SALT LAKE CITY (Court TV) — The woman who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart more than 20 years ago has returned to court, where she waived her right to a preliminary hearing in a separate case.
Wanda Barzee exits the courtroom on Oct. 22, 2026. (Court TV)
Wanda Barzee, 80, stood in court on Thursday with her attorney, Scott Williams, and said she understood her rights but chose to waive the hearing scheduled for Thursday. Barzee was arrested more than one year ago on charges that she violated the terms of her probation as a registered sex offender.
Barzee, who is no longer in custody, spoke few words at the hearing. Williams told the judge he believes he can reach a settlement with prosecutors to resolve the case before trial.
Police arrested Barzee after investigators said she visited Liberty Park. As a sex offender, she is barred from being at community parks. Barzee allegedly admitted to breaking the rules, saying she went to the park because “she was commanded to by the lord” and that, while there, she liked to “sit on benches and feed ducks.” Barzee also allegedly admitted to visiting a second park in violation of her probation.
Barzee and her husband, David Brian Mitchell, kidnapped Smart from her home in 2002, when the victim was 14 years old. Smart was held captive by the couple for months and subjected to sexual abuse during her captivity before she was rescued in 2003.
In a statement after Barzee’s 2025 arrest, the Elizabeth Smart Foundation said it was “deeply troubled” by the defendant’s actions. “This incident highlights how crucial it is to enforce the sex offender registry, monitor release conditions, and evaluate individuals convicted of crimes like Barzee’s,” the statement said.
Barzee pleaded guilty to the Smart kidnapping in 2009 and was sentenced to 15 years. She spent nearly nine years in prison before her release in September 2018. Mitchell remains in prison, where he is serving a life sentence.
The Elizabeth Smart Foundation statement noted that Smart is “happy and lives a fulfilling life with her family, and does not live in fear of her captors.”
Judge Thaddeus May scheduled Barzee to return to court on Jan. 15, 2027, for a pretrial conference.
