She was abducted at knifepoint from her bedroom. What followed was a nine-month nightmare.

In the quiet hours of a summer night in Salt Lake City, a 14-year-old girl named Elizabeth Smart slept peacefully in her bedroom.

It was June 5, 2002 and the Smart family's Federal Heights home stood silent under the stars.

But at approximately 2am, the unthinkable happened.

A man crept through the house and into Elizabeth's room, threatening the young girl and forcibly taking her from her bed. Her 9-year-old sister Mary Katherine watched in frozen terror.

What followed was a parent's worst nightmare.

For 270 agonising days, Elizabeth's parents Ed and Lois Smart, would not know if their daughter was alive or dead.

Even 23 years on, her dad cannot believe what occurred.

"It seemed so surreal, I mean, how could this happen to us? Why? And, how do we move forward?" he told Fox13 in June 2025.

"It was just totally overwhelming!," he added. "I will never forget Lois's scream, 'Call the police!' And that started the nine months' worth [of fear]."

Because the desperate parents could not find Elizabeth anywhere.

Search parties combed the wilderness and the desperate nine-month search became one of the largest manhunts in Utah history. Her face was plastered on television screens across America.

A family photo of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart who was abducted at gunpoint from her Salt Lake City home June 5, 2002 is shown in this undated photo. Image: Getty

The young girl, known for her blonde hair and gentle smile, was taken by Brian David Mitchell. The self-declared prophet, who called himself "Immanuel," was aided by his accomplice and wife, Wanda Barzee.

But Elizabeth would miraculously return.

She went through a harrowing ordeal in captivity, suffering terrible abuse at the hands of two predators.

Although she was eventually rescued, the pain and trauma from Elizabeth's abduction has lived on long after the news cameras were packed away. Now an adult with two children of her own, her life has turned to one of advocacy, resilience, and hope.

This is what we know about the case that shocked the world.

What happened to Elizabeth Smart?

On an unremarkable Tuesday night in June 2002, a young Elizabeth lay in her bed.

Earlier that evening, she had attended the Bryant Middle School awards night with her parents, Edward and Lois Smart, and received a number of academic awards. They arrived home later than usual for a school night, and the six Smart children were quickly rushed to bed so they wouldn't be too tired the next day.

But by Wednesday morning, Elizabeth was gone from her bed.

Some time after midnight, Mitchell broke into the Smart's home, which Edward had carefully locked before going to sleep.

He had made the decision, however, not to put the alarm on, because, "if the children got up and moved, it would set the alarm off. And so we just said we're not going to bother with it," Lois would later explain.

Elizabeth woke to hear footsteps, and felt a cold sensation on her cheek. Mitchell, aged 49, threatened Elizabeth with a knife and ushered her out of the bedroom, where she stubbed her toe on a chair.

She whimpered in pain, and Mitchell told her, "You better be quiet, and I won't hurt you."

Elizabeth's nine-year-old sister Mary Katherine was also in the room that night, wide awake, and witnessed everything that happened. She later said she had a strange sense that she had heard the man's voice before, but could not place it.

Paralysed with fear, it took her hours to relay what she had seen to her parents.

At first, they were convinced that what Mary Katherine had seen was a bad dream. They rolled out of bed, and discovered Elizabeth was not in her bed. It wasn't until Lois saw that the downstairs screen window had been cut with a knife that she realised Mary Katherine's story was not a nightmare.

Elizabeth spent the early hours of Wednesday morning being marched through a forest by Mitchell, where they eventually reached a camp. Mitchell's wife, Barzee, was there waiting.

Mitchell believed he was a prophet and went by the name 'Immanuel'. He orchestrated a wedding ceremony with Elizabeth and raped her.

For nine months, Elizabeth was routinely raped and drugged.

Her captors forced her to drink a great deal of alcohol, and would tether her to a tree. Sometimes, she would go for days without any food. The pair attempted to indoctrinate Elizabeth into their religious beliefs, reminding her every day that he was a "prophet".

How was Elizabeth Smart rescued?

After nine months of torment, abuse and unthinkable actions, Smart was finally rescued after news of her disappearance made headlines around the world.

Search efforts swept the country and thousands of volunteers searched the area around the Smart's home, finding nothing. The family spoke on national television and shared photographs and home videos of their missing daughter.

Then, months after Elizabeth's disappearance, her sister Mary Katherine realised something: the man who had been in the sisters' room that night looked like a man named Immanuel, who had worked as a handyman in the Smart's home.

The police soon discovered that his real name was Brian David Mitchell, and in February 2003, his photograph was aired on an episode of America's Most Wanted.

One month later, the man was recognised walking down the street, with a young girl wearing a wig and sunglasses. The passerby reported him to police, and less than 24 hours later, Elizabeth was found.

Elizabeth Smart in 2003. Image: Getty.

Where is Elizabeth Smart now?

In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE magazine, a 36-year-old Elizabeth opened up about being a proud mum to three children, who she shares with her husband, Matthew Gilmour.

As a result of her experience, Elizabeth's worry for her kids — Chloe, nine, James, seven, and Olivia, five, is, "never ending", she told the publication.

Elizabeth Smart with her husband and three children. Image: Instagram/@elizabeth_smart_official

But rather than live in fear, she does her best to educate them on how to be safe from potential harm.

"[I] want them to be aware of the world and I want them to be aware of what can happen," she said.

"I don't want them to put other people's feelings or emotions over their own safety. I want them to know that their safety is more important to me than worrying about offending someone else."

Elizabeth said that she is probably overly protective of her children, but concedes it's a byproduct of what she went through.

"It probably definitely makes me a little bit more on the paranoid side of things," she said.

"And those times that the paranoia comes out, I usually ask them, 'Do you know why I'm the way I am?' And my little boy will be like, 'Yes, you don't want us to get hurt. You want to keep us safe?' I'm like, 'Okay, then don't do that.'"

Watch: Elizabeth Smart speaks out about pornography. Story continues below.

Where are Elizabeth Smart's captors now?

After Elizabeth's rescue, it wasn't long before her abusers were put on trial. Mitchell, the mastermind of the kidnapping, received two life sentences in 2011, while his wife was given a 15-year sentence for her involvement in the abduction and abuse.

Barzee was released in 2018 under strict conditions, which include being forbidden from having any contact with the Smart family, undergoing routine mental health monitoring, and being registered as a sex offender.

Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ilene Barzee. Image: Getty.

When asked by PEOPLE how she felt about Barzee's release in 2018, Elizabeth said, "as long as she isn't hurting anybody else and is staying far away from my family there's really nothing I can do".

However, when it comes to Barzee's accomplice, Elizabeth hopes he never gets out of prison.

"I just think, no matter what, if he got out, he would be a danger, if not to me, than to another young girl," she said.

"I think he will always pose a threat."

Kidnapper arrested again after release from jail.

Barzee, the woman who helped kidnap Elizabeth, was released from Draper Prison on September 19, 2018, after serving years behind bars.

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole unexpectedly credited her for time served, and moved up her release date from 2024.

On May 1, 2025, Barzee was arrested again. She violated the conditions of her release as a sex offender by visiting two parks in Salt Lake City.

Wanda Barzee, as seen in Utah's Sex Offender Registry. Image: Utah Department of Public Safety.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Salt Lake City District Court, the 79-year-old allegedly said "she was commanded by the Lord" to visit Liberty Park and Sugarhouse Park.

She allegedly told officers that she sat on benches and fed ducks during her trips to the park.

As reported by PEOPLE magazine, a judge ruled the arresting officer was justified in taking Barzee into custody without a warrant on May 1.

Judge Amber Mettler signed off on releasing Barzee from custody later that same day.

She was back in court in June 2025 and the hearing is ongoing, but she remains out of jail for now.

How does Elizabeth Smart advocate for victims of abuse?

In the two decades since Elizabeth's harrowing ordeal, she's grown up in the public eye while navigating her trauma.

She admits there are still some tough days, she's now dedicated to advocating for other victims of abuse.

She not only shared her story in the moving documentary I Am Elizabeth Smart, but also founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, a nonprofit organisation aimed at "bringing hope and ending the victimisation and exploitation of sexual assault through education, healing, and advocacy".

Through her work, Elizabeth has been able to heal from her experience, and has said that connecting with fellow survivors gives her the inspiration to keep advocating.

"Sharing stories is such a powerful tool for creating education and hopefully for fostering compassion," she said.

"My hope is that survivors feel empowered by sharing their stories and they don't feel like it's a part of their life that they have to hide."

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A post shared by Elizabeth Smart (@elizabeth_smart_official)

She added, "Whenever I meet another survivor, I just feel like there's a moment where we kind of look at each other and we both know like, yeah, you know what it's like, or we've been there... It's almost like being part of a club that you never willingly want to be a part of."

Elizabeth said that her journey is still "a work in progress" and that she has "great days and not good days".

But despite it all, it's her family that keeps her moving forward.

"They're the best part of life."

Feature Image: Getty.