clayton- children can be intimidated quite easily and she was probably threatened or afraid.
I am glad, also becasue I was getting tired of all the Iraq-All The Time news coverage.
I’d figurred for another senatorial scandal, but this is much better.
From what she told police, she had two people with her at all times so she couldn’t get away.
I think the big deal right now is that she was actually found alive 9 months later. In stranger abduction cases, that is nearly unheard of; most of the time the child is found dead around 48 hours later, or otherwise found dead at some later date.
Back when this story and the other “blonde wealthy abducted girls” stories were big, you had a point. Well, you still do, but my point is that right now, people are amazed she’s alive and not in some shallow grave like so many other abducted kids ended up.
As for media hype about abducted kids, maybe the Bradley girls (who happen to not be blonde or white or rich) who disappeared two years ago in Chicago will get some attention from the national media instead of just the local. The city of Chicago had put a lot of effort into looking for them, even searching all known abandoned buildings in the city at one point, in an attempt to find them.
Or to put it yet another way…
Otto Stop being a fucking jerk and stop pissing on everyone’s joy. Do you honestly think that anyone would be less overjoyed if Elizabeth had been black or hispanic? Go somewhere else and act like an asshole and I don’t give a fuck if the door hit you on the way out. Sheesh.
Count me among those who thought she was most likely dead. I think this is just short of a miracle.
Alright. That’s enough of that. Otto, a little decorum, if you please. The rest of you who disagree with Otto: either report a post to the moderators, or start a pit thread. DON’T yell at each other in MPSIMS. I thought that particular rule wasn’t all that hard.
Otto - It has been mentioned many times that the first reason she got so much exposure and attention was the fact that the kidnapping was unusual in that she was kidnapped from her own bedroom (as was Danielle). It made us all aware that we aren’t safe in our own homes.
However, the biggest reason her kidnapping was so publicized was her family’s effort. They made certain that the police and the press didn’t give up on her. They took it upon themselves to hold press conferences EVERY SINGLE DAY, put up fliers and billboards, and just be continuously in the public eye.
I’m sorry I chose this forum to reply to otto. I wasn’t aware that there was already a pit thread started for just that purpose.
I usually manage to keep this stuff in the proper forum but. . . I will just flat out admit that his response just pushed a few buttons for me. I know that doesn’t justify my choice of forum but maybe it explains my response. However, FWIW, my opinion of otto remains unchanged.
I’m noticing that beyond reporting she is safe, Noting is being reported as to what happened to her, how she was confined/controlled by these two adults, what, beyond kidnapping, the two adults are being charged with.
Also, I see nothing about corroboration of the sisters story on the kidnap nights events. What’s the deal? I know she’s 14 and a minor, but people in my office are already thinking that she half was kidnapped and half ran away from home. At 14, kids start to rebel in strange ways. It would be very anti-climactic if this turns out to be semi-consentual (laws of consent not withstanding).
I’m overjoyed as well that Elizabeth Smart was found alive and well. This was a spot of good news amid all the doom and gloom.
Well, Otto, here in the bay area of California, two little African-American boys were kidnapped from their mother, and the Amber alert system instantly went full-steam, and their pictures were in the news and the data was on the electric freeway billboards all over the state. It was BIG news, and the boys (thank goodness) were found a day or two later and recovered unharmed. A disgruntled ex-boyfriend of the mother had taken them.
I saw part of a news conference with the police chief last night. When questions about what exactly happened, where she was all this time, how she was held captive, etc., were asked by reporters, the chief’s reply was that all information of that nature was important to the criminal investigation and wasn’t going to be something that they would just discuss. As of that point she’d only been found for a very short time, and issues like conflicting statements of the two others involved, etc., are crucial to an investigation.
I think I’ll let someone else bring up last night’s episode of SouthPark.
Good Morning America interviewed her father this morning, and he said she was in the mountains right behind thier house for months! She could even hear people calling for her while they searched. They were so close…it’s amazing they found her after all this time.
I imagine all the details will come out later. I don’t think they subjected her to a long interrogation right away, they let her go home. Her father said they watched her favorite video.
Poor girl, I hope she can recover and go on with her life.
Indeed. I’m amazed (and glad) she was found alive, but I’m interested to hear how she was with these people, apparently in good health, for nine months, frequently appearing in public (?) and didn’t get away. I shouldn’t even suggest this until more facts have come out, but… Patty Hearst Syndrome, anyone?
I am very happy and amazed but I am kind of finding this case a little strange, as some of you have brought up.
I am wondering why this 15-year-old girl never ever in 9 months was able to get away or communicate to anyone. There are reports that her abductors brought her out to parties and in public, etc. (dressed in strange clothing, veiled face, kind of like a cross between a nun and a Muslim woman.) ALSO it is reported that when the police confronted the three, Elizabeth did not initially identify herself or confirm that she was Elizabeth. Why didn’t she jump at the chance? A 15-year-old is old enough and smart enough to overcome a child’s fear and say “yes, it’s me!!”
Does anyone else find it odd that Elizabeth’s mother would routinely hire these strange homeless guys as “handymen” to do work around their house? She met this guy “Emannuel” on the street panhandling and she gave him $5 and invited him to her home to work on the roof. HELLO!?!?!? Not a good idea, especially with all those young children in the house.
About another issue brought up: I do find it disconcerting how much attention is paid to these “wealthy blonde little girl” abductions while other abuctions are ignored. I remember the abduction of those two little black girls a while back and you never hear anything about that anymore. Why do we have this fascination with any kid that’s adbducted or murdered if they happen to be white, blonde, and pretty? Yes I know the fact that she was taken from her room is of particular interest, but…
Any thoughts?
I’ve seen that discussed in other places, but I’m not that surprised that she didn’t manage to get away (and how do we know she didn’t ever try? Does trying=succeeding?). I think that once more is known, it will be very understandable.
Some things that may have happened:
–drugs/sedation
–intimidation and threats (“if you try to get away, we’ll go hurt your sisters. You know we can get into your house…”)
–abuse
–some type of brainwashing, which family members have mentioned
After months and months of whatever she’s been through, I don’t find it that unusual that she didn’t just tear off the veil and scream “I’m a kidnapping victim! Help me!” The girls who escape are famous because they did escape and that’s unusual.
As for ‘wealthy blonde girl’ attention, I agree somewhat on the original coverage, but I think the fuss now is because she came back after nearly a year, which is pretty much unheard of. Most victims are long dead by then (which is what I thought had happened to her, too). Her family worked the whole time to keep this in the public eye, which they had the resources to do more than other families, but they’ve also helped other abducted children. If they hadn’t done that work, the focus wouldn’t have lasted as long.
Last summer, one of the other kids who was taken was also widely covered when she escaped. She was black, I seem to recall, and was all over the news, being hailed as a heroine (which ES is not AFAIK), because she had gotten out on her own. So coverage of children returning home doesn’t seem to be limited to wealthy blondes…
the girl who escaped was in philly. she is a brave, savvy, girl. her home life and miss smart’s are worlds apart.
i would venture to say that miss smart’s childhood was very sheltered and gentle. she probably didn’t have the mindset to deal with a religious fanatic, and the people he would be with. i’m sure there were physical threats against her, her family, etc. i would think something along the lines of: “my people are everywhere, they are watching your family.” " you set on toe wrong, and your sister, brother, etc; will pay."
from the reports she did not say she was eliz. until after the police got her away from the couple.
if patty hearst, a grown woman couldn’t get away from her kidnappers, you expect a sheltered 14 year old to?