The harrowing kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart from her Salt Lake City bedroom in 2002 remains one of America's most notorious true crime cases, now revisited in Netflix's documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart. While the perpetrators, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, were eventually captured, the investigation initially cast suspicion on others, including a family handyman named Richard Ricci.
The Initial Investigation and Richard Ricci's Role
In the immediate aftermath of Elizabeth's abduction in June 2002, police thoroughly investigated her own family before expanding their search. Among those questioned was Richard Ricci, a 48-year-old handyman who had previously worked in the Smart family home. Ricci had been referred to Elizabeth's father, Edward Smart, by another contractor, who was reportedly unaware of Ricci's existing criminal record, which was unrelated to the kidnapping.
During the investigation, Ricci was being held at Utah State Prison in Draper for a parole violation stemming from an unrelated offence. He consistently denied any involvement in Elizabeth Smart's disappearance. His wife, Angela Ricci, spoke to ABC News' Good Morning America a couple of months before his death, describing how devastated her husband had been by the news. She recounted him putting his face in his hands, saying he knew the Smart children from working in their home and felt profound pain for the family.
Tragic Death During Investigation
In August 2002, while still in custody, Richard Ricci complained of a severe headache and was taken to the prison infirmary. His condition deteriorated rapidly, and he was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Salt Lake City for emergency surgery. Medical staff performed a six-hour operation to correct a spontaneous brain haemorrhage, but Ricci did not survive, dying at the age of 48.
The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department stated there was no indication of foul play in his death. Ricci passed away before the true kidnappers were identified nine months after Elizabeth's disappearance, leaving his role in the investigation unresolved but with authorities ultimately clearing him as the perpetrator.
The Actual Kidnappers and Elizabeth's Life Today
The actual kidnappers, Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee, were captured in March 2003. Mitchell was subsequently convicted of kidnapping and transporting a minor across state lines for sexual activity, receiving a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Originally incarcerated at the US Penitentiary in Indiana, reports in October 2025 indicated he had been transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution-Lewisburg in Pennsylvania, where he remains at age 72.
Elizabeth Smart, who has courageously shared her story to help others, married Scottish native Matthew Gilmour in 2012 after meeting him on a mission trip to Paris. She has spoken about appreciating how her husband sees her for who she is now, not defined by her past. The couple have three children and continue to live in Utah, with Elizabeth using her experience to advocate for victims.
Netflix's Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart documentary brings renewed attention to this complex case, highlighting both the prolonged investigation and the resilience of a survivor whose story continues to resonate more than two decades later.
