Elizabeth Smart found.....Alive and well ! (1 Viewer)

[Ashley Seymour]

Her abduction was similar to Polly Klass - from her bedroom - but without the consequences.

We got the local press conference by the Sandy and SLC police live here around 4:00 Boise Standard Time. The local (SLC) station even had an interview with the mother of the abductor wife. Actually, both husband and wife were abductors. She had not seen her daughter and son-in-law for over a year. Said they had joined some religion but was not clear about the details. He had been exposed to the Mormons but the mother didn't think that was the one he joined. The news reports have him as some kind of prophet for the homeless.

Might me a toss up whether he gets put away for kidnaping, or mental illness -my opinion - and we will know more after his interrogation is over.

More good news on top of a friend and his wife who got lost in the mountains last week on a snowmobile outing. Both vehicles broke down Wednesday and they survived for five days in sub-freezing weather in snows that were 14 ft deep in places. They had excellent survival skills and equipment.

 

[Michael Silla]

Wonderful, wonderful news. I can't believe that it has actually come to pass. I feel so very happy for the Smart family. Dave is right, there was quite the buzz around town since the news broke. We all huddled around the radio at work. Everyone was breathing a collective sigh of relief for the family.

Great news!

Michael.

 

[Alex-C]

For the uneducated foreigners, what's a Steven Stayner situation?

Do some web surfing, you'll find the story. Its not for the faint of heart. Extremely sad....but why dwell on that today when its a day to celebrate !

 

[Leif Wall]

There was also a movie about Steven Stayner, called "I know my first name is Steven".

 

[Brian Perry]

While this is good news, something seems strange about it. I would be interested to learn how this person was able to keep a seemingly intelligent 14-yr. old girl kidnaped and healthy for nine months. I don't want it to sound as though I'm blaming the victim--I just want to know why she was not able to contact her family or authorities when it sounds as though she wasn't always under lock and key.

 

[Chris_Morris]

Brian, Fox News was reporting this morning that the guy claimed he was told by God to take her as his second wife, and that it has been said there were 2 people with her at all times, she was never left alone as they possibly traveled the country. This guy seems more and more like a Koresh in the making.


Chris

 

[Micheal]

It's great that she was found but something about it just doesn't seem right. I know that she was taken against her will but it seems like she made no attempt to escape or cry out for help while walking down very public streets.

After 9 months while living a homeless lifestyle you would think that she would have seen at least one cop on the street somewhere? Maybe she was just too afraid to do anything...

Either way I'm happy that she's now at home and can begin to recover.

 

[Julian Reville]

Something very wierd had to have been happening, for this girl to have been kept totally incommunicado for 9 months, while on 15 miles from home.

Another wierd thing: you know those little "have you seen me?" fliers you get in the mail? The one that came yesterday had a picture of 2 missing females, and they were both from Sandy, UT , and neither was the Smart girl. What's going on?

 

[Holadem]

Something very wierd had to have been happening, for this girl to have been kept totally incommunicado for 9 months, while on 15 miles from home.

A mandatory viewing of Rabbit Proof Fence is in order .

--
Holadem

 

[Chris_Morris]

Michael, I wouldn't doubt if they told her something along the lines of "we'll kill your family" if she were to yell out.

Julian, they didn't stay in Sandy, according to news reports, they drove around the country, and there were 2 people by her side at all times.

Chris

 

[MickeS]

Yeah, it was a high-profile case last year, I'm surprised you guys missed it.

I believe it was a high-profile case because the girl was reported to have been abducted from her bedroom in the middle of the night, by a guy climbing in through the window. That made it more spectacular than most other cases of missing persons. I think the family was very active in pushing the story too (which is entirely understandable).

/Mike

 

[Micheal]

Chris, that may work in some cases but if I saw a cop (not saying that she did) she would know that her kidnappers would get arrested and go to jail for a very long time. She was 14 or 15, not 5.

It is possible that she was brainwashed..., 9 months is a long time. BTW, she is clearly the victim here and I'm not trying to say otherwise. But some things just don't add up, I'm sure that we'll know more soon.

 

[Chris_Morris]

More info:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,80964,00.html


Chris

 

[Michael*K]

I believe it was a high-profile case because the girl was reported to have been abducted from her bedroom in the middle of the night, by a guy climbing in through the window. That made it more spectacular than most other cases of missing persons.

I think it has more to do with the fact that the kid lived in an upscale neighborhood with her well-to-do family. Same thing happened in the JonBenet Ramsey case. Tragically, kids are kidnapped and/or killed every day. Practically the only time these cases get national attention is when the families are wealthy. Big bucks=Big news. Cynical? Absolutely. But I've seen plenty of kidnappings and murders that don't get a whiff of national coverage. Over a year ago, two young siblings on the south side of Chicago vanished without a trace while walking to the corner store. They've never been found and I doubt the story ever merited more than a brief mention in a screen crawl at the bottom of a cable news telecast. Was it because the kids were from a poor family in a depressed neighborhood? Draw your own conclusions.

 

[Brian Perry]

Over a year ago, two young siblings on the south side of Chicago vanished without a trace while walking to the corner store. They've never been found and I doubt the story ever merited more than a brief mention in a screen crawl at the bottom of a cable news telecast.

Are you referring to Diamond and Tiandra (sp?). If so, you should know as a Chicagoan that that story was plastered all over the news, at least locally.

(Though I do agree that wealth could bring even more attention to a case.)

 

[Alex-C]

But I've seen plenty of kidnappings and murders that don't get a whiff of national coverage.

Sadly, coverage of every missing or abducted person in this country could probably sustain its own full time 24 hour channel. Just ask John Walsh...

 

[Ashley Seymour]

Ed Smart is on Good Morning America and threw down a challenge to the leaders of the House and Senate to pass the Amber Alert Law - that is stalled in the broader crime bill. That might answer some of the criticism of why more attention is not paid to missing children.

Also, I do remember about the two girls in Chicago missing.

The mental trip that this guy played on Elizabeth Smart will be very interesting to sudy when the shrinks put our their findings. I remember Patty Hearst almost 30 years ago. I think a ransom was paid and the kidnapers and she didn't show up immediately. I suspected at the time that she had had been persuaded to join them. To her detriment, she was involved in an armed bank robbery and suffered and was convicted. One of the classic examples of brainwashing.

These women also seem to come from similar type families. Strongly paternalistic and well to do. I in no way think that Elizabeth doesn't love her family, but watch her dad on TV. He is savy and loves to talk and control the interview. This guy that took Elizabth was also controlling, but in a different way.

My hope is that some type of physical or chemical imbalance set him off. Doesn't excuse what he did, but the more we learn of the physical nature of mental illness, but more we can treat it - before it gets out of control.

 

[Trey Fletcher]

If so why?

I think for two reasons.

1) The audicity of the abductor. Elizabeth wasn't nabbed while walking down a city street. She was removed from her bedroom in the middle of the night.

2) The string of abductions that ocurred within a short period of time last summer. If you weren't aware of the Smart case, you may not remember the Runion or Van Dame (sp?) abductions (and unfortunately, murders) that also ocurred around the same time. The fact that one abduction seemed to follow right after another created a sort of media frenzy. That, and the fact that all three had elements of my first point (Smart, taken from her bedroom; Van Dame, taken from her home as well; Runion, dragged kicking and screaming into a strangers car while playing in front of her home). Thankfully, there was at least one happy reunion. TF

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Amazing, positive news for a change. I hope she's able to adjust to a normal life again.

What is the Amber Alert? I hear it mentioned, but they don't explain it.

 

[Alex-C]

What is the Amber Alert?

http://www.amberalert.com/