Elizabeth Smart found....

[Dr Mordrid]

Elizabeth Smart, a then 14 year old girl kidnapped from her bedroom at night in June 2002, was found alive and in the company of a homeless handyman/street preacher and his female companion. The man had done some work for Elizabeths father earlier that year.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,80930,00.html

The Smarts are a VERY lucky family as far more children missing this long are not found alive.

Dr. Mordrid

[ZokesPro]

I still wonder how they treated her. Or even the connection, if there even is one, between the girl and Mitchell.

Besides sexuals reasons, why would someone want to aduct a girl that age??? I cannot fathom that thought.

[Tomasz]

I heard about this earlier in the day and it is absolutely wonderful, and quite frankly totally unexpected news.
Obviously B.D. Mitchell has some serious mental problems and that beard makes him look spooky, kind of like a modern day Rasputin http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...html&e=2&ncid=
My prayers are with the Smart family.

[KvHagedorn]

Yeah he does look like Rasputin.. scary.

He was probably smitten with her when he worked on their house. She really is a stunning beauty. If I were her dad, I would keep questionable characters like that guy the hell away from there.

[Tomasz]

She really is a stunning beauty.

Yeah, no kidding!

I also agree that there were too many questionable characters allowed around that household. It seems as if this guy was given a small job there as a favor to help him out since, from what I understand, he was a "preacher" who begged for a living. Anyways, a lot of the news reports coming out now are based on preliminary facts and speculations. I am sure the situation will become clearer in the upcoming days.

[RhinoZ]

It's really disgusting that being a cutie ( and a teenage girl ) makes you a big target (then victim) to alot of these sleazeballs out there.

[Sethos]

You gotta feel good when you hear good news like that. I'm happy for her and the family. Wonder where she was and all that kind of stuff though...

~Sethos

[Jammrock]

Originally posted by ZokesPro
I still wonder how they treated her. Or even the connection, if there even is one, between the girl and Mitchell.

Besides sexuals reasons, why would someone want to aduct a girl that age??? I cannot fathom that thought.

Since she is a minor, the police will not divulge any details, as that is a HUGE legal no-no. The family will be told not to release any information as well, because it could effect the trial. I suppose no one will know until the trial.

My guess on what happened to her would all depend on the reasons for taking her. If he took her for any sexual reason, then the chances are she was sexually abused. Being gone for 9 months, she was probably abused a whole hell of a lot.

On the flip side, he could have seen her as the, "daughter he and his partner could never have." If that was the case, and you'd be surprised how many kidnapings there are to have a child of your own, then the chances of her being sexually assaulted are much less.

Since he is a self proclaimed prophet and street preacher that uses Isaiah's name for the Messiah as his own, you'd hope he wouldn't do anything terribly bad to her, but you never know. They didn't kill her, so they weren't as bad with her as they could have been.

I'm just very happy she is alive and reunited with her family.

Jammrock

[Joel]

I am glad that she has been found and alive at that.

But is it just me or are there others here that smell a possible runaway situation in this case. I mean just think about what Doc has already said about childern missing for this length of time. Also she looks to be in fairly good health and "Police found 15-year-old Elizabeth alive Wednesday in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, walking with a homeless drifter and his wife, who were taken into custody." Seems she might of even had a chance to get away if she wanted too.

That may not be the case but I don't think we should jump to concultions yet about the possible sexual connection or are our minds that much in the gutters.

Joel

[Gurm]

Well they're saying that she was all kinds of places, but none of them very far from Salt Lake City. Obviously the guy was stupid and deranged.

Gotta wonder what ... err ... she went through.

- Gurm

[Strahd]

Gone 9 months, the Smarts have a mansion of a house and there was never a ransom demand? Especially after being abducted from within their own house? Strange. I would guess she was put through much psychological anguish being away from her family but I don't think she would have been abused. I hope anyway.

It's just a great story that they were reunited.

[Ajax]

I'm really glad they found her alive. I think anyone with children can feel a personal connection to a story like this one.

[Byock]

What is really odd, Is I was across the street from the Wal-Mart she was at, when they found her, buying lunch at the same time the police arrived. I didn't think anything of it until I heard the news about 40 minutes later.

[Dr Mordrid]

Investigators said the bearded drifter, identified as Brian David Mitchell, told them he wanted the girl to become his second wife. "It was a religious thing," a police source told The Seattle Times. "This guy just wanted another wife, and God told him this was the one."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/134651594_websmart12.html

Ewwww.....time to hire a good shrink for the girl.

Dr. Mordrid

[Ajax]

Maybe he will find his new wife in prison. Goes by the name BuhBuh.