” Ed explained in Kidnapped. “And to then be considered a suspect made it even more overwhelming; I couldn’t find the words to describe it.
Ed Smart said that when his wife, Lois, who is the mother of their six children, suggested the police believed he was concealing information, he became so overwhelmed he began to shake uncontrollably.
Ed remembered his father threatening to have him committed if he didn’t get control of himself. His father then took him to the hospital and had him admitted to the psychiatric ward, where Ed spent the entire night crying.
Early in the investigation, Ed’s brother, Tom Smart, often spoke to the press and urged the police to take action. He became a key public spokesperson for the case.
Following reports of unclear polygraph results and observations of Tom’s nervous behavior – his brother, Dave Smart, noted he seemed “really jittery” in his account in Kidnapped – people began to wonder if Tom was concealing something.
Tom admitted in the Netflix documentary that he hadn’t made a good impression during a previous interview. In that interview, he appeared to sympathize with the person who had taken Elizabeth, saying things like “we understand everyone has issues,” and even called the case “a wonderful story” because of Elizabeth being “a beautiful little angelic girl.” He now recognizes how those comments likely came across.
He believed anyone watching the interview would likely conclude Tom Smart is unhinged and possibly guilty. Afterward, his wife told him he had deeply harmed the family.
At the time, Tom explained, he was exhausted and didn’t care how he sounded.
“All that mattered was locating Elizabeth,” he explained. “We didn’t need their permission or approval – honestly, we didn’t care what they thought. We already knew we were in the clear.”
Investigators discovered a woman’s remains, and Lyman had to inform Ed and Lois that they might be those of Elizabeth.
Ed recalled the phone call, saying, ‘The girl’s body was so badly burned, she was unrecognizable.’ He explained he’d tried to distance himself emotionally until the news was certain.
Lyman acknowledged the deceased was another unfortunate person, but added that it was especially painful to see the Smart family grieving.
Ed remembered feeling relieved, but he also couldn’t stop worrying and wondering about her safety and what was happening.
Mary Katherine Smart was Elizabeth’s roommate when her sister was kidnapped. Because she was the only one who saw what happened, the nine-year-old was questioned many times by the police.
I’ve always understood they kept her isolated to protect her memories. They didn’t want anything happening with the rest of the family to cloud what she remembered, so she was shielded from it all.
In the Netflix documentary, Mary Katherine described feeling isolated and desperate to understand what was happening, but people kept her at a distance. She struggled to recall who had taken Elizabeth, recognizing the voice but not where she’d heard it. Eager to assist in any way possible, she even underwent hypnosis. However, she felt intense pressure from all sides, which was incredibly overwhelming for a nine-year-old.
On June 14, 2002, Richard Ricci, a contractor who had previously worked on the Smart home, was arrested for violating his parole—an offense unrelated to his work there.
When police discovered Lois’ jewelry with Ricci, he was arrested for burglary and immediately became the main suspect in Elizabeth’s disappearance.
In a police interview, Ricci claimed he had no knowledge of the kidnapping. However, he wouldn’t explain why his Jeep had been driven hundreds of miles the day she disappeared.
After seeing the man on the news, Mary Katherine insisted that the person who had been in their bedroom wasn’t Ricci.
On July 24, 2002, someone tried to break into the home of Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle. Police discovered a hole in a window screen and two chairs positioned beneath the bedroom window of their 18-year-old daughter.
Despite the lack of definitive leads, police believed they were nearing a breakthrough in the case. Eager for information, Lyman stated in the documentary that they proposed a deal to Ricci: immunity from prosecution in exchange for helping locate Elizabeth, as long as he hadn’t been involved in her disappearance or death. Unfortunately, Ricci suffered a brain aneurysm while in jail and passed away on August 27, 2002.
“I felt awful,” Lyman said. “Our prime suspect died, taking all the information he had with him. It left us with no leads and a really tough situation. As a police officer, you try to stay detached, but I was starting to lose that emotional control.”
After her sister was kidnapped, Mary Katherine was afraid of going to sleep and would always wait for her father to come and tuck her in at night.
In the documentary, Mary Katherine recalled that about four months after her disappearance, she was looking through a copy of the Guinness World Records when, unexpectedly, the name of her abductor came to her mind.
She suddenly recalled that the man, Brian David Mitchell, sometimes went by the name Emmanuel. He was a transient who claimed to be a prophet and had done various jobs for people in town, including work for the Smart family.
Mitchell kidnapped Elizabeth while threatening her with a knife and took her to a mountain campsite where he and his wife, Wanda Barzee, were living.
For days, hundreds of people tirelessly searched the area around Elizabeth’s home. Eventually, they almost found her.
In Kidnapped, Elizabeth recalled hearing her name, though it was very quiet. Then, Emmanuel brought her into the tent and, drawing his knife, threatened, ‘If anyone enters this camp, I’ll kill them, and you’ll be to blame.’
She said she only heard her name called a couple of times before the sound disappeared completely.
While held captive by Mitchell, Elizabeth reported experiencing repeated sexual assault and severe psychological abuse.
She described the rape as horrific, but also wondered if enduring his constant justifications was even more damaging. He endlessly talked about his own importance and framed his actions – which would normally be considered wrong – as necessary because he believed God had commanded him to do them.
In September 2002, Mitchell and Barzee took Elizabeth to Lakeside, California, and discussed continuing their journey to cities like New York or Boston.
Elizabeth remembered quietly listening, feeling that if they moved to another large city, she would be lost forever. She felt it was crucial to voice her thoughts, or everything would be ruined, so she told Mitchell she believed they needed to return to Salt Lake City. She urged him to pray about it, saying, ‘If you ask God, he’ll confirm if that’s the right direction and if you truly are his prophet.’
Elizabeth remembered him saying, ‘It seems God is finally helping you.’ He then added, ‘Now that you understand you’re insignificant, we’re expected to go back to Salt Lake.’
The Smart family believed Mary Katherine’s memory of Emmanuel was a major step forward, but the police weren’t convinced.
Investigators were skeptical of her recollection, according to retired Salt Lake City Police Detective Cordon Parks, as featured in the Netflix documentary. Her identification relied on recognizing a voice, which can be used as evidence, but isn’t considered highly reliable.
Lyman agreed, but he admitted he’d had his doubts. He explained that Emmanuel hadn’t been on their radar – he wasn’t among the people they were looking into.
Police advised the Smarts against releasing a drawing of Emmanuel. Lyman explained that their thinking was, making the sketch public might frighten the person they were looking for. They already had a name and a drawing, so they wanted to avoid tipping him off.
The Smarts responded with their own press conference, revealing what they knew. This led to a crucial clue – Mitchell’s true identity – thanks to a tip from his family, who also shared additional photos to help with the search.
Mitchell, along with Elizabeth and Barzee, was spotted as soon as they stepped off the bus in Sandy, Utah on March 12, 2003.
Lyman expressed relief that her family hadn’t followed the police’s advice about releasing a sketch, saying it was a good thing they went against it.
Police Sergeant Victor Quezada of Sandy City received a report about Mitchell’s location and then spotted him while on patrol. Mitchell was with two women, and one of them appeared much younger than the other.
“I was hesitant to believe it would turn out to be true,” he said in the doc.
Oh my god, hearing Elizabeth talk about it still gives me chills! She said this police officer just kept asking if she wanted to go home, and it was the worst thing ever because her captors were literally RIGHT THERE! She was so scared, she just needed to say something that would keep her safe, you know? It’s just… heartbreaking. She had to be so careful with every single word.
Quezada explained that he eventually asked the girl, “Please, for the good of our country and your family, just tell me you’re Elizabeth.” She responded with a phrase he’d never heard before: “Thou sayeth.” He took it as a confirmation and considered it a ‘yes’.
Elizabeth recalled being silent when she finally saw her dad again at the police station.
Honestly, when she said that, my heart just melted. It took her a second to answer, and she admitted she thought she was in trouble! But then she talked about her dad being there for her, promising to protect her and never leave her side. It was so sweet and just… everything. I could feel her relief, and it was like, yes! That’s the dad everyone deserves! I probably teared up a little, not gonna lie.
Mitchell claimed he wasn’t responsible for his actions due to mental illness. However, on December 11, 2010, a jury convicted him of kidnapping a child and taking them across state lines for sexual exploitation.
The man received a life sentence, meaning he will never be released from prison. After being attacked multiple times while incarcerated, the 72-year-old was moved in October 2025 from the high-security U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute to a medium-security facility, Federal Correctional Institution-Lewisburg in Pennsylvania, as reported by Indiana Public Media.
In 2009, Barzee, then 79 years old, admitted to kidnapping a child and illegally taking them across state lines in federal court. She also pleaded guilty in state court to plotting to commit aggravated kidnapping. As a result, she received a 15-year prison sentence, with the sentences for each case running at the same time.
In court, she apologized to Elizabeth, saying she was deeply sorry for the pain she had caused Elizabeth and her family. She expressed a hope that Elizabeth would one day be able to forgive her.
Despite objections from the Smart family, Barzee was released in September 2018.
In May 2025, she was arrested in Utah after visiting public parks and charged with violating restrictions for registered sex offenders. According to People magazine, she was released under court supervision and had to report to the Salt Lake City Police weekly.
Elizabeth is a skilled harpist who graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in music.
She met her future husband, Matthew Gilmour, while serving a mission for her church in Paris. He is originally from Scotland. They were married on February 18, 2012, in Hawaii and now have three children together.
In her book, Kidnapped, Elizabeth explained that as time went on, she started sharing her story publicly. She believed it was important to use her experience to make a positive impact on the world.
Besides giving speeches, she’s also written multiple books and created films detailing the experiences of kidnapping victims, including her own.
I definitely have ups and downs, she said thoughtfully. But I’ve learned to be kinder to myself. Instead of dwelling on past mistakes and thinking ‘I should have…’ or ‘I could have…’, I now encourage myself with thoughts like ‘You can get through this,’ ‘You’re capable,’ and ‘Keep pushing forward – you’re strong enough.’
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2026-04-23 20:49