Netflix's Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart Revisits a Case That Shook America

In the early hours of June 5, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart's life changed forever when a man entered her bedroom in Salt Lake City at knifepoint. That man was Brian David Mitchell, accompanied by his wife Wanda Barzee. What followed was a nine-month ordeal of captivity, repeated sexual assault, drugging, and psychological manipulation that would grip the nation and transform Smart into an advocate for child safety.

Netflix's documentary series "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart" revisits this harrowing case through interviews with Smart's family members, providing insight into both the abduction itself and the complex investigation that followed. The documentary captures how a family coped with the sudden disappearance of their daughter and the shocking circumstances of her eventual rescue in March 2003.

During her nine months in captivity, Smart was subjected to repeated rape—sometimes multiple times daily—forced alcohol consumption, starvation, and constant threats. Mitchell used religious indoctrination as another tool of control, attempting to manipulate Smart psychologically alongside the physical brutality. Her younger sister, Mary Katherine Smart, had been present during the abduction and would become a crucial witness to the crimes.

The investigation eventually led authorities to Mitchell and Barzee, and the legal system moved to hold them accountable. Wanda Barzee was sentenced to 15 years in prison on November 17, 2009, and was released early on September 19, 2018. Brian David Mitchell faced more serious charges. On December 10, 2010, he was found guilty, and in 2011, he received a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Psychological evaluations revealed that Mitchell had been diagnosed with antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders.