I did. I remember praying for her every night with my mom.

My son in high school at the time searched for her, we thought she'd died. She is an example of strength of character.

So true. I was living in the Salt Lake Valley at the time, and when someone excitedly came to tell me the news my immediate reaction was grief, because I automatically assumed that what had been found was a body.

where there is a will....there is always a way.

They didn't recognise her - they recognised one of her captors, Mitchell. His photo had been circulated in the news

*Damn, she's hotter than Megan Fox!*

I'm still trying to get over abuse. I can't even imagine wtf this woman went through. Literal nightmare, worst scenario stuff.

@@swallowedinthesea11 you think Megan is hot lmao

@@lillaurap please look into neuroplasticity techniques. Life changing.

I'm still upset over my abuse and it was an ed by a couple of people who said it was a lesson to be learned took them yo court tje syokholm syndrome.. Hes still around my bp.shot ul......its the talk of the town.no one is protecting me I'm so upset

Be strong.

She was great on true crime daily

Have you looked into EDMR or vagus nerve therapies?

You never know.........

Lol, right? I hear you on that. Thankfully that doesn't define our worth. You are valuable and have much to offer, I'm sure. ♥️

Having been a victim of domestic abuse for 20 years, I can tell you that that man's wife was under his thumb and under his abusive spell. People in power control others with fear. Just look at our government currently.

AGREED!

The law works as a disjuticce sometimes. Maybe they needed her testimony to help put him away? She should of got just as much time.

Agreed. Now she is free to find another victim.

Smart where though.

Read her book or listen to the audio. Wow!!

@Amy Lewis you probably already know this, but you’re a terrible person. Being held against your will is not a matter of just “leaving”.

@Amy Lewis Her captivity was horrific. Glad she escaped. I would have died trying to get away from that disgusting man and woman.

@@outliv Lady, did you hear her talking about her will to live? She obviously couldn't "leave" because of her faith in her Lord. Shonda just expressed her own opinion of what she would have done. I cannot imagine being a 14 year old going through this. Maybe I would have felt the same as Shonda... I can't say and neither could you. Shush, sister.

@@shondaet None of us would know in Elizabeth's situation. I get you though, sister.

Why ? Because she (supposedly) got molested ? That's inspirational ?

She is such a survivor.

What a hero. She was (supposedly) molested. She should get the congressional medal of honor.

She is lovely

Rràeè

Lucky she did not get pregnant with kidnapper baby

@@dontennis2260 I've thought of that myself! I can't even imagine...

Did she realize was in this different places? Yes ! Instead of crying out loud she stay foot to survive and asking God for a hand ✋️ leading to find Elizabeth Smart .

Did she realize was in this different places? Yes ! Instead of crying out loud she stay foot to survive and asking God for a hand ✋️ leading to find Elizabeth Smart .

Amen, Amen, Amen to your words.

Especially, if the person is young and weak. Predators know who to target. If the person can physically fight back their captor, they will.

Going along with it until you're sure you can break away is the smartest thing if you really want to live.

I wouldn’t call it appeasement. I’d call it figuring out what you need to do to survive and deciding that you’re going to fight for your life however possible. She’s a survivor.

Heard is not on the same level as Elizabeth. Elizabeth is credible and strong.

Oh my gosh completely agree!!! Amber is a liar and a manipulator. Elizabeth is actually a kind person who CARES about other victims and advocates for them unlike Amber

Yes. She is the real deal.

Elizabeth Smart isn’t going to have anything to do with the ACLU. Nor should she ever have to.

@@thatlaserlady3899 but her father wasn’t. He was a suspect for a reason.

Yes Elizabeth is a strong woman

Kudos to her parents and her faith.

Christina B you said that so beautifully! xx

I am also her age. I followed her story as well.

@@katiechevalier2786 such an amazing thing to be here 20 years in the future.

I remember the day she was found. We were so shocked but so happy to hear she was home. I was her age a little older.

@Giovanni Garcia very true

I'm not even a survivor of sexual abuse and she's helped me just by hearing/seeing this. Granted I did grow up with abuse. But my point is, well, I think you probably get it. Her strength to keep going, that "appease" that kicked in and allowed her to stay alive which in turn led to her rescue. I can't imagine.. but here I am with what I think are big problems in my life and then watching this realizing how petty my issues are or rather how petty I am for even have ever considered things like suicide and that if Elizabeth Smart can go through what she went through and manage to do what she did, has done, and continues to do.. then surely I can rise above. If not out of respect for myself, then respect for others who have gone through much worse.

@@LateBloomerMedia I am so sorry 😢. I wish you nothing but light and healing. I found one of the biggest comforts is a pet. My dog Pinky is what gave me the strength to leave a physically abusive relationship. She has continued to be the steps I needed for healing.

@@Megdracula omg that sounds so scary

She's amazing.

Mormons like young girls. They've built a religion around it.

@@jacksonheathen2092 That's not even remotely true. The vast, vast, vast majority of Mormon girls get married in their 20s to males of a similar age. Just because you state a bold faced lie doesn't make it true. There are things called facts.

@@prankgirl9112 OK. The fundamentalist mormons.

@@jacksonheathen2092 They aren't even Mormon at all just hijacked the name and drastically changed the doctrine. I actually help with an organization that help women and men escape from the cult. These women have so many scars from the beatings and abuse. The leaders are monsters who need to be put in jail. The head leader isnin jail but that just makes things worse.

@Liz Muschinski that's a pretty powerful attitude!!! You go girl!!! Proud of you!

🤗🤗🤗aww I love this so much

You’re so strong, never give up and keep on going! I hope everything gets tons better for you, Lisa! ❤️

Wow what a bro!!!

@@Madilynne-AP yep, moved into a new apt in a different area this past weekend, FINALLY! Been trying to move for well over a year, but w COVID, not an easy feat finding a decent one I could afford. Housing is super scarce w so many not paying their rents and landlords not being able to evict them.

The appease concept pushes back on the she didn't fight or scream lie.

@@katiehettinger7857 da fuq u talking about!?🤷🤷

@@craigcullen28 I think they’re saying that we can’t just say/use “well she didn’t fight back” as proof that someone wasn’t raped or assaulted. Like somehow the only way to respond to assault is to kick and scream, but it’s not.

@@katiehettinger7857 so, so true

@@katiehettinger7857 I mean does it matter? Scratch that "did she choose not to fight ?" I mean I only ask bc you were there that is If you don't mind answering 🤦‍♀️

👋

Echo!

who is judging her?

@@christopherallen9580 exactly!!

It's her parents fault that they she was kidnapped,

@@kimvanhowe852 Funny how the Dad thing gets forgotten…

I think she has wanted to be a public figure since not long after she was found. She mentioned wanting to play herself in a made for TV movie. For the record, I don’t think that this is a good thing or a bad thing, just a thing.

@@vjj1764 It’s an interesting thing. She and her father have both tried to profit which is just …strange.

@@kimvanhowe852 rightt!! Totally sold her or something obvious to me no way someone is just their in your room !! & her mother didn’t even bother to ask what happened to her which is odd as a parent

Why do people say, "I have no words." when obviously, they do (you just said/wrote them)? It's a rhetorical question.

@@johnfd0210 she said “no OTHER words”

@@johnfd0210 If it's a rethorical question, why are you even asking it here?

Here's a few other words. Fake, theatrical, attention seeking, professional victim, profiting by selling movie rights. I was always dubious about her entire story. She was supposedly kidnapped out of her own bedroom (with other siblings sleeping there), then she stayed with the creep for almost a year when she had endless chances to simply walk away in public places (in her own town). It sounds at least equally plausible to me that she left out of her own accord with that creep. Unfortunately, teenage girls do that kind of all the time.

Very well said. Thank you

She's made a career out of being a professional victim in the media. How inspiring.

I was absolutely shocked when I heard that. I said out loud "THAT'S ALL THE TIME SHE GOT?!!". That would incite a whole new fear in me.

I think her faith in God and love of her family helped her tremendously

So sorry to hear you have suffered so..I wish you peace and love for the rest of your life❣

She has actually said that she has not found therapy helpful and has found it triggering, as it reminded her of the investigative progress required to help prosecute her abusers. She says processing with her family, and I assume her religion, has given her her strength. It’s really amazing

U said it but we are so lucky so when u have bad days work through them take 5he time u need and just look at the bright side that ur not a victim and u have all the power back.

I understand where you're coming from, but it seems clear that part of what Smart is trying to do is to reach survivors of this kind of violence. Talking about her own experience openly is part of making it clear that she and other people who are victimized have nothing to be ashamed of, that the shame belongs to the people who brutalized them. When she talks about how she chose to appease the people who held her in captivity, because it was the best survival strategy available to her, that's incredibly important for many survivors to hear.

She does this for a living. She voluntarily did this interview, she wasn’t ambushed in the street.

Why do people victimize the victim?

You mean that they didn't believe her or something else?

@@euphorbia1581 If I remember correctly, they thought that she could have gotten away sooner when they came into town and made her wear the white (and dirty) headdress and robe coverings, that she knew where her family was or how to use a phone. By this point, after 9 months she was so traumatized. I think too that she is doing so well and with deep purpose, helps others, married and children I think, that people thought her good fortune of restoral to self and even-keeled made them complain that she was "milking" a story, throwing some hate toward her in ways I can't really explain cause it is just so ...weird . Go look up some of the interviews and look at the comments. I can't be more specific and tell you exactly which to look for because it truly upsets me. I guess it's a trigger. Do you ever get a little overloaded with sad, or mean things? There's so much that I remember the parts, but I don't want to watch it again cause I feel so much compassion and empathy and also so proud of her and go back to her family, and they are the praying king it seems and they got her back, and eventually restored and with such a purchase. I always remember when she was taken, there was the portrait style picture of her playing harp, and I wonder if she still plays. I hope everyday is pleasant for her.

Personally, I'm dubious about whether her story was ever true. She was supposedly kidnapped out of her bedroom without anyone in the house waking up ?, then she had 9 month to run away (often in public places) ? I think it's equally plausible that she left out of her own accord. It's not uncommon for teenagers to do that.

@@sunshinerays2747 Is questioning the plausibility of someone's story "victimizing the victim" ?

Problem is not everyone wants to be found if you mean in runaways some are kidnapped yes but alot of people escape dangerous homes or have problems.