More than two decades after Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped by Brian David Mitchell from her own bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, people are still fascinated by her months-long disappearance. While Smart has been open about the scary experience in the past, she is preparing to share even more insight into the ordeal in Netflix's January 2026 documentary, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart. Us Weekly breaks down the details of Smart's disappearance, including how long she was held captive and her ultimate recovery, below. How Long Was Elizabeth Smart Held Captive? Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom on June 5, 2002. She wasn't rescued by police until March 12, 2003, marking a little more than nine months of captivity. Ruby Franke's Family Guide After Child Abuse Arrest: Where Are Her Kids Now? Inside Elizabeth Smart's Kidnapping Smart was just 14 years old when Mitchell abducted her from her family's home. Mitchell and Wanda Barzee held her captive at a campsite as people across the United States followed her case and searched for the teenager. During her captivity, Smart was sexually assaulted, physically abused and psychologically manipulated by her abductors. Additionally, she was told by her captors that Mitchell was a prophet. He claimed he made all of his decisions through God. In fact, he later told investigators that God "delivered" Smart to him, according to CNN. The search for Smart eventually came to an end when citizens reported that they had seen her captors based on a composite sketch that was circulating in the media, according to History.com. Authorities managed to track down Mitchell and Barzee and they were taken into custody, while Smart was returned to her family. What Happened to Elizabeth Smart's Captors? Following their arrests, Mitchell was declared mentally unfit to stand trial in both July 2005 and December 2006. However, he was later ruled competent to stand trial in March 2010. After Smart took the stand and testified against Mitchell during the high-profile trial, he was convicted in December 2011 and was sentenced to serve a life sentence in federal prison. As for Barzee, she was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison for her involvement in the kidnapping and holding Smart captive. She was released in 2018. In May 2025, Barzee was arrested and booked on one count of violating her status as a sex offender in Utah by going to at least two public parks, a spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police Department said in a statement to NBC News. State law in Utah prohibits registered sex offenders to enter protected areas that children commonly frequent, including public parks. Bombshell Interview: Sherri Papini Now Denies Hoax, Names Her Abductor The outcome of the case is not currently clear. Us Weekly has reached out to the Salt Lake City Police Department for clarification. Following Barzee's recent arrest, Smart admitted she wasn't surprised.. "Her justification was [that] she was commanded by the Lord, which unfortunately is very familiar to me and is probably the most concerning thing because that's how they justified kidnapping me. I feel like I've been vocal about my concerns since Barzee's initial release, and this incident confirms exactly why," Smart said, per KSL.