Woman who helped kidnap Elizabeth Smart to be released
SALT LAKE CITY — Elizabeth Smart said Tuesday that she’s been assured the woman who helped kidnap her when she was 14 and stood by as she was sexually assaulted will be closely watched when she’s released from prison.
In an interview on “CBS This Morning,” Smart said she believes Wanda Barzee remains a danger. Barzee is expected to be freed Wednesday after 15 years in custody because Utah authorities had miscalculated the amount of time the 72-year-old woman should serve.
Smart said she doesn’t know all the conditions of Barzee’s release but that she’s been told a federal agent will keep a “close eye” on Barzee and that she would be returned to prison “as soon as she messes up.”
Barzee will be under federal supervision for five years. If she violates terms that include required mental health treatment and an order not to contact Smart’s family, she would go back to prison.