American girl kidnapped in front of her sister was rescued after nine months because family defied police

Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.

An American girl who was kidnapped in front of her sister is the focus of a brand new Netflix documentary, in which she talks about the horrific experience where she was missing for nine months.

Elizabeth Smart’s disappearance became one of the most high-profile manhunts in US history when she went missing in 2002 at the age of just 14.

Her younger sister was actually a witness to the crime, seeing a man grab her sister in the night and leave with her, and both are speaking out about the incident in the new Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart.

The true crime doc features Smart talking about the kidnapping and subsequent nine months of imprisonment in a harrowing watch as she recounts her ordeal.

Smart comes from a Utah Mormon family and much of the early coverage of her disappearance pointed the blame at her family.

Though this was quickly found to be untrue this created a media frenzy with fingers being pointed at her uncle, Tom Smart.

Later another suspect, a handyman who had worked at the house previously, died in custody whilst local police still believed him to be the prime suspect.

It was believed ultimately though to be someone who worked on the house because Elizabeth’s sister, Mary Katherine Smart, said she thought she recognised the voice of the person who took her sister.

Mary was just nine at the time of the kidnapping but would later be instrumental in police finding Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, who kept Elizabeth captive for nine months and abused her throughout that time.

Mary was a key witness at the age of 9 (Netflix)

Elizabeth was repeatedly raped by Brian, forced to watch pornography, drink alcohol and take drugs, and was ‘married’ to him in a bizarre ceremony.

Mary helped to find him after reading a Guinness World Record book jolted her memory of the word Immanuel, a word that for some reason was linked in her mind to the voice she heard the night Elizabeth was kidnapped.

Immanuel turned out to be the name Brian had given the Smart family when he had done some work for them.

Police were sceptical of the connection, but the family eventually hired a sketch artist, with the drawing ending up on America’s Most Wanted where family members recognised the sketch and provided more contemporary pictures of the kidnapper.

Brian David Mitchell was later sentenced to life in prison (Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department/Getty Images)

This eventually led to families who had seen the sketch and pictures on TV recognising Brian on a visit to town with Elizabeth and Wanda, ultimately leading her to be found.

Brian was handed life sentence in prison, with no possibility of parole. While Wanda was sentenced to 15 years in prison, she was released early in 2018, and began five years of federal supervised release. However, she was arrested in 2025 for violating her parole.

Speaking to Tudum about appearing in the Netflix documentary about her horrific ordeal, Elizabeth said: “There will be victims and survivors who watch this, and I hope they realise they’re not alone, and that they don’t have to be ashamed of what happened to them.

"And I hope that people who watch this can gain compassion and understanding for other families who are going through this."

Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart premieres on Netflix, January 21.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999. If you are in the United States you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.