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A BEACON OF HOPE FOR OTHER
SURVIVORS.
>> I'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE BEING
KIDNAPPED IN ALL DIFFERENT
PLACES AROUND THE WORLD AND EACH
PERSON COMES UP WITH SOME SORT
OF THING THAT GETS THEM THROUGH
WHETHER MINUTE BY MINUTE OR
SECOND BY SECOND OR DAY BY DAY.
>> FOR ME, IT WAS MY FAMILY.
IT WAS KNOWING THAT BECAUSE I
HAD FELT SO BROKEN AFTER THE
FIRST TIME HE *** ME, I FELT
SO -- LIKE I HAD LOST ALL MY
VALUE AND HOW COULD ANYONE
ACCEPT ME BACK?
BUT AFTER THAT, MOMENTS AFTER
THAT, I REALIZED THAT THERE IS
ONE THING THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE
AND THAT IS MY FAMILY'S LOVE FOR
ME.
THEY WILL ALWAYS BE MY FAMILY.
THEY WILL ALWAYS LOVE ME.
THEY WILL ALWAYS ACCEPT ME.
>> THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT GOING
TO NEW YORK, TO BOSTON AND YOU
THOUGHT WE GOT TO GET BACK --
>> WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO SALT
LAKE.
THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE WILL FIND
ME IF WE DON'T.
THERE IS EVERY REASON IN THE
WORLD FOR THAT TO BE THE LAST
PLACE FOR THEM TO GO.
>> TO RETURN TO THE SCENE OF THE
CRIME.
>> YEAH, YEAH, SO I THOUGHT
ABOUT IT AND I THOUGHT ABOUT
HOW -- HOW MY TWO CAPTORS HAD
MANIPULATED EVERYONE AROUND THEM
TO GET EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANTED,
TO JUSTIFY EVERYTHING THEY DID,
AND I MEAN, I KNEW IT WAS WRONG,
BUT I REMEMBER JUST PRAYING IF
THIS WORKS THIS ONE TIME, I WILL
NEVER DO THIS AGAIN.
SO I REMEMBER TURNING AROUND AND
FACING MY CAPTORS AND JUST
TELLING THEM, I JUST -- I HAVE
THIS FEELING AND I KNOW THAT GOD
WOULD NEVER SPEAK TO ME BUT I
KNOW HE'LL SPEAK TO YOU BECAUSE
YOU'RE HIS SERVE VANT, YOU'RE
PRACTICELY HIS BEST FRIEND.
CAN YOU PLEASE ASK HIM IF WE'RE
SUPPOSED TO GO BACK TO SALT LAKE
BECAUSE THIS FEELING JUST WON'T
LEAVE ME AND THIS IS JUST CRAZY
COMING FROM ME BUT IF YOU ASK
HIM, I KNOW HE'LL TELL YOU.
AND SO HE DID END UP ASKING AND
THAT WAS HOW IT WAS DECIDED WE
WOULD GO BACK TO SALT LAKE.
>> THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I THINK
YOU WERE IN A LIBRARY AND A
POLICE OFFICER APPROACHED YOU
AND THIS MAN THAT HAD TAKEN YOU.
WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND
THEN?
>> AS SOON AS WE SAW HIM
APPROACHING, I WAS SITTING NEXT
TO HIM, AS SOON AS THE POLICEMAN
FLASHED HIS BADGE BECAUSE HE WAS
DRESSED AS A CIVILIAN, SHE
IMMEDIATELY CLAMPED HER HAND
DOWN ON TO MY LEG AND IN MY
14-YEAR-OLD MIND I KNEW IF I DID
ANYTHING OR SAID ANYTHING THAT I
WOULD BE KILLED, AND THEN THEY
WOULD GO AFTER MY FAMILY.
SO I SAT AND PRAYED AND HOPE AND
DESPERATE THAT HE WOULD
RECOGNIZE ME THAT SOMEHOW HE
WOULD SAVE ME AND WHEN HE TURNED
AROUND AND WALKED AWAY BEING
100% CONVINCED THAT IT WASN'T
ME, I MEAN, IT FELT LIKE I WAS
BEING KIDNAPPED ALL OVER AGAIN,
I MEAN, IT FELT LIKE I WAS BEING
STOLEN FROM MY FAMILY AGAIN, AND
BEING RIPPED AWAY FROM MY LIFE
AND MY HAPPINESS.
>> TELL ME ABOUT THE DAY THAT
FREEDOM FINALLY CAME WHEN SOME
POLICE OFFICERS APPROACHED.
>> UH-HUH.
>> WHAT HAPPENED.
>> I REMEMBER ALL THESE CARS
PULLED UP AND THEN THE POLICEMEN
JUMPED OUT OF THE CARS AND CAME
OVER AND SURROUNDED US AND
STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS AND MY
TWO CAPTORS GAVE ANSWERS AND THE
OFFICERS ASKED ME QUESTIONS AND
THERE HAD BEEN A WHOLE BACK
STORY PREPARED BY MY CAPTORS
THAT TOLD ME I SHOULD SAY IF I
WAS EVER QUESTIONED SO I STARTED
GIVING THESE ANSWERS BECAUSE
THEY WERE STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO
ME.
I WAS SCARED.
I WAS PETRIFIED.
AND THEN ONE OF THE OFFICERS, HE
SAID TO THIS OTHER OFFICER,
SHE'S JUST TOO SCARED, WE NEED
TO SEPARATE HER FROM THEM.
SHE CAN'T ANSWER WITH THEM RIGHT
THERE.
SO THEY SEPARATED ME AND STARTED
ASKING ME QUESTIONS AND AT FIRST
I WAS STILL REALLY SCARED.
I KEPT GIVING THE ANSWERS THAT I
HAD BEEN TOLD TO GIVE AND THEN
FINALLY, ONE OF THE OFFICERS
SAID, WELL, IF YOU'RE ELIZABETH
SMART, YOUR FAMILY MISSES YOU SO
MUCH AND THEY LOVE YOU SO MUCH
AND THEY HAVE NEVER GIVEN UP
HOPE ON YOU THE ENTIRE NINE
MONTHS YOU WERE GONE.
DON'T YOU WANT TO GO BACK HOME
TO YOUR FAMILY?
AND IT WAS AT THAT POINT THAT I
FELT LIKE WELL, NO MATTER WHAT
THE CONSEQUENCES ARE, I DON'T
CARE, WANT TO GO HOME.
>> SO WHAT DID YOU SAY?
>> I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS
ELIZABETH SMART.
>> WHAT WAS THAT FEELING LIKE TO
SAY YOUR NAME?
I -- YOU PROBABLY HAD NOT SAID
YOUR NAME FOR A LONG TIME.
>> IT WAS SCARY.
>> SCARY.
>> YEAH.
IT WAS SCARY BECAUSE I DIDN'T
KNOW IF THEY THOUGHT I HAD DONE
SOMETHING WRONG OR I MEAN, IF
THEY THOUGHT I HAD RUN AWAY OR I
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE
THINKING.
>> DID YOU KNOW THAT YOUR FAMILY
WAS LOOKING FOR YOU?
DID YOU KNOW -- BECAUSE I KNOW
YOU HAD BEEN TOLD BY YOUR CAP
TOMORROWS THAT NOBODY WAS
LOOKING FOR YOU ANYMORE.
>> BY THAT POINT, I DIDN'T
THINK -- I THOUGHT MAYBE MY
FAMILY WOULD STILL LOOK FOR ME
BUT NOBODY ELSE BECAUSE IT HAD
JUST BEEN SO LONG AND AS FAR AS
I KNEW, NOTHING HAD BEEN FOUND.
IT WAS LIKE I JUST DISAPPEARED.
>> I'VE TALKED TO YOUR DAD A LOT
OVER THE YEARS AND I REMEMBER
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE KEPT
STRESSING BECAUSE EVERY TIME A
CHILD IS RETURNED, WE OFTEN GO
TO YOUR DAD AND TALK TO HIM AND
HE SAYS THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO
LET THE PERSON WHO HAS SURVIVED
AND COME BACK IN THEIR OWN TIME
TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S TRUE?
>> BEING WITH MY FAMILY JUST IT
COULDN'T HAVE BEEN ANY BETTER.
I MEAN, I COULDN'T HAVE ASKED
FOR A BETTER DREAM COME TRUE OR
WISH COME TRUE, WISH GRANTED BUT
THEN HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE
SPECULATE ON WHAT HAPPENED AND
WHAT I MUST BE GOING THROUGH AND
WHAT -- AND JUST SO MANY WELL,
LIES BEING TOLD.
IT WAS -- IT WAS HARD.
I DIDN'T LIKE IT.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY LIKES
HAVING PEOPLE GUESS AT WHAT THEY
ARE GOING TRUE.
PRIVACY IS SO SAKE RATE AND ANY
TIME A VICTIM IS RETURNED, A
SURVIVOR IS RESCUED, PRIVACY IS
ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS WE CAN
GIVE THEM BECAUSE IF THEY DECIDE
TO SHARE, THAT'S UP TO THEM AND
THEY WILL COME FORWARD.
>> I TALKED A COUPLE MONTHS AGO
TO SEAN HORN BACK WHO WAS ALSO
ABDUCTED AND RETURNED FINALLY,
AND ONE OF THE THINGS HE SAID
THAT STAYED WITH ME, HE SAID
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED
TO ME, IT'S NOT WHO I AM.
DOES THAT REST NATE WITH YOU?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I AM NOT JUST THAT GIRL THAT WAS
KIDNAPPED.
THAT HAPPENED TO ME, BUT I'M SO
MUCH MORE THAN JUST THAT GIRL
THAT WAS KIDNAPPED.
>> AND YOUR LIFE NOW?
>> I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER.
I HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR A YEAR
AND A HALF.
I MEAN, I'VE GOT -- YEAH,
COULDN'T GET BETTER THAN THAT,