Netflix revisits Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case

SALT LAKE CITY — Kidnapping and abuse survivor Elizabeth Smart is sharing her story in a new Netflix documentary. In the new Netflix film, "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart,"  Smart relives that June night in 2002 when Brian David Mitchell kidnapped her from her Arlington Hills home. There was a massive response hours later. Brian David Mitchell took the then-14-year-old out of her bedroom, which she shared with her younger sister. Mitchell, who is a self-proclaimed prophet, and his wife, Wanda Barzee, kept Smart captive for months. Then, in March 2003, Smart was rescued by police after witnesses called them saying they recognized Mitchell and Barzee from a sketch they'd seen on TV. It was Smart's sister, Mary Katherine, who recognized the man who had abducted her sibling. She remembered his voice matching a man who had done work on their house. Mary Katherine is interviewed in the Netflix documentary. "She's my hero," Elizabeth Smart told NBC's Today Show. "She saved me. Had she not remembered who had kidnapped me, who's to say that I would be here today? I mean, the police all had their suspects. And my captor, I don't even think was on their radar at all. " Smart was spotted on State Street in Sandy and rescued by police nine months later. The documentary features interviews with Smart, her dad, Ed as well as local law enforcement and journalists. Smart said it was important to share her experience to help other survivors. "I remember how alone I felt when I first came home, because nobody talked about kidnapping or abuse or rape," she told Today. "Since the trial, I've just felt like that's something that I need to talk about so other victims don't feel alone either." Smart said it's surprising to her that so many people still remember her story. "I never would have thought that my life would go in this direction," she said. "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart" is streaming on Netflix now.

Related topics