Elizabeth Smart was abducted for about nine months, from June 5, 2002, until her rescue on March 12, 2003.

Quick timeline

  • Elizabeth Smart was taken from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 5, 2002, at age 14.
  • She was held captive in Utah and later in California by Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee.
  • She was found and rescued in Sandy, Utah, on March 12, 2003, roughly nine months after the kidnapping.

Latest news and context

  • Elizabeth Smart is now a well-known advocate for kidnapping and abuse survivors and frequently speaks publicly about resilience and recovery.
  • A recent wave of interest has returned around her story due to new interviews, her book releases, and a Netflix documentary project scheduled around early 2026.

The core answer to “how long was Elizabeth Smart abducted” is: about nine months , from early June 2002 to mid-March 2003.

TL;DR: Elizabeth Smart was held captive for around nine months before being rescued in March 2003.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.