by Ed Smart
We are all here for a purpose—it's not just chance that we come here. Maybe Elizabeth's kidnapping was God's way of showing the world that He can perform miracles. It refined us. It brought us together as a nation of faithful people from all religions and beliefs. It gave us hope. It made us better people. It made our family more believing and trusting in God. We had a miraculous firsthand experience. There is no way we could have brought Elizabeth home on our own.
There were many miracles throughout the nine months that Elizabeth was gone. But even if we hadn't brought Elizabeth home, the miracles would have still been there. If we look at life only in terms of our mortal existence, then of course those who don't have their children return do not experience a miracle. But they do, because they are given the strength to carry on even in the absence of their child. We know this because we accepted the notion that Elizabeth might never come back. We became stronger in our faith through that experience. If a miracle is viewed in terms of immortality and eternal life, which is what our family believes, the miracle exists in every respect. In death, severe illness, even kidnapping, miracles do happen.
Looking back on the experience, we know that none of us will ever be the same. We are stronger for what we've experienced. Our love is stronger and our faith is deeper. We have great hope for the future. We will continue to seek the Lord and stay the course. We have all been in situations where we've felt lost from time to time. We pray to be rescued from those days of waiting and watching, feeling misplaced, hoping to be stronger. We all stumble along in fear and confusion, hoping our steps will lead us to a better place. We all sometimes need a miracle rescue—let Elizabeth's story be a reminder of the possibility of miracles. Elizabeth has been in therapy since the end of her ordeal. It's fair to say that when she talks about her kidnapping, it is difficult, especially when she details the events of those nine months to investigators and lawyers.
We will continue to get Elizabeth all the help she needs to be certain she will be equipped to handle the road ahead in life. It will be a long road until the time Elizabeth is fully recovered, but we will be by her side—together as a family to help support her, love her, and see to it that she has a wonderful life.
Contact Information
Laura Recovery Center
307 B-1 South Friendswood Drive
Friendswood, TX 77546
(281) 482-5723 fax: (281) 482-5727
www.LRCF.org
America's Most Wanted
P.O. Box Crime TV
Washington, DC 20016-9126
(800) CRIME-TV
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Charles B. Wang International Children's Building
699 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3175
Phone: (703) 274-3900
Fax: (703) 274-2200
Hotline: (800) THE-LOST (800-843-5678)
NCMEC/California
18111 Irvine Blvd., Suite C
Tustin, CA 92780-3403
(714) 508-0150 fax: (714) 508-0154
NCMEC/Florida
9176 Alternate A1A, Suite 100
Lake Park, FL 33403-1445
(561) 848-1900 fax: (561) 848-0308
NCMEC/Kansas City
1018 W. 39th Street, Suite B
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 756-5422 fax: (816) 756-1804
NCMEC/New York
275 Lake Avenue
Rochester, NY 14608
(585) 242-0900 fax: (585) 242-0717
NCMEC/Manhattan Affiliate
395 Hudson Street, Floor 10
New York, NY 10014
(212) 366-7880 fax: (212) 366-7881
NCMEC/Metropolitan New York
769 Elmont Road
Elmont, NY 11003
(718) 222-5888 fax: (718) 222-5889
NCMEC/Mohawk Valley
247 Elizabeth Street
Utica, NY 13501
(315) 732-7233 fax: (315) 732-2465
NCMEC/South Carolina
2008 Marion Street, Suite C
Columbia, SC 29201-2151
(803) 254-2326 fax: (803) 254-4299
Bibliography
Chabot, Sen. Steve (Ohio). “Victims' Rights Amendment Hearing Before the Subcommittee on the Constitution”—May 9, 2002.
Fattah, Ezzat A. “Victims' Rights: Past, Present, and Future.”
Jerin, Robert. “A Historical Examination of Victims' Rights in the United States.”
Lord, Janice. “National Constitutional Amendment for Victims' Rights”—2002.
Swavy, Joseph. State News. “US Legislators Seek to Amend Constitution”—2002.
Acknowledgments
WE WANT TO GIVE our deepest gratitude to our Heavenly Father, for His love and guidance, and for the spirit and belief that we would emerge from this experience stronger, wiser, and full of love and hope that prayers are answered and miracles do happen.
There are so many people we'd like to thank for all of their love, prayers, support, donations, and help while Elizabeth was missing. Our family was deeply touched by everyone's generosity and selflessness during that time. We could never have imagined that so many people from all faiths, religious backgrounds, and different walks of life would have come together with the common goal of helping bring our daughter home. It would be nearly impossible to thank each of you individually, though we truly wish we could. Thank you to all of our family members—especially our parents, Charles and Dorotha, and Jenny and Myron—to our friends, members of our ward, and members of the church. Thank you to the volunteers, to the business owners who donated supplies during the search, and to the search teams for your tireless efforts. A special heartfelt thanks to the members of the Utah real estate and mortgage community, who lightened Ed's burden during the time Elizabeth was missing and helped him to maintain his business at a time when he simply couldn't do it alone. Thank you to the members of the Salt Lake City and other State of Utah law-enforcement agencies, including the Salt Lake City Police Department, the State Crime Lab, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department, and the FBI. Thank you to Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson for not giving up hope and keeping the investigation alive. Thank you to the Intrepid Group and to all the members of the media who stood by our side every day and broadcast updates on Elizabeth's story. We would never have been able to bring Elizabeth home without all of you—especially John Walsh, America's Most Wanted and The John Walsh Show, and the teams at Good Morning America, the Today show, the CBS Morning Show, Larry King, and 48 Hours. Thanks to all of the print media who never stopped writing about Elizabeth's kidnapping.
We especially want to thank our publisher, who believed that we should write this book the way we wanted to. Thank you to our editor, Trace Murphy, for giving us the freedom to tell our story. Thanks to everyone at Doubleday, including Suzanne Herz for all of your publicity efforts, Joan Schadt, Michelle Rapkin, Michael Palgon, and Steve Rubin. Also, thanks to Adam Mitchell for all of your terrific help in indexing and researching materials.
We want to express our deepest love and appreciation to our six children—Charles, Elizabeth, Edward, Mary Katherine, Andrew, and William. This has been a journey of hope and prayer for all of us. We love you very much. We know these months have not been easy on any of you, but together, with love and commitment, we remain a family.
To our coauthor, Laura Morton. We feel blessed to have found the right person to help us share our journey. Laura shared our vision for this story from the moment we met. We feel that she truly walked in our shoes. She helped us to express ourselves on a subject that was so very hard for us to revisit. Thank you for your sensitivity and support throughout the writing process. We will never forget the tears, joy, and laughter spent on this endeavor. We believe without a doubt that our paths were meant to cross.
And the miracle continues. . . .
Above: Our wedding day.
Above: Thanksgiving 1986—the Francom family has grown quite a bit since this photo
was taken.
Above: The Smart family.
Above: Daddy's little girl . . . a day at the beach with Elizabeth and Charles.
Above: I am so happy. . . . Elizabeth, at eighteen months, sitting on my lap.
Above: Charles, Elizabeth, Andrew, and Mary Katherine hiking at the Indian dwellings in Mesa Verde, Colorado.
Above: Elizabeth and Charles, 1989.
Above: Riding horses, one of our favorite activities, at our family ranch in Utah.
Above: Elizabeth and Charles with Nana Avon. Elizabeth had a special bond with her.
Above: Mary Katherine and Elizabeth—our two angels.
Above: Fun in the sun! Edward, Mary Katherine, Elizabeth, and William burying their big brother Andrew in the sand.
Above: Elizabeth and Mary Katherine after their recital, November 2000.
Above: We love Halloween! Edward, Mary Katherine, William, and Elizabeth go trick-or-treating, 2001.
Above: Andrew and Mary Katherine in Hawaii after Elizabeth came home.
Above: We love getting together at Grandma's. She's always up for a good time. Andrew, Grandma Jenny, Charles, and their cousin Myles, 2001.
Above: Elizabeth's Missing poster.
Above: A family photo . . . minus one. Trying to be a family, Christmas 2002.
Above: President George Bush signs the Protect Act of 2003, as we look on, in the White House Rose Garden, April 2003.
Above: Elizabeth playing the harp in Washington, D.C., 2003.
Above: Genuine bliss. Our first family vacation after Elizabeth was found. Hawaii, 2003.
To return to the corresponding text, click on "Return to text."
* It was first thought that “Immanuel” was spelled “Emmanuel.” We discovered that Brian David Mitchell used the “Immanuel” spelling.
Return to text.
PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY
a division of Random House, Inc.
DOUBLEDAY and the portrayal of an anchor with a dolphin are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.
Copyright © 2003 by Ed and Lois Smart
All Rights Reserved
eISBN: 978-0-385-51271-8
v3.0
