Elizabeth Smart is revealing the onslaught of emotions she felt after being rescued from her captor after nine months of captivity and sexual assault.
More than two decades ago, Smart, now 38, was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Brian David Mitchell when he was only 14 years old. With the help of Mitchell’s wife, Wanda Barzeeshe was held in captivity for nearly a year and repeatedly forced to undergo horrific physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.
The horror ended in March 2003 when Smart was rescued. Now, ahead of the premiere of his new Netflix documentary, Abducted: Elizabeth Smartis sharing that she struggled with “shame” about what happened to her.
“I didn’t see or hear anyone else talking about it at the time,” he said people in an interview published on Sunday, January 18. “I didn’t know anyone who had something similar happen to them, and I ended up feeling very alone and very isolated.”
More than two decades after Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City room, she’s sharing more details about the experience in the Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart. Us Weekly breaks down everything you need to know about the new documentary, including information about Smart’s famous headline-making case, why he wanted to tell (…)
Smart said she felt compelled to share her story after meeting an “overwhelming number” of victims who experienced similar feelings of shame while processing their own trauma.
She continued: “I want survivors to know that it’s not their fault. They don’t have to be ashamed and they don’t have to carry this burden. They shouldn’t have to carry it at all, but if they’re going to carry it, they’re not alone.”
Smart’s captors eventually faced justice. After being declared “mentally incompetent” to stand trial for several years, Mitchell was convicted of interstate kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor in December 2011. He is currently serving a life sentence in federal prison. His accomplice, Barzee, received a 15-year sentence for her role in the kidnapping and prolonged abuse. She was released in 2018.
“I thought, ‘If I’m going to do this, I want to do it right,'” Smart said of his decision to delve into his past and participate in the documentary. “I want people who have never experienced this to have a taste of what it’s really like, the depth of the fear and why you might be forced to do things you would never do. So I was trying to really help explain that level of fear and that pure survival mode that you’re in, which was really important to me.”
Ultimately, one of Smart’s hopes is that watching the shocking documentary will make people question how they think about the issues of sexual assault and other forms of abuse.
“There are so many victims who need support, who need services, who need so many things… When I see survivors succeeding in life, I am very happy and proud of them because I understand the battles they have fought,” she concluded.
catch Abducted: Elizabeth Smart on Netflix on Wednesday, January 21.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text the Child Helpline at 1-800-422-4453.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).