By Mark Gray
11:00am PDT, Mar 16, 2024
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On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah, home and this photo (and others like it) were shown all over the world. For the next nine months, no one heard a thing and all hope seemed to be lost. However, a "miracle" happened on March 12, 2003: Elizabeth was spotted on the side of a Salt Lake-area road with her two abductors, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. She was quickly taken to safety.
On the 21st anniversary of her rescue, Elizabeth, now 36 and a mother of three, recalled her feelings about being saved in a thoughtful Instagram post.
"I believe in miracles. I believe in happy endings. I believe in dreams coming true. Today is the 21st anniversary of being rescued," she penned. "My life is far from perfect but I'm so happy and grateful for the life I have today."
She added, "When I was kidnapped I thought I'd never finish school, go to college, fall in love, get married, or have a family. I thought every dream I had for myself was stolen. For me today is a celebration of all the happy moments of my life, and a reminder to never give up. I know each of us has a story and we all have our dark days in life but I hope whoever reads this finds themselves believing in miracles, dreams coming true, and hope for a better future."
Click through to see how Elizabeth's life has changed and what she looks like today…
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Elizabeth Smart played the harp during the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's ninth annual Congressional Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2004.
She was given the 2004 National Courage Award for having the courage to identify herself to law enforcement authorities while being held by her abductors.
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Elizabeth Smart attended the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute event at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Nov. 22, 2008.
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Laura Linney and Elizabeth Smart attended the Second Annual Diller-von Furstenberg Awards at The United Nations in New York City on March 11, 2011.
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President George W. Bush greeted Elizabeth Smart and her mother, Lois Smart, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2003. Later that day, President Bush signed the PROTECT Act of 2003, which helped create a system to help find kidnapped children and impose stiffer penalties on their abductors.
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Elizabeth Smart spoke to Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford on the "Today" show in New York City on Oct. 30, 2014.
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Flanked by parents Ed Smart and Lois Smart, Elizabeth Smart attended the Bloomberg News Party of the Year in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2005.
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Meredith Vieira spoke to Elizabeth Smart and her husband, Matthew Gilmour, near their home in Utah for "Elizabeth's Story — A Meredith Vieira Special" on Aug. 17, 2013.
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Elizabeth Smart and her father, Ed Smart, left federal court after the sentencing of one of her kidnappers, Brian David Mitchell, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 25, 2011.
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Elizabeth Smart attended a book signing for her autobiography, "My Story," at a Barnes & Noble in New York City on Oct. 8, 2013.
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Elizabeth Smart posed for a photo before discussing her book at Build Studios in New York City on Nov. 10, 2017.
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Elizabeth Smart participated in a panel at the Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills on July 28, 2017.
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Elizabeth Smart visited the set of Hallmark's "Home & Family" at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California, on April 6, 2018.
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Elizabeth Smart unveiled herself as a contestant on "The Masked Singer" on Oct. 25, 2020.
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Elizabeth Smart attended the 43rd Annual Gracie Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on May 22, 2018.
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Elizabeth Smart attended the Safe City Summit in Las Vegas on Oct. 4, 2022.
