Elizabeth Smart FOUND!!!

wow, just unbelievable.

i'm quite curious to hear her story.

That is so wonderful for her and her family and all those who were involved in the search. Her parents can sleep in peace tonight, thank God.

I'm so relieved about this. It makes you wonder though, to what extent did they kept her confined if she never successfully got away or left any "clues" as to her where-abouts? That poor girl, being how they are, I'm wondering if they tried to brainwash her (I'm probably just letting my imagination run wild). She has a lot of healing and catching up to do but it's so great that she's home, truly a mirracle.

I just got finished reading an update... the dad, in the first interview since they were reunited says "I can tell that she'd been completely brainwashed" (that's not exactly word-for-word, but close). And the man is a religious fanatic who claims to be in touch with angels and considers it his mission to preach to the homeless.

Extremely creepily, the woman's daughter says that she left because the couple constantly prayed and expected her to do the same, AND the amount of physical contact that Mitchell (not her father) gave her seemed too much, although she said he didn't molest her. Also, she said that Smart looks like she (the daughter) did at that age.

This poor girl, the details are coming out of the hell she endured! I do hope her parents are seeking professional advice in helping her deal with being chained to a tree and being raped!

Once she has to start testifying, the parents hold on their denial will fade quickly and they also will need professional advice so they can deal with it.

what! she was tied to a tree and raped? OMG thats disgusting!

Why would someone release details like that? It's bad enough to have heard that her kidnappers were charged with sexual assault...Now we have to know EXACTLY what happened? How does that help the case and her healing? The poor girl. I pray she'll be able to recover from this ordeal, both before and after her return.

Good heavens, makes me want to lock my baby in the closet. And my furbaby too, as I just watched an ep of "EV" where they sewed up the tongue of a kitty tortured by someone who broke into a house. Is the world worse than it used to be, or is the news more widespread?

At least she's back with family, god bless her soul. So many of these poor kids end up in a ditch.

What is almost as bad is the rape from the media. They say that the Smarts have had over 30 offers from television stations to tell Elizibeth's story! For cripes sake, the girl hasn't even been able to tell one portion of what happened yet, and hollywood is clamoring for the rights to the whole ordeal?

Originally posted by hissy
What is almost as bad is the rape from the media. They say that the Smarts have had over 30 offers from television stations to tell Elizibeth's story! For cripes sake, the girl hasn't even been able to tell one portion of what happened yet, and hollywood is clamoring for the rights to the whole ordeal?

Click to expand...

In Canada a horrible case of media rape has been going on for the last long while. The story involves a husband and wife team (Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka) who tortured and killed 2 school age girls (Kristen French & Leslie Mahaffy).

Now, many years later a book comes out to rehash the whole tragic event again. My heart totally goes out the families of these victims who have to live through the horror everytime something like this happens. What is the morbid need to know every detail of the murder and why publish a new book? Let the families pick up the pieces of their lives and start a future for themselves.

New Book Published

In the week following her return, they got 3000 requests from the media for interviews, and 100 offers for TV, book and movie deals. Pretty sad, but I know I want to read the book when it comes out.

What horror that girl must have lived through! At least she lived through it, though. That's the only bright spot.

i know the story of homolka and bernarda - sick people!

Oh, jeez, Kass, now I feel guilty! Reading about serial killers is one of my favorite pastimes! (Bad Lola!) What makes me sick is that Holmolka got off practically scot-free for what she did, because the DA couldn't believe that she would willingly go along with what she did & blindly believed her claim of battered woman syndrome. That discredits real victims of that syndrome!

Still, I can't believe the media is all over this so fast... I was just thinking that we'd have details when the trial goes to court, but to have stuff like that splattered all over the papers and tv a week after it happened... unbelieveable!

Originally posted by WillieWZ
Oh, jeez, Kass, now I feel guilty! Reading about serial killers is one of my favorite pastimes! (Bad Lola!) What makes me sick is that Holmolka got off practically scot-free for what she did, because the DA couldn't believe that she would willingly go along with what she did & blindly believed her claim of battered woman syndrome. That discredits real victims of that syndrome!

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Don't even get me started on Homolka's sentence!!! And to see that she is having romances and parties behind bars is always delightful to say the least. The tax money is well spent, isn't it?



I'm not trying to make people feel guilty! Honest! But if it was my sister who was murdered and for the last 7+ years a new article, book, etc comes out and people are making money off her torture.....I'd be sick! Talk about raping the corpse till there is nothing left.

Everyone has the right to do whatever they feel they can live with. But seeing this specific case unfold has made me sick in my soul.



(sorry to go OT, back to E. Smart)

In my defence, I read "true crime" books by law officials (I'm waiting for my favorite retired FBI profiler, John Douglas, to write another book) and writers such as Aphrodite Jones, who are more interested in mindset than the lurid details (although it wouldn't be interesting without a few lurid details, darn base human nature). I DO NOT support the killers themselves selling their stories or what have you... they should not be able to do that. There should be some kind of gag order the victim's families could put on them.

Actually, I recommend that you read John Douglas' books, such as Obsession. They have many useful tips for keeping safe, especially the book where he delves into crimes against children, all parents should read it (at least the ones who aren't inspired to lock their children in closets out of fear).

I read John Douglas' and Ann Rule's books, too.

As for Elizabeth Smart - like it or not, she's going to have to testify. Without her testimony, it will be well nigh impossible to get a conviction.

The nut's lawyer is, already bucking for a diminished capacity defense. He's wanting a light sentence, too. His claim is that a light sentence will inspire other kidnappers to return children alive, rather than killing them. I know that this isn't a death penalty case but life without parole will do. If he goes into general population, he won't last long, anyway.

Yes I heard last night that he claims he didn't do anything wrong- he just "took her on an adventure!" I hope he enjoys his adventure in prison!

I didn't have time to reply to Heidi's post when I first saw it up, but it was the first I heard that she'd returned. My heart was lifted that moment - it is truly, truly a miracle.

But the beauty of that moment of happiness and renewed hope in life was so fleeting. Now the really difficult part sets in for poor, poor Elizabeth (and her family). Being alive and having to deal with all of this insanity.

It is so sad to me. Of course journalists were always hounds - but somehow, now that they have to "sell" the news (as opposed to "reporting" the news) the media frenzy seems to keep reaching new levels of insanity. Making news departments have to be profitable has had devastating consequences for the victims reported on the news. And I'm sure that like me, it turns the stomachs of many who watch the news.

Laurie, I so agree! I was very disappointed to see Katie Couric interviewing the kidnapper's first wife, and asking her daughters if
"Emmanuel" had sexually abused them. This attempt to discover the details of Elizabeth's experience is unconscionable. She will probably have to testify, but her testimony should be in private. She's a child.

Well, I don't think that many would think that Entertainment Tonight is a viable, serious news program (it's one of my guilty pleasures). Every time an important news story happens, they interview "the stars" to see what they have to say.

But, I was rather surprised when after Elizabeth Smart was returned to her family, they interviewed Patricia Hearst (herself a kidnap victim). She spoke about what a kidnap victim thinks and feels, from her own experience. The one thing that stuck with me is that she said Elizabeth Smart (or her family or representatives) should never talk publicly about whether or not she was sexually assulted, that the fact would stick in everyone's mind and that she'd be forever judged by that fact. If it did happen, it should only be revealed in a closed courtroom.

Personally, I was glad to hear that she was home, and that the people who took her had been caught. That's it, end of story. I don't want to hear any more details. Not only does she have to recover from what has happened to her, I'm sure she'll have to recover from the media attention to her and her story.