Wanda Barzee, who was convicted of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart over 20 years ago, was recently arrested for allegedly violating sex offender restrictions. She was arrested at her Salt Lake City, Utah, home on Thursday after she allegedly visited at least two parks, which she is prohibited from doing as a registered sex offender, according to reports.
During her arrest, Barzee said “she was commanded to by the Lord” to go to Liberty Park and that she liked to go there to “sit on benches and feed ducks,” according to Fox 13 Salt Lake City. The outlet reported that Barzee also admitted that God had “commended” her to go to Sugar House Park as well.
Under Utah law, sex offenders are forbidden from entering certain “protected areas,” which include public parks.
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In 2002, Barzee and her husband, Brian David Mitchell, kidnapped then-14-year-old Smart at knifepoint and held her captive for nine months. Mitchell forced Smart into a polygamous “marriage” and raped her almost daily. Smart was rescued when a couple recognized her as she was walking through Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City, with Barzee and Mitchell. Initially, out of fear, Smart denied her identity when questioned by police, but later admitted that she was the missing teen. Barzee and Mitchell were then arrested.
After several hearings, Barzee was sentenced to 15 years in prison for aggravated kidnapping. She received the sentence after cooperating with the FBI and the state of Utah to convict Mitchell, who was sentenced to life in prison. In 2018, Barzee was released from prison and placed under five years of federal supervision in addition to being registered as a sex offender. She was ordered not to contact Smart’s family.
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After Barzee’s 2025 arrest, Ed Smart — Elizabeth Smart’s father — reportedly told KUTV, a CBS affiliate, that while he does not think Barzee is a danger to his daughter, he believes she still poses a threat to children.
“I don’t think Wanda is a threat to Elizabeth. Would I want her around kids? Absolutely not. The comment ‘God told me to’ leaves one with a wide-open excuse to do anything,” Ed Smart told KUTV.
However, Barzee’s attorney, Scott Williams, told KUTV that he was “confident” that his client did not know that she was violating the terms of her sex offender status. When asked if Barzee poses a threat to anybody, Williams reportedly said “absolutely not.”
Stephanie Nolasco, Louis Casiano and Katherine Lam contributed to this report.
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