As the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie stretches into 25 days, with the family’s latest plea including an offer of up to $1 million for any information that could help in the case, Elizabeth Smart has a message for people like the Guthries who are going through the unimaginable.
Elizabeth Smart’s message to families of missing persons: ‘Don’t stop searching. Don’t stop praying’
It’s been more than two decades since a 14-year-old Smart was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City home and endured nine brutal months of physical and sexual abuse. Over the years, she has become a tireless advocate for sexual abuse survivors and families of missing children.
“I wanted my story to be more than a courtroom transcript. I felt like it needed to serve a purpose,” Smart told the Deseret News in a recent interview. “I remember just thinking, ‘Well, if it’s going to be out there, then I want it to help other people to not feel so alone.’”
Now, Smart has a message of hope for people like the Guthries who are enduring a pain she knows all too well.
“Families are commonly told that the first 24 to 48 hours are the most critical, and that if you’re not found within the first 24 to 48 hours, the chances of you coming back alive drop significantly — almost to zero,” she said.
“But, I would also just say, I came back,” she continued. “And I was gone for nine months. Jaycee Dugard came back, and she was gone for years. I mean, we do come back, so don’t give up hope. Don’t stop searching. Don’t stop praying. Keep looking, keep believing that it is possible, because we do come back.”
A new Netflix documentary, “Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart‚” shows Smart’s family’s relentless search as the monthslong case gripped the nation — including a key moment when the family went against the recommendation of police and released a sketch of a potential new suspect based on the memory of Smart’s sister, Mary Katherine, who was the sole witness to the kidnapping.
“Keep the story alive. Keep your missing loved ones’ faces out there,” Smart told the Deseret News. “And I mean, do call on the public. Because again, if my story wasn’t as big as it was, if my parents didn’t do everything in their power to keep my face out there, would I have been recognized? Would I have come back alive? It’s kind of hard to say. I think there’s a good chance that I could be dead today.”
The Guthries release new plea for return of Nancy Guthrie
In a video posted on Feb. 24, Nancy Guthrie’s daughter and “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie said family members know the possibility their mother might not be alive, but they still want her home.
The Guthrie family is offering up to $1 million for any information that could help, and is also donating $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as the Deseret News reported.
Savannah Guthrie ended the video message with a plea: “So, please, if you hear this message, if you’ve been waiting and you haven’t been sure, let this be your sign to come forward, tell what you know, and help us bring our beloved mom home. So that we can either celebrate a glorious, miraculous homecoming or honor the beautiful, brave, courageous, and noble life that she has lived. Please be the light in the dark.”