Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
A woman who was kidnapped as a teenager and held prisoner for nine months has opened up about the horrifying experience she underwent at the hands of her captors.
Elizabeth Smart was just 14 when she was snatched at knifepoint by paedophile Brian David Mitchell, who was 48 at the time, with her story going on to be the subject of an upcoming Netflix documentary, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart.
The kidnapping happened on 5 June 5 2002, while Elizabeth, now 38, was in bed at her home in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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She awoke to Mitchell holding a knife to her, threatening to kill her if she screamed, before walking her out of the home and into the mountains towards a camp where Mitchell's wife, Wanda Barzee, 56, was waiting.
At the camp, Elizabeth was subjected to repeated, daily rape by Mitchell, who told her he was a prophet.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE about her ordeal, Elizabeth said: “I screamed out, ‘No!’ and he said, ‘If you ever scream like that again, I will kill you.'
“I thought if I rolled onto my stomach, he wouldn’t be able to rape me. And of course that was not true.”
She added: “I begged him to stop.”
Over the course of nine months, Mitchell would sexually assault Elizabeth up to four times a day, as well as subjecting her to further humiliation.
“When he took me to the spring where we’d collect water, he would hold the cable and basically walk me like a dog,” she said.
“I was forced to drink beer after beer until I finally threw up, and he had just left me there face down in my own vomit.”
On 12 March 2003, Elizabeth was finally rescued when the group was spotted in the street in Sandy, Utah, by someone who recognised her and her captors from America's Most Wanted.
A police officer asked her if she was Elizabeth Smart, and she was finally free of the captivity.
Elizabeth said: “After I was rescued, I was very embarrassed by what had happened to me.
“Even though my head totally knew it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t make my heart feel the same way. I felt I’d be judged for it. I ended up feeling very alone and very isolated."
Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes, with his bizarre religious beliefs presented as a motive for the kidnapping in court.
Meanwhile, his wife pleaded guilty to kidnapping in 2009 and was sentenced to 15 years behind bars for her part. She was released in 2018, but was arrested last year after being accused of visiting two parks, which she can't do as a registered sex offender.
Elizabeth has since worked to support other victims of sexual violence. Explaining why she decided to open up about her ordeal, she wrote: "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."
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.
Topics: Crime, True Crime, US News, UK News
Kit Roberts