More than two decades later Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her room in Salt Lake City, she is sharing more details about the experience in the Netflix documentary Abducted: 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 his story, the doc’s release date and more.
What happened to Elizabeth Smart?
Smart was only 14 years old when she was kidnapped by her Brian David Mitchell i Wanda Barzee from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 5, 2002. Her disappearance set off a missing persons case that was covered across the United States.
She was held captive for about nine months before being found by police in March 2003. Citizens assisted in the search by reporting sightings of her captors based on a composite sketch that was reportedly released by the media. History.com.
Eventually, Smart was returned home to her family, while Mitchell and Barzee were taken into custody.
Mitchell was initially found incompetent to stand trial in July 2005 and then again in December 2006. But he was later found competent to stand trial in March 2010. Mitchell was convicted in December 2011 and sentenced to life in federal prison.
Meanwhile, Barzee was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison for her involvement in the kidnapping. She was later released in 2018.
What is “Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart” about?
Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart will feature Smart sharing her side of the kidnapping experience. The documentary will also include interviews with his family, investigators and those intimately familiar with the details of the horrific case.
In addition, the documentary will include archival footage and previously unreleased footage that will give a new look at the months Smart was held captive by Mitchell and Barzee.
Why Elizabeth Smart Is Ready to Open Up in ‘Kidnapped’
Before the premiere of the documentary, Smart told Netflix Tumdu who initially did not feel comfortable sharing his experience as a teenager. However, now she feels ready to open up as an adult.
“After I was rescued, when I got home, I didn’t want to talk about what happened to anyone,” she said. “And when the trial finally happened, I remember sitting on the stand, giving these answers, and feeling like there was no context around them. I remember thinking that if this was all going to come out anyway, I wanted it to have some meaning and to have a purpose. I wanted to have some ownership over my story. That helped me decide to share it.”
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Smart added that she hopes victims and survivors “realize they’re not alone” and “shouldn’t be ashamed of what happened to them” when they watch the documentary. “And I hope that people who see this can gain compassion and understanding for other families who are going through this,” he added.
“I also hope it brings comfort that there are happy endings, and that even after terrible things happen, you can still have a wonderful life,” Smart said.
When is ‘Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart’ coming out?
Abducted: Elizabeth Smart will premiere on Netflix on January 21, 2026.