Elizabeth Smart

American child safety activist and contributor for ABC News, who first gained national attention at the age of 14 when she was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City by Brian David Mitchell. Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, held Smart captive for nine months until she was rescued by police officers on a street in Sandy, Utah. Smart has gone on to work as an activist and advocate for missing persons. Her life and abduction have been the subject of numerous non-fiction books and films.

The second of six kids, Elizabeth grew up in a close-knit Mormon family, reading scripture and praying morning and evening, an award winner at school. She was dedicated to her harp practice, having begun to play in kindergarten, and shared her love for music with her younger sister. Her goal was to one day attend Juilliard School of Music. She enjoyed the outdoors, camping, snowmobiling, horseback riding and dogs when she wasn't eating pizza or jumping on trampolines with her friends.

Smart disappeared on 5 June 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah. A pretty girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, 5'6" (1.67m) and 100 lb (45 kg), she was abducted from her Salt Lake City home as her family slept.

On the evening just before her disappearance, she and her family had attended an award ceremony at Elizabeth's middle school where she was recognized for various school accomplishments. The family prayed together and kissed goodnight. Sometime in the early morning hours of 5 June, a man entered the bedroom she shared with her younger sister and spirited her away at knifepoint. Just before 4:00 AM, Mary Katherine, the younger sister, woke up her parents saying Elizabeth had been taken. Police estimate that the time of disappearance was around 1:00 AM and that Mary Katherine delayed reporting Elizabeth's disappearance for fear of reprisal. No ransom note was found. Smart was raped daily, tied up, and threatened with death if she attempted to escape.