Smart was abducted at age 14 from her Salt Lake City home by Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, on June 5, 2002, and located 20 years ago on Sunday, on March 12, 2003. (Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department)
In 2002, Barzee and her husband, Brian David Mitchell, kidnapped then-14-year-old Smart at knifepoint and held her captive for nine months. Mitchell forced Smart into a polygamous "marriage" and raped her almost daily. Smart was rescued when a couple recognized her as she was walking through Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City, with Barzee and Mitchell. Initially, out of fear, Smart denied her identity when questioned by police, but later admitted that she was the missing teen. Barzee and Mitchell were then arrested.
After several hearings, Barzee was sentenced to 15 years in prison for aggravated kidnapping. She received the sentence after cooperating with the FBI and the state of Utah to convict Mitchell, who was sentenced to life in prison. In 2018, Barzee was released from prison and placed under five years of federal supervision in addition to being registered as a sex offender. She was ordered not to contact Smart’s family.
After Barzee’s 2025 arrest, Ed Smart — Elizabeth Smart’s father —
Elizabeth Smart in the season premiere of "America's Most Wanted." (Getty Images)
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However, Barzee’s attorney, Scott Williams, told KUTV that he was "confident" that his client did not know that she was violating the terms of her sex offender status. When asked if Barzee poses a threat to anybody, Williams reportedly said "absolutely not."
Stephanie Nolasco, Louis Casiano and Katherine Lam contributed to this report.
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