Two Years Since Elizabeth Smart's Return

Two Years Since Elizabeth Smart's Return


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Kimberly Houk reporting It's hard to believe that it's been two years since Elizabeth Smart reunited with her parents at the Sandy Police station.

Today, the family headed back to another police station to help other parents learn how to keep their kids safe.

It was a much calmer scene this time around, compared with two years ago.

A girl who would be the first to tell you she's one of the lucky ones, that her community never stopped believing in finding her during her nine months of captivity.

She spent the second anniversary of her homecoming fingerprinting the young kids who live near her.

Elizabeth Smart/ Kidnapping Victim: "Everyone should fill out the child i.d. kits, and get their pictures taken, because I think it is very important that you do have i.d. on hand and fingerprints."

You never know when being prepared may come in handy. It's the message the Smarts were sending to other parents.

Ed Smart/ Elizabeth's Father: "Educate your children about these issues-- not being scared, but being prepared."

The Smarts were there every step of the way, giving back to a community that gave so much to them. Nearly three years ago, thousands of volunteers combed the mountains and streets of Salt Lake in search of a little girl swiped from her home in the middle of the night.

Two years later...

Ed Smart/ Father: "I think that she feels like life is, you know, this bad situation happened. She's got her whole life in front of her, and she wants to move forward with it."

Elizabeth Smart: "You never know when something is going to happen. When it does, you need to be prepared for it."

A piece of advice coming from someone who's been there. And in the past few years, Elizabeth Smart has grown up in front of all of us. Right now, Elizabeth is just enjoying life as a normal teenager. She's a 17-year-old Junior at East High School, and her parents say she's already making plans for college.

But for today, well, it's a special day for her family.

Ed Smart/ Father: "What a great miracle. What a great blessing in our family. Prior to her return, we just didn't know what to think, and so many parents that go through it. You just want to know whether they are alive or dead. And to have her come back to us, it was just a tremendous blessing."

The Smarts were all smiles today, very much enjoying the second anniversary of their daughter's homecoming.

Besides helping fingerprint kids today, the Smarts also gave parents a set of Q-tips to be used for swiping the inside of their kid's mouths. Police say having the DNA on file could help them find a missing child should they need to.

It's details like these the Smarts say they wished they had known before Elizabeth was taken.

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