Elizabeth Smart Kidnapper & Sex Offender Arrested for Violating Parole Release
Share this @internewscast.com

One of Elizabeth Smart’s abductors has been arrested for violating the conditions of her release by visiting multiple parks in Utah.

On Thursday, Wanda Barzee, 79, was apprehended by the Salt Lake City Police. The police informed PEOPLE that Barzee is facing charges of “one count of violating Utah’s law restricting registered sex offenders from entering protected areas, including public parks.”

Authorities claim that Barzee visited two parks in Salt Lake City, namely Liberty Park and Sugar House Park. A spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police, Brent Weisberg, noted that this action is a breach of state regulations due to Barzee’s previous conviction.

As reported earlier by CrimeOnline, Barzee collaborated with her husband, Brian David Mitchell, in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart from her Salt Lake City residence in 2002. Mitchell abducted Smart, who was 14 at the time, by threatening her with a knife in her bedroom and forcibly taking her away from her home in the dead of night.

Barzee not only helped kidnap Elizabeth Smart, but she also stood by as the girl was sexually assaulted by her husband.

On September 19, 2018, Barzee, then 72, was released from Utah State Prison in the Salt Lake City suburb of Draper after serving only 15 years.

Court records reviewed by PEOPLE show that Barzee is no longer in custody for her recent violation and that her release came on judicial orders.

[Feature Photo via Utah Department of Corrections]

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Husband Who Attacked Wife and Set Family Home Ablaze Receives Sentence

Background: Shelby Dodson and her son (GoFundMe). Inset: George Dodson (New London…

Court Strongly Dismisses Trump’s Directive Against Perkins Coie

President Donald Trump listens to a reporter’s question before signing an executive…

Children Subjected to Abuse by Parents in Squalid Underground Conditions, Says DA

Insets: Valerie and Melvin Cordell (New Mexico State Police). Background: The site…

Man Sentenced for Placing Pregnant Girlfriend’s Body in Suitcase

Left: Jose Eduardo Dominguez-Garcia (Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office). Right: Rosaly Cindy Chavarria…

Court Rules Deportations Under AEA by Trump Appointee as ‘Unlawful’

President Donald Trump attends a swearing-in ceremony for Dr. Mehmet Oz as…

Man Accused of Multiple Diamond Ring Thefts from Walmart

Inset: Matthew Patrick Gay (Bradford County District Attorney’s Office). Background: A Walmart…

Alert: Teenage Girl from North Carolina Missing After Exiting Magistrate’s Office

A North Carolina teen has gone missing and police are looking for…

January 6th Defendant Convicted for Fatal Wrong-Way Collision Killing Woman

On the left: Lauren A. Wegner as shown in her obituary. In…

Individual Accused of Trespassing at Major Australian Airport

A man who was found on the tarmac of Perth airport has…

Adoptive mother sentenced for fatal abuse of 7-year-old child

Gina Emmanuel appearing in court during her April 2025 murder trial in…

Teen Driver Involved in Road Rage Incident Collides with Motorcyclist: Police

Background: News footage of the fatal crash in Litchfield, N.H. on Wednesday…

Police: Teacher Employed Dog Whistle on 6-Year-Old with Autism

Background: Bell’s Hill Elementary School in Waco, Texas (Google Maps). Inset: Amber…