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Tag: Isidro Garcia

  • Elizabeth Smart Talks California Woman’s Kidnapping

    Elizabeth Smart is speaking out about the kidnapped California woman who came forward to authorities on Monday, saying she had been kidnapped and held for the past ten years. While many people question why the as-yet unidentified woman never tried escaping her captor, Smart says there is no way to know the kind of mental stronghold the kidnapper likely had on her.

    This California woman was drugged and kidnapped by her mom’s former boyfriend at the age of 15. An illegal immigrant from Mexico, he apparently told her frequently that going to authorities would result in her deportation. He managed to change both his and her names and birth dates frequently and married her under an assumed name. He fathered a child with her a couple of years ago. The alleged kidnapper, Isidro Garcia, was taken into custody and charged.

    Elizabeth Smart was held captive against her will for nine months when she, too, was just a teenager. She had the following to say about this California woman and her ordeal.

    “I’m praying for her,” Smart said during a recent interview. “I’m hoping the very best for her and just very, very happy to hear some good news.”

    “We don’t know what these evil people are holding over them— whether it’s their families’ lives, their lives, whatever it is,” she added. “We just don’t know.”

    Following her kidnapping ordeal, Elizabeth Smart faced questions about why she didn’t escape despite several opportunities to have done so.

    “People just didn’t understand what I was going through, and that is true of all of these other strong women who are survivors,” Smart said, as she referenced the case of three women freed in Ohio last year after more than a decade in captivity at the hands of Ariel Castro.

    It is certainly unfathomable that someone can be held against their will for a decade. It is testament to the power of the human mind which is often stronger than the human body. Our minds can hold us captive through fear, which was no doubt at the root of this woman remaining under her captive’s spell for so many years.

    Image via YouTube

  • Elizabeth Smart Thrilled Kidnapping Victim Escaped

    Elizabeth Smart has spoken out regarding the discovery of a kidnapped California woman who disappeared 10 years ago, saying “I’m praying for her. I’m hoping the very best for her and just very, very happy to hear some good news.”

    The kidnapping victim, currently unidentified, recently contacted police when she discovered her sister on Facebook. In addition to the psychological abuse meant to terrify the victim into remaining silent about her circumstances, her captor frequently changed location to avoid discovery.

    “We don’t know what these evil people are holding over them — whether it’s their families’ lives, their lives, whatever it is. We just don’t know,” said Smart regarding the frequent questions she fields about why kidnapping victims don’t try to escape. “There can be stronger bonds and chains than physical bonds and chains.”

    According to the Santa Ana Police Department, Isidro Garcia, 41, was arrested on Tuesday in connection to the case on suspicion of kidnapping for rape, lewd acts with a minor and false imprisonment. Garcia, who was living with the victim’s mother at the time of the kidnapping, drugged the 15-year-old victim then created false identification for the teen and subsequently forced her into marriage.

    The California kidnapping case is similar to Smart’s ordeal; She was kidnapped in 2002 at age 14 and held captive for nine months, moved around Utah and California by her captors who threatened to kill her family if she attempted escape. Smart also endured physical, mental, and sexual abuse.

    Today, Smart advocates for children who have been victims of predatory crimes. She advised that those rescued “…need to have time with their family. They need to have time re-calibrating back into life. It’s a massive change.”

    Image via YouTube