Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart (Netflix, Jan. 21, 2026) revisits Elizabeth Smart’s 2002 abduction and her rescue in 2003 through interviews with Smart, her family and investigators. The film highlights Mary Katherine’s testimony, the investigation that identified Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, and the legal outcomes: Mitchell’s life sentence and Barzee’s 2018 release and 2025 parole arrest. Today Smart is a mother, author and activist who runs the Elizabeth Smart Foundation to support survivors and prevent sexual violence.
Netflix Revisits the Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping: New Documentary Explores Abduction, Rescue and Her Life Today
Elizabeth Smart at her home in Salt Lake City in 2004. (Lois Smart via Getty Images)
An upcoming Netflix documentary, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, re-examines the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart, the months she spent captive and the events that led to her recovery in 2003. The film draws on new and archival interviews with Smart herself, her family and others involved in the case to tell a careful, survivor-centered account of what happened and how the investigation unfolded.
What the Documentary Covers
The documentary follows the intense media attention the Salt Lake City family endured after the then-14-year-old vanished and traces the Smart family’s frantic search. A trailer released this week highlights the decisive role of Elizabeth’s younger sister, Mary Katherine, who was the only person in the room when the abduction occurred and whose later testimony — including the name she remembered, “Emmanuel” — helped investigators identify the abductor.
“I just wanted to tell them I’m still alive,” Smart says in the trailer.
The Abduction and Captivity
On the night of June 5, 2002, Brian David Mitchell — who had briefly worked as a handyman in the Smart home — entered the family’s Salt Lake City house and abducted Elizabeth at knifepoint from the shared bedroom she occupied with her sister Mary Katherine. For roughly nine months, Elizabeth was held captive by Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. She endured deprivation and sexual abuse while her captors sometimes concealed her in public and even moved with her for the winter from Utah to San Diego.
Two months into her captivity, a veiled woman was questioned by police at a Salt Lake City library; Mitchell told officers the face covering was part of the family’s spiritual practice. Mitchell blended religious language with a manipulated belief system, a tactic he later used to control and coerce Elizabeth.
How She Was Found
Early search efforts produced little physical evidence. Mary Katherine, present during the abduction, initially could not identify the assailant in the dark but later recognized his voice and recalled the name he used: “Emmanuel.” A sketch released by the family and a tip from a relative who recognized Mitchell helped focus the investigation. After two separate couples reported seeing Mitchell, Barzee and a veiled Elizabeth together in Sandy, Utah, police located and rescued Elizabeth during a traffic stop in March 2003.
Legal Outcomes
Brian David Mitchell was ultimately sentenced to life in prison in 2011 and is serving his sentence at a high-security federal facility in Indiana. Wanda Barzee received a 15-year federal sentence in 2010 and was released in 2018 after a parole review; she remained under federal supervision. In May 2025, Barzee was arrested for a parole violation after visiting parks in Utah, a restriction she was prohibited from entering as a registered sex offender. Barzee told police she had been "commanded by the Lord" to visit the parks — a religious justification Smart says echoes the manipulation she experienced.
Elizabeth Smart Today
Elizabeth Smart is now a wife and mother of three and an outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual violence. In 2011 she founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which funds self-defense programs, awareness and advocacy campaigns, and survivor support services. She has criticized abstinence-only education as potentially harmful to survivors and has written publicly about recovery and healing.
- Books: My Story (2013) and Where There's Hope (2018). Her next book, Detours, is due Dec. 16.
- Film and TV: Smart narrated and produced the 2017 Lifetime film I Am Elizabeth Smart and appeared on The Masked Dancer in 2021.
Why This Documentary Matters
Producers say the film aims to center survivors’ perspectives, reduce stigma and deepen public understanding of how abuse can be masked by manipulation and false religious claims. In an Instagram post promoting the documentary, Smart wrote that she hopes victims who watch it will feel less alone and that viewers will gain compassion for families navigating similar traumas.
Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on Jan. 21, 2026.
