Who is Wanda Barzee? Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapper arrested after visiting Utah parks, gives bizarre excuse

The woman who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart more than two decades ago was arrested on Thursday, May 1. Wanda Barzee, who was convicted of abducting then-14-year-old Smart in 2002, was arrested for illegally visiting Liberty Park and Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Barzee, 79, told the Salt Lake City Police Department that God urged her to visit the green spaces and “sit on the benches and feed the ducks,” KUTV reported.

Court records obtained by the outlet showed that Barzee was not permitted to visit parks due to her sex offender status. She had been released on the condition that she call authorities once a week, attend court hearings and not “commit any criminal offense.” The two parks she visited are located less than 10 miles from her Salt Lake home.

Who is Wanda Barzee?

Barzee and her husband Brian David Mitchell, who was a street preacher, abducted Smart from her Salt Lake City bedroom at knifepoint back in 2002. The duo entered Smart’s home through an open window.

Barzee and Mitchell kept Smart captive for nine months. The teen lived with the couple in run-down homes and campsites in Utah and San Diego, and was reportedly raped on a near-daily basis.

Smart was rescued after a good Samaritan called police after spotting her walking with the couple in the suburb of Sandy, Utah. In the aftermath of the crime, Mitchell was convicted of raping and kidnapping Smart, and was sentenced to life in prison. Barzee was sentenced to spend 15 years behind bars in 2010, but was released five years early in 2018. Her prison sentence was cut short after Utah authorities said they had miscalculated the amount of time she was supposed to serve.

For as many as five years, Barzee was on supervised release. She was banned from contacting Smart’s family, and had to receive mental health treatment.

Smart is now a married mother in her 30s. Barzee’s early release infuriated her, and she demanded that the suspect be sent to a mental health facility instead of being set free. Smart said Barzee “saw me as her slave. She called me her handmaiden. She never hesitated to let her displeasure with me be known,” according to the New York Post.

Smart also expressed her concerns when Barzee decided to rent an apartment near an elementary school after her sentence ended. “Every possible caution and protection should be taken when it comes to protecting our children. Whether a person is deemed a current threat or if they have a history of child abuse, neglect, sexual violence, etc., prudent measures should be taken, including housing them as far away as possible from schools, families and community centers,” Smart in a statement at the time.