Elizabeth Smart reveals her kidnapper tried to abduct her teen cousin as his ‘next wife’

Utah

Elizabeth Smart reveals her kidnapper tried to abduct her teen cousin as his ‘next wife’

The survivor shares new details about self-proclaimed prophet Brian David Mitchell's failed break-in attempt

Stephanie Nolasco Fox News

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January 24, 2026 2:00pm EST

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Abduction survivor Elizabeth Smart offers safety tips to young women

Elizabeth Smart, who survived a 9-month kidnapping when she was 14 years old, offers advice on staying safe and how family and friends can identify and address "red flags."

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Elizabeth Smart’s captor was already planning his next crime — abducting her teen cousin and declaring her his new "wife."

"I remember he said to me, ‘She’s supposed to be the next wife,’" Smart, 38, told Fox News Digital. "He had a whole plan to kidnap seven young girls, and we would all be his wives. I just happened to be the first girl he kidnapped."

"When he said that, my stomach dropped," she recalled. "It felt like I had directed him to her. He had a whole plan for how he was going to kidnap her — on July 24, a state holiday in Utah. He thought it would be a great day because everyone would be busy with fireworks and barbecues."

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A close-up of kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart wearing a dark blazer and a white shirt.

Elizabeth Smart is the subject of a new Netflix documentary, "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart." It features never-before-heard interviews with loved ones and investigators. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

"I felt terrible because I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I was going through."

Smart, one of America’s most recognized child abduction survivors, is now a child safety activist who regularly speaks on behalf of missing and exploited children. The Utah native is featured in the Netflix documentary "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart," in which the now-married mother of three tells her story in her own words.

A close-up of Elizabeth Smart's face smiling.

In the documentary, Elizabeth Smart recalled hearing a search party looking for her. "[Mitchell] took me inside the tent, pulled out his knife [and said] ‘If anyone comes into this camp, this is the knife I’m going to use to kill them, and it’ll be your fault.’" (Netflix)

Smart also recently wrote a book, "Detours: Hope & Growth After Life’s Hardest Truths," in which she explores how trauma can derail a person’s life.

WATCH: ABDUCTION SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART OFFERS SAFETY TIPS TO YOUNG WOMEN

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Smart learned that Brian David Mitchell was stalking her cousin’s home, circling the property. Smart "prayed constantly" for her safety. Mitchell once worked for the Smart family as a handyman and was familiar with the neighborhood.

Throughout the week, Mitchell prepared to abduct Olivia Wright, insisting it was a commandment from God, Smart said. After staking out the property and spotting an opening, he dragged a chair to the back of the house and climbed toward a window. The blinds were drawn. He pressed against them, attempting to force his way inside.

A composite split of Brian David Mitchell.

Brian David Mitchell, a street preacher, was a handyman in the Smart home. (Smart Family/Salt Lake City PD/Getty Images)

"It was actually my older cousin’s bedroom window that he tried to climb through," said Smart.

"She had trinkets on the windowsill, and some of them had fallen off. He paused and didn’t hear anything, then pushed further, and more trinkets fell. My uncle woke up, heard the sounds and ran into the room, screaming at my cousin in complete panic and fear. That was enough to foil my captor’s attempt to kidnap her."

A young Elizabeth Smart holding onto her sister in a family portrait.

Elizabeth Smart (left) was 14 years old when she was abducted at knifepoint from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Netflix)

On June 5, 2002, Smart, then 14, was abducted at knifepoint from her Salt Lake City home by Mitchell, a self-proclaimed prophet who called himself Immanuel David Isaiah. He dragged her to a remote, dilapidated campsite in the woods, where his wife and accomplice, Wanda Barzee — who went by Hephzibah — was waiting.

Mary Katherine Smart, Elizabeth Smart's younger sister, pretended to be asleep out of fear. She later became a key eyewitness, telling police that the man who took her sister had long hair, a beard and wore robes. (Netflix)

Barzee washed Smart’s feet, then tried to remove her pajamas. In the darkness, Mitchell declared, "I hereby seal you to me as my wife before God and His angels as my witnesses." When Smart screamed, Mitchell threatened to kill her.

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A scene showing an actress playing Elizabeth Smart covered in white garments from head to toe.

Elizabeth Smart said she was forced to wear long, white, robe-like garments and a veil while she was held captive. (Netflix)

"He told me God commanded them to kidnap seven young girls," she said in the documentary. "I was the first of the seven. He said my sister would probably end up being one of his wives. Or my cousin Olivia. I was horrified."

For nine excruciating months, Smart was tied up, raped repeatedly, kept in a dark hole and fed garbage. She was forced to look at pornography, drink alcohol until she vomited, and then made to lie in it.

A close-up of Elizabeth Smart wearing a blue sweater.

Elizabeth Smart told Fox News Digital she never gave up hope of being found. (Netflix)

One day in July, Mitchell rambled about his mother’s house when Smart blurted out that Wright lived in the same neighborhood. Smart described the teen’s yellow house and the swing in her front yard.

A close-up of Elizabeth Smart looking away.

Elizabeth Smart felt guilty for blurting out her cousin's name, making her a target. (Netflix)

Talking about her loved ones brought Smart a sense of relief. Each night, she dreamed of being rescued and returned to her family’s arms. She missed Wright — her best friend — desperately, clinging to the hope that one day she might escape and see her again.

The comfort vanished. Horror followed as she realized the mistake she made.

Richard Albert Ricci, a 50-year-old handyman who did work at the home of Elizabeth Smart, was looked at as a person of interest. He died in police custody on Aug. 30, 2002, months before Smart was rescued. It became clear that Ricci had no involvement in her kidnapping. (Utah Department Of Corrections/Getty Images)

"I was not allowed to talk about my family," Smart explained to Fox News Digital. "I was not allowed to talk about my life before my abduction while I was in captivity. My captors were very, very strict about that.

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A scene of Elizabeth Smart in white robes standing between her captors.

Elizabeth Smart was abused in a tent Brian David Mitchell called the Altar of Immanuel. (Netflix)

"They tried to strip me of everything — my name, my identity, my family. I wasn’t even allowed to talk much because they talked so much. When I mentioned my cousin, [Mitchell] didn’t immediately stop me. It felt like a connection back to my family. It helped me to talk about them."

"It made me feel that I wasn’t as alone as I usually felt," Smart said. "So I talked about my cousin Olivia. Then later, he came back and said, ‘I think she’s supposed to be the next wife.’"

A black and white childhood photo of Elizabeth Smart.

The Smart family before Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped. (Netflix)

Mitchell’s break-in attempt failed, Smart wrote in her book. He returned alone to the campsite, believing he wasn’t ready to receive another virgin bride yet.

Book cover for Elizabeth Smart's Detours.

"Detours: Hope & Growth After Life's Hardest Turns" by Elizabeth Smart is out now. (Post Hill Press)

"I was alone, scared, and I was being hurt," said Smart. "And I remember I felt so guilty, not just for directing him to Olivia, but also because there was a small piece of me that wanted him to be successful in kidnapping her. Because then, I wouldn’t be alone. And maybe together, we could escape. But I also felt terrible for feeling that way."

In her book, Smart wrote that she was plagued by guilt, convinced Mitchell would find a way to hurt Wright.

Elizabeth Smart smiling and looking at her sister.

Elizabeth Smart (left) is seen with her younger sister Mary Katherine Smart today. (Netflix)

"How careless could I possibly be to bring her up in front of a monster like Mitchell?" she wrote. "If anything happened to her, how could I ever forgive myself?"

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In the documentary, Ed Smart recalled the anguish of being viewed as a suspect in his daughter’s disappearance. "I was overwhelmed to the point that I was shaking," he said in the film. "And I couldn’t stop shaking. I had absolutely nothing to do with this. And my father said, ‘If you don’t calm down, I’m going to commit you.’ So he took me over to the hospital and put me in the psychiatric ward, and I cried that whole night." (Netflix)

Smart said every decision she made was to survive. If she fought back, she knew Mitchell would keep his promise — and kill her.

"My captor controlled me through fear — fear that he’d end my life, or go after my family," she told Fox News Digital. "He wanted complete power and control over me."

A family photo shows 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart before she was kidnapped. (George Frey/Getty Images)

"I always wanted someone to find me," she said. "My captors always threaten me. The threat that they would kill me was always a very real threat. The threat that he would go after my family if I disobey? To a 14-year-old child, that seems like a very real threat.

Elizabeth Smart wearing a white shirt and being embraced by her father.

Elizabeth Smart (seen here with her father as a child) told Fox News Digital she feared that if she fought back, her captor would kill her family. (Netflix)

"So not only did I feel like I had to survive, but I also felt the weight of responsibility to protect my family. I just kept telling myself, ‘I have to do what they’re telling me to do, until the perfect opportunity came.' I didn’t know exactly when that would be, but I just felt someone had to see me, swoop me away."

A close-up of Elizabeth Smart smiling and sitting on a couch.

Elizabeth Smart is the founder of The Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which works to drive social change in the fight against sexual violence. (Megan Turley)

"But if I looked like I was going to get away," Smart said after a pause, "the threat against my life — and my family’s — felt too great a risk to take."

The author said she continued to struggle with shame.

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Brian David Mitchell in handcuffs being escorted by police.

Brian David Mitchell is seen here being escorted to court on July 7, 2005, in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he frequently made disruptive outbursts. (Ravell Call-Pool/Getty Images)

"He hadn’t even gotten close to Olivia," she wrote. "She was safe. The weight of my gratitude could have knocked me off my feet."

"I tried my best to ignore that other feeling, that tiny little thing from before, bubbling up again. I pushed it down and pushed it down, but eventually I had to admit it. Some broken piece of me was disappointed that he hadn’t brought Olivia back with him. That shard had wanted her there with me."

Elizabeth Smart's aunt, Cynthia Smart-Owens, wears a picture of her niece during a news conference on June 18, 2002, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Mauricio Menjivar/Getty Images)

"America’s Most Wanted" aired an episode about Smart’s abduction, leading to her being recognized by a couple who saw her walking with her captors. She was rescued on March 12, 2003.

Wanda Barzee was released from prison on Sept. 19, 2018. (Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department/Getty Images)

Mitchell, now 72, was convicted in 2010 of kidnapping Smart and sentenced to life in prison. Barzee, 80, pleaded guilty to her role in the crimes and was released from prison in 2018.

Elizabeth Smart in a black sweater smiling

Today, Elizabeth Smart is a married mother of three. (Megan Turley)

"You never know how strong you are until you go through something horrific," Smart reflected. "You can never lose hope. You can never give up on yourself. Even through the worst of our experience, there is still good ahead. And life is still worth living."

"Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart" is now available for streaming.

Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.

Elizabeth Smart reveals her kidnapper tried to abduct her teen cousin as his ‘next wife’