Sharing her story

Netflix explores the shocking abduction of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart

- WORDS: JEN PHARO

When 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted at knifepoint from her bedroom in June 2002, her family were desperate to get her back and find out who had taken her.

The police mounted a huge investigation and the local community in Salt Lake City joined the search. Suspicion was everywhere and the finger was pointed at Elizabeth's father.

Recalling the moment he discovered his daughter was missing, Ed Smart says: “I saw this cut screen and the window was wide open. My wife screamed, ‘Call 911.’”

Soon he was being linked to the crime himself. “My wife said law enforcement don’t believe that you're telling the truth,” he says. “I had nothing to do with this.”