Kidnapped girl brainwashed, father says

The father of a teenaged girl kidnapped for nine months and brought home on Wednesday said it's a miracle his daughter is alive.

"It's real, it's real," said Ed Smart. "I'm so thankful."

Police found 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart not far from home in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy.

Elizabeth was taken from her bedroom last June as her younger sister watched, pretending to be asleep.

She was rescued after residents in Sandy spotted her walking down the street with a man and a woman, dressed in white veils and wearing wigs.

Brian Mitchell, a drifter who briefly worked as a handyman for Smart family, and his wife, Wanda Barzee, are being held in Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of aggravated kidnapping.

Officials say it could be several days before they decide what charges should be filed.

Police are trying to figure out how Elizabeth was taken and why she didn't call out for help as she walked the streets a short drive from her home.

On Thursday, Ed Smart said his daughter was apparently first taken to the mountains not far from her home and may have later been taken to San Diego.

He said he still doesn't know why his daughter didn't try to escape.

"I don't know what her mind set was," he said. "I don't know what kind of hell she went through."

Smart added that his daughter was unaware of the huge search mounted shortly after her disappearance. He said while she is physically well, she had apparently been brainwashed.