Clues with Morgan Absher and Kaelyn Moore

Crime House Original

Episode: KIDNAPPED: Elizabeth Smart
Date: November 12, 2025

Overview

In this gripping episode, hosts Morgan Absher and Kaelyn Moore plunge into the infamous 2002 kidnapping case of Elizabeth Smart. The episode unpacks the harrowing events of her abduction from her Salt Lake City home, the flawed investigation that followed, her remarkable survival, eventual rescue, and her enduring work as an advocate for missing children and survivors of sexual abuse. They meticulously dissect the forensic clues, missteps, family heroics, media involvement, and the eventual capture and prosecution of Brian David Mitchell (“Emmanuel”) and Wanda Barzee.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Night of the Abduction

• June 4–5, 2002:

  • Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart is kidnapped at knife point from her bedroom by a stranger (“Emmanuel”), with her 9-year-old sister Mary Catherine pretending to be asleep but witnessing critical details ([04:48]).
  • The kidnapper leads her out of the house via a kitchen door not connected to the alarm system—a crucial oversight ([07:25]).

  Quote [04:48] – Kaelyn Moore:
  “She feels a cold knife on her neck, and then a man's dirty beard scrapes her face as he says to her, ‘I have a knife to your neck. Don't make a sound. Get out of bed or I'll kill you and your family.’”

  • Key Clue: The alarm error and the familiar-sounding but unidentifiable voice remembered by Mary Catherine.

• Family & Immediate Response:

  • Mary Catherine bravely observes and later shares a basic description: "not very tall, light colored clothes, a bag, a light colored hat” ([11:54]).
  • Around 4:00am, parents are awakened, and frantic calls to family and church members contaminate the crime scene almost immediately ([14:06]).

  Quote [14:06] – Kaelyn Moore:
  “It was an absolute mess. We got there and the house was full of people... police didn't clear the house right away... by that point, dozens of people... had already trampled through this crime scene.”

2. Botched Investigation & Missed Opportunities

• Crime Scene Contamination ([14:25]):

  • Massive contamination due to well-intentioned helpers trampling evidence, moving household objects, and generally overwhelming the investigation from the start.

• Clues Collected:

  • Clue #2: Cut window screen and partial prints—even these lost value due to contamination.
  • Search dogs couldn't pick up a scent due to the crowds ([16:17]).

• Volunteer Response:

  • The community rallies in massive numbers (1,800 in 24 hours, over 8,000 by day 7), showing both the strength and downside of public engagement ([17:48]).

• Focus on Family & Red Herrings:

  • Police fixate on family as suspects, especially Elizabeth’s father, Ed, due to rumors and supposed financial irregularities ([22:31]).
  • False rumors start circulating (e.g., inside job, window cut from inside, handyman theory), drawing parallels to other notorious botched cases like JonBenét Ramsey.

3. The Handyman “Red Herring” – Richard Ricci

• Suspicions & Arrest:

  • Ed Smart mentions a former handyman, Richard Ricci, who’d once stolen from the Smarts ([24:28]).
  • Ricci is arrested on a parole violation and interrogated for 22 hours ([31:25]). He admits to prior theft but passes a polygraph and no hard evidence links him to the abduction ([33:17]).

  Quote [33:12] – Morgan Absher:
  “If it's walking like a duck and quacking like a duck, you start to think, oh, that's a duck.”

• Meanwhile, the Real Perpetrator Attempts Another Kidnapping:

  • An attempted break-in at Elizabeth’s cousin’s home using the same MO is dismissed by police as a prank—a critical, botched opportunity ([39:15]).

  Quote [39:42] – Kaelyn Moore:
  “Come on. She saw someone cutting through with a knife. A prank might tap on the window, but to cut through a screen with a knife? Again, the same method. Come on guys. Botched.”

• Death of Ricci:

  • Ricci dies of a brain aneurysm in custody, leaving the police with no suspect and the case at a standstill ([40:30]).

  Quote [40:46] – Kaelyn Moore:
  “And they were going on the news being like, it's very important he stays alive. Like, they were still as this man is in the hospital, going out and publicly being like, well, he better not die, because this is all we got.”

4. Mary Catherine’s Breakthrough & The Lead on Emmanuel

• Crucial Memory ([44:00]):

  • Four months after the abduction, Mary Catherine remembers the voice as “Emmanuel,” a panhandler who’d briefly worked for the Smarts once.
  • The police, however, do not prioritize this lead and are dismissive, straining relations with the family ([45:56]).

• Sketch Drama:

  • A new, accurate sketch is finally made, but police refuse to release it, supposedly not to alert the suspect—hosts criticize this as another “botchboard” offense ([46:03]).

  Quote [46:24] – Morgan Absher:
  “You now have an idea. You might have someone else in the community that has also hired Emmanuel and knows. So why not put it out there and generate potential leads when you really have nothing at this point?”

• Family & John Walsh Step In:

  • John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted goes public with the sketch against police wishes ([48:15]).
  • Ed Smart and family later defy the police and hold a press conference, revealing the sketch and story to the community ([49:45]).
  • Within three days, someone identifies “Emmanuel” as Brian David Mitchell, brother of an LDS member ([50:17]).

5. Profile of Brian David Mitchell (“Emmanuel”) and Wanda Barzee

• Mitchell’s Troubled Past:
  • Abusive, delusional, and with a history of sexual offenses, Mitchell believed he was a prophet called “Emmanuel” ([51:58]).
  • Partnered with Wanda Barzee, also mentally unstable and deeply influenced by him.
  • After being alienated by family and community, they lived transiently, panhandling and preaching an extreme form of Mormonism.

6. Police Inaction, Yet Mitchell Hides in Plain Sight

• Timeline of Failures ([58:49]):

  • Mitchell was frequently seen in Salt Lake City—sometimes with veiled Elizabeth, sometimes not—panhandling, shopping, and even attending social events.
  • Police repeatedly encounter Mitchell but fail to link him to the case; notably, a police officer fails to identify Elizabeth in a library despite direct tip-offs ([74:52]).

  Quote [61:44] – Kaelyn Moore:
  “In this photo there's, I mean, he's with what looks like a young girl who has this thousand yard stare. She looks like the shell of a human being.”

• Key Photo Evidence:

  • Social media and Reddit communities point out that Mitchell was a well-known local street “preacher,” dubbed “panhandler Jesus,” and tip lines routinely received credible sightings ([95:33]).

7. Elizabeth’s Rescue & Testimony

• Final Rescue ([63:01]):

  • March 12, 2003: Officers responding to a tip encounter Mitchell, Wanda, and Elizabeth, who repeatedly insists she is someone else, terrified to reveal her identity.
  • With gentle persistence, officers finally get her to admit her identity through tears ([66:06]).

  Quote [66:06] – Kaelyn Moore:
  “She was so, so terrified and like, under the table... Wanda was like squeezing her leg to not say anything. And, you know, Brian had so much fear instilled over her that, like, I will kill your family. I'll, I'll hurt people. I'll take another bride. Like, just all this stuff.”

• Elizabeth’s Ordeal ([67:54]):

  • Details of daily sexual assault, psychological abuse, religious manipulation, and being chained by the ankle for months.
  • She survived multiple close calls—at times hearing searchers or encountering police, but terrified to speak for fear of retribution.

  Elizabeth in a Reddit AMA ([76:06]):
  “I couldn't just run away. I couldn't just scream out. Everything I did, I did to survive. I never suffered from Stockholm syndrome. I never identified with my captors or cared about them...”

8. Aftermath & Justice

• Complicated Legal Proceedings ([80:23]):

  • Prosecution takes years, with both Mitchell and Barzee attempting insanity defenses and causing courtroom disruptions.
  • Wanda eventually pleads guilty and assists the prosecution; Mitchell goes to trial in 2010, and Elizabeth delivers raw, compelling testimony ([85:39]).

  Quote [88:53] – Elizabeth’s Advocacy Tips:
  1. Make sure your child knows that they are loved unconditionally and make sure your child knows what unconditionally means.
  2. Make sure that your child understands that no one has the right to hurt them or scare them in any way.
  3. Should anyone hurt your child or threaten them in any way, they need to tell you.”

• Verdict & Sentencing:

  • Mitchell is sentenced to two life terms in federal prison without parole.
  • Barzee serves 15 years but is re-arrested multiple times for parole violations ([87:23]).

• Elizabeth’s Transformation into Advocate:

  • Starts the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, speaks nationally, and campaigns for child protection legislation (e.g., the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act).
  • Advocates for comprehensive sex education, destigmatizing survivor experiences, and encouraging open conversations within families, especially in religious communities ([91:49]).

  Notable Quote ([88:53]):
  “Never be afraid to speak out. Never be afraid to live your life. Never let your past dictate your future.”

9. Reflections, Broader Lessons, and Listener Engagement

• The hosts repeatedly stress the need for:

  • Listening to family members’ instincts.
  • The importance of community involvement but within guidelines that preserve evidence.
  • Law enforcement coordination (local, state, FBI) to avoid ego-driven information silos.
  • Survivor agency: Elizabeth “essentially saved herself” through her intelligence, adaptability, and courage ([78:42]).
  • The additional heroics of Mary Catherine, whose recollection spurred the late breakthrough ([93:28]).

  Quote [94:19] – Kaelyn Moore:
  “It was a 9 year old girl and a 14 year old girl who really did more than even the FBI.”

• Advocacy on Social Media & Reddit:

  • Hosts highlight Elizabeth's advocacy directly from her Reddit “Ask Me Anything,” urging listeners (and parents) to foster openness, love, and education.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the Abduction:
  [04:48] B: “She feels a cold knife on her neck, and then a man's dirty beard scrapes her face...”
• Crime Scene Chaos:
  [14:06] B: “It was an absolute mess. We got there and the house was full of people...”
• Police Mistrust:
  [40:30] A: “Yeah. And they were going on the news being like, it's very important he stays alive. Like, they were still as this man is in the hospital, going out and publicly being like, well, he better not die, because this is all we got.”
• On Red Herrings and Family Suspicions:
  [23:30] B: “It’s how many somewhat parallels there are to the JonBenet Ramsey case too...”
• On Stockholm Syndrome Myths:
  [76:06] A: “I couldn't just run away. I couldn't just scream out. Everything I did, I did to survive. I never suffered from Stockholm syndrome. I never identified with my captors or cared about them. Every decision was made with survival in mind.”
• On Advocacy:
  [88:53] A: “Never be afraid to speak out. Never be afraid to live your life. Never let your past dictate your future.”
• On the Heroics of Mary Catherine:
  [93:28] B: “Elizabeth is a huge hero in this story, but her sister Mary Catherine also being the one to months later identify a guy she knew for just a few hours as a nine year old... is incredible.”
• Final Reflection:
  [94:19] B: “It was a 9 year old girl and a 14 year old girl who really did more than even the FBI.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• Case Introduction & Context: [03:08]–[07:25]
• The Abduction Night: [04:48]–[08:33]
• Investigation Begins & Scene Contamination: [12:45]–[16:17]
• Handyman Red Herring: [24:28]–[34:24]
• Close Call – Attempted Cousin Abduction: [37:55]–[40:30]
• Mary Catherine’s Revelation & The “Emmanuel” Lead: [42:08]–[47:19]
• John Walsh & Media Turn the Tide: [48:15]–[50:17]
• Brian David Mitchell Profile: [51:58]–[59:13]
• Elizabeth in Captivity: [67:54]–[76:06]
• Elizabeth’s Rescue: [63:01]–[67:54]
• Trial and Justice: [80:23]–[88:53]
• Elizabeth’s Advocacy & Reflection: [88:53]–[91:48]
• Listener Highlight—Missing Person Segment: [96:09]–[97:37]

Summary Tone & Language

The episode is conversational but thorough, with Morgan and Kaelyn’s style mixing detailed crime scene analysis, empathy for the survivors, critiques of investigative failures, and reflections on both the horror and hope found in the Smart family’s journey.

• Key themes: resilience, the complexity of trauma responses, law enforcement pitfalls, and the transformative power of survivor advocacy.
• Language: Compassionate, analytical, and determined to shine a light on both institutional failures and individual heroism. The “botchboard” is a recurring, irreverent bit that highlights avoidable investigative errors.

Takeaway Messages

• The Elizabeth Smart case is both a cautionary tale of investigative missteps and a testament to the power of family, community, and individual resilience.
• Public engagement and media involvement—when used responsibly—can play a critical role in solving cases.
• Survivors are the ultimate experts in their own experiences; their voices, choices, and advocacy deserve to be centered and respected.
• Improving investigative procedures and survivor support is vital, as is education in families and communities about safety, consent, and open communication.

For Further Engagement

• Follow Clues: Instagram @CluesPodcast | YouTube @CluesPod
• Elizabeth Smart Foundation: For more about Elizabeth’s advocacy.
• Reddit AMA: “I’m Elizabeth Smart, abduction survivor and advocate. Ask me anything.” (Highly recommended by hosts.)
• Episode References:
  • America's Most Wanted Larry King Live segment
  • Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act
  • Books: “My Story” (Elizabeth Smart), “Where’s the Hope” (2018)