Elizabeth Smart kidnapper arrested after saying she was ‘commanded’ to go to parks: SLCPD

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Wanda Barzee, the woman convicted of kidnapping then 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart with her husband in 2002, was arrested and booked into jail on Thursday, according to court records.

On May 1, Barzee, 79, was booked into jail for allegedly violating Sex Offender Registry requirements by visiting parks in Salt Lake City. Brent Weisberg, spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police Department, said detectives arrested her at her home without incident.

Documents say she told police she went to Liberty Park to feed ducks in early April because “she was commanded to by the Lord.” Barzee also allegedly admitted to visiting Sugarhouse Park.

Barzee became a registered sex offender after she was convicted for her involvement in the kidnapping and rape of Smart. She served 15 years in prison before being released in 2018.

At the time of her release, Elizabeth Smart asked the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole not to release her, saying she was a danger, but officials said Barzee had served her sentence and there was nothing to keep her in prison. She was on probation for five years after her release and was required to participate in a mental health program.

According to Utah law, registered child sex offenders are prohibited from going to areas where children congregate — such as parks and schools. Offenders convicted of violating this law are subject to a class A misdemeanor charge, which can be punished with up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Barzee was booked in the Salt Lake County Jail and has since been released.