One of America’s most well-known abducted victims is now going to be a news commentator for ABC.
Elizabeth Smart will be working directly with commentating on missing persons and child abduction cases.
Spokeswoman for ABC Julie Townsend said that the 23-year-old will provide a new prospective on these cases being that she was at one time part of the most notorious cases. “We think she’ll help our viewers better understand missing persons stories. This is someone with the perspective to know what a family experiences when a loved one goes missing,” said Townsend.
Townsend revealed that plans for Smart working for ABC has been in the works for several months, saying that she will most likely make her debut on television within the next month.
Smart’s spokesperson Chris Thomas said that Smart wanted to use the media to create awareness for cases that involve missing children. “Elizabeth is committed to giving back and getting involved where she can make the greatest difference though child advocacy work. Partnering with ABC provides a powerful tool to help her accomplish this,” said Thomas.
In May, Smart’s kidnapper Brian David Mitchell was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in federal prison without the option of parole. Mitchell infamously abducted the then 14-year-old from her family’s home in Salt Lake City at knife point and repeatedly raped her throughout 2002. The teenager was held captive by Mitchell for almost nine months before she was found alive in 2003.
After the sentencing in Salt Lake City, Smart spoke about her expectations for her future saying, “I am looking at all of the different options and trying to decide where I can make the biggest difference, where I can have the biggest effect for good.”
The 56-year-old was previously convicted of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor across state lines for sex in December of 2010.
On June 29 prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss state charges against Mitchell.
