Natalee Holloway: A Case That Captivated The Nation

The Break In

In the early morning of June 5, 2002, Brian David Mitchell broke into Elizabeth Smart’s bedroom. She shared the bedroom with her nine-year-old sister Mary Katherine, who pretended to be asleep. Because Mary Katherine had watched the abduction she was able to give a good description to the police.

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Mary Katherine described Brian as a white man in his 30s or 40s. He had dark hair, and threatened Elizabeth with a knife, but at the time Mary had thought it was a gun. Elizabeth yelled after stubbing her toe and Brian said “You better be quiet, and I won’t hurt you.” Elizabeth asked, “Why are you doing this?” but his answer wasn’t clear.