Wanda Barzee, the woman who helped kidnap Elizabeth Smart in a shocking case that gripped the nation over 20 years ago, has been arrested again — this time for violating the terms of her sex offender probation.
Barzee, now 79, was taken into custody Thursday after allegedly visiting two public parks in Salt Lake City — Liberty Park and Sugar House Park — both of which are off-limits due to her status as a registered sex offender. According to court documents, she told police that God instructed her to “sit on the benches and feed the ducks.”
Those seemingly innocent acts violate strict conditions imposed on her following her early release from federal prison in 2018.
Barzee had originally been sentenced to 15 years for her role in the 2002 abduction of then-14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, who was taken at knifepoint from her bedroom by Barzee and her husband, self-proclaimed street preacher Brian David Mitchell. Smart was held captive for nine months, repeatedly raped, and moved between makeshift campsites in Utah and California.
Barzee’s early release caused a wave of public outrage — particularly from Smart, who blasted the decision to free the woman five years before completing her full sentence. Smart called Barzee “dangerous” and revealed how she was treated like a slave during her captivity, even referred to as a “handmaiden” by her captor.
“She never hesitated to let her displeasure with me be known,” Smart said at the time. She also criticized the government’s decision to allow Barzee to live near an elementary school after her release, calling it a “threat to community safety.”
Now, Barzee’s recent arrest raises fresh concerns about how closely she’s being monitored. Under her probation terms, she was required to check in with authorities weekly, attend court hearings, avoid all criminal behavior, and steer clear of places where children gather — including public parks.
Mitchell, who orchestrated the kidnapping and abuse, is serving a life sentence in federal prison.
Elizabeth Smart, now in her 30s and a mother of three, has continued to advocate for victims of sexual violence and abduction. Her foundation works to protect children and educate the public about predatory behavior.
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The real kicker is why was she even out and thus able to re-offend? What she did even in aiding and abetting should have gotten here life with no parole, easy.