In this episode, Kelsey and Gen discuss the Netflix 2026 documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart that revisits the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart from her home in Salt Lake City and the nine months she spent in captivity before being recovered alive. Drawing on Elizabeth’s accounts, new interviews, news coverage from the time, and law-enforcement records, the documentary examines how the case quickly became a national media story and how early assumptions shaped both public perception and investigative priorities.
Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart details a series of misjudgments by law enforcement and focuses on the efforts and experiences of Elizabeth’s family, who continued to push the search forward when progress stalled. Rather than retelling the crime itself, the documentary examines how the case was handled, how it was reported, and how those choices affected both the investigation and the public response.
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We're covering The Devil is Busy, streaming on HBO Max.
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