Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread - Day 29

07/03/02 - Wednesday - Day 29 | Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping - Daily News/Chat Thread

[per loin]

The dirty jeep and the post hole digger suggest a possible pot crop out in the hills somewhere.

[stlnative]

If you have a child, here are some good places online to read about how to prevent child abductions

1)Preventing Child Abduction

2)Protecting Our Children from Abductions

3)Preventing Child Abduction

Teach your child how to fight back

If you are grabbed

At this point, if you freeze and do nothing, and you survive, you did the right thing - don't dwell on what might have been. Freezing is a natural reaction to the unexpected, even in those trained in self-defense. But the odds are not with you in using this as a defense. If your attacker surprises you and gets you into a grip, now is the time to fight, because only your life depends on it. You need to get out of his grip and be able to run.  Learn grip-breaking techniques - your first tactic is to break free and run.  In doing so you have inflicted no damage and prevented further injury to yoursef.  When you can't break the grip, now you've got to inflict surprising and/or incapacitating pain on your attacker.   Gouge for the eyes, puncture the eardrums, crush his windpipe, rake his shins, break his thumbs, rip his ears off (easy to do), jam a sharp object into any available portion of his body, and with caution regarding AIDS risk - bite any part of him you can. Fight dirty, cheat, win. Get away.

If you have been forced into a vehicle, make every attempt to cause a traffic accident and crash the vehicle. By getting you into the vehicle, they attackers have shown they plan to seriously injure or kill you. Your chances are better in causing an accident and escaping in the confusion.

Practice

In an emergency, the mind is often frozen with indecision. The body carries through if you have practiced or trained for this emergency. Practice often, out loud, screaming at somebody who is accosting you and running in retreat. You need to "look forward to being attacked," and practice what you need to do in every detail. You may wish to warn your neighbors beforehand, or get them to join in. Mutual awareness and protection is a good thing to build in your neighborhood!

Self-Defense Techniques

1)What are some unarmed self-defense techniques?

2)Self Defense Now

[stlnative]

Yes... and it could mean he used on a landscaping job. Maybe he was putting in a fence and used his Jeep to haul bags of concrete to each fence post hole he dug on a muddy landscape that had not had the soysa grass laid yet. Isn't Utah pretty rocky and sandy?

The problem is he has yet to explain how the Jeep came into is possession, if he was never in there to pick it up before all the repairs were done. Did he lend it to someone before it was fixed? Did he have someone else pick it up and then return it to him... Did the person that had it, did they do the kidnapping without Ricci's knowledge?

Young has been arrested... he is married also. Is it possible that Young asked Ricci to trade cars for a while, maybe Young told him he had some hauling to or boating on Salt Lake? (Jeeps have towing packages on them and they are like small pick-ups...I have a 1991 Cherokee so I know), maybe Ricci said my Jeep is in the shop and half the repairs are done, but have your wife call the shop and let her pretend she is my wife to see if we can get it out of the shop, if we can I will pick it up and trade cars with you so you can use. Then Young takes the Jeep does the deed on his own and returns the Jeep to Ricci in a mess. After Ricci hears about Elizabeth does he put 2 and 2 together about what Young was doing with his Jeep? Did Ricci tell the police this and this is why they have not charged Ricci, maybe they think Ricci was in on it with Young and Ricci is just having a hard time proving he was at home? Maybe Ricci failed his polygraph because Young told him about it when he returned the Jeep to Ricci... With him being an ex-con... it would be hard to get the cops to understand you were not involved and had only lent the Jeep to Young or you have guilt just knowing about it... maybe Ricci spoke of the family with Young and he feels like if he had not done this that maybe Young would have never kidnapped her.

I could keep on going... but these are theories, not exactly what I believe... but possibilities. Do we have 2 ex-con's pointing the finger at each other... Who are the cops to believe from the 2?

[Pistacio]

Hey... I figured out that Trailer #158 has of one of the 3 cars (the Ford) sitting in front of it. (See Newsweek Magazine this week, if you get it weekly) This is one of the cars they wanted to know the whereabouts from May 30 to June 8. But I still don't know who lives at #158, but this was the trailer they pictured on TV, when the story broke about them wanting to question another sex offender that lives in the same park as Ricci. (I think it was you that was helping me try to locate who lived in #158 the other night)

Yes, it was me. I haven't figured it out either.
Please let me know if you find out.
Here are some other guys in the trlr park.

Crook, in Trlr 60

Romero, in Trlr 203

[stlnative]

Note... Young has been arrested... due to a parole violation, that is from hanging out with another ex-con (Ricci). These 2 are friends, but not necessarily partners in a kidnapping. They were prison buddies... Maybe Young wants to take Ricci back to prison with him so they can be roomies again, so why not borrow your buddies Jeep? Maybe Young has a score to settle with Ricci...! Young is a recorded sex offender, Ricci is not a recorded sex offender.

[stlnative]

What do you think about my post in #23 since you are still awake this late.

[per loin]

I'm not even sure that we know what Ricci is claiming. After watching Banfield's garblefest with the Ricci lawyer over whether or not the cops could question Ricci further, it's difficult to believe that any statements are being accurately reported to us.

[Pistacio]

I get the feeling that Ricci is lying about not picking up the car on may 30. Why lie if you are innocent and it is just a coincidense that you needed the car and post digger for a job out mud bogging? Doesn't mean he kidnapped her, but he could have helped one of his perverted co-workers, child molestors dispose of a body. Overall, I just don't think we are being given enough info to go on. The slcpd are definetly playing it close to the vest, but at the same time giving potential suspects enough rope to hang themselves. Whoever did kidnapp ES, seems to think he can get away with it.

[stlnative]

I bet #158 is Young's Trailer... the car there is one that Ricci had access to during May 31 through June 8 (It is sitting in the driveway next to the trailer,in a Newsweek Article) Like I said in #23 maybe Ricci & Young traded cars, as Young may have told Ricci he need a 4x4 or truck like vehicle to do some work with. (But Young was out kidnapping Elizabeth Smart in Ricci's Jeep without Ricci's knowledge).

I am actually excited about this theory, because it makes sense. Maybe Ricci talked about Elizabeth with Young, maybe Young scoped her out since he is sex offender. Maybe Young saw Elizabeth before Ricci had a car to drive, maybe his pal Young gave him rides to the Smart Home. Maybe Young asked about Elizabeth and Ricci told him things like yeah she plays the harp and looks like an angel doing it. She is a sweet and pretty girl... maybe this was turning on Young without Ricci knowing it. Now that Ricci knows Elizabeth has been kidnapped and Young borrowed his Jeep does Ricci feel guilty in some way, because maybe he knows Young could have done it or knows that Young did do it. Sex pred's... love to talk about their crimes, maybe he thought Ricci would not care to hear about after the deed was done, since Ricci was fired by the family or since Ricci ripped off stuff from the family. Maybe the cops know Young did it and they are hoping that Young will talk to him (Ricci) in prison about where she is. Make Young thinks Ricci is the #1 suspect and the police want Young to think that and maybe Young will talk to Ricci about it in prison.

[stlnative]

Ricci's lawyer said tonight, that some surprising stuff will be coming out from his side very soon. It may have been all smoke and mirrors. But I bet Ricci's lawyer is going to say that Young had the Jeep, and that it was lent to Young. Maybe Ricci's wife did not know about it, maybe she did not want Young around her son. Maybe Ricci was driving Young's car, while young was driving Ricci Jeep, but the wife didn't know and just thought Ricci was using Youngs car while the Jeep was in the shop.

[stlnative]

The relationship between Young and Ricci may have bothered his wife, so Ricci had a quiet friendship with Young? Maybe the wife did not want him around Ricci or her son or near her trailer. So he would of course deny at first about picking up the Jeep...Maybe the wife still does not know what Ricci knows, if he lent the Jeep to Young.

Maybe Young has an MO of holding his victims, maybe that is why the police think she might be still alive. Let's make Ricci look like a suspect for longer and bring in Young, let's put Young with Ricci and maybe Ricci can get him to talk to him about what he did with Elizabeth. Maybe Young trusts Ricci more than Ricci trust Young.

[stlnative]

Ok... I am tired and my post above are just another theory... later today I may change my mind depending what new stuff we may learn. I am flexible... and I am still not saying that Ricci is not involved, he could be guilty as sin and took part in it or did it all by himself.

I guess I am looking for that piece of evidence that puts me in the "beyond a reasonable doubt" mode. Looking guilty does not make you guilty, but hard physical evidence (which we do not know if it exists) will convince me of who did it.

[Pistacio]

I'm signing off too. Too tired to think about it anymore today. See you in the morning. Night;) all.

[stlnative]

From yesterdays report...Authorities say Young worked with Richard Ricci as a handyman in the Federal Heights area. That is the neighborhood where the Smarts live, however it is unknown at this time whether or not Young also worked in the Smart home

[SheLion]

Looks like Ted Turner without his false teeth!!

LOL!

But can you imagine waking up to THAT IN THE MORNING? yuk!

[stlnative]

Another Ex-Con Arrested in Smart Case
Fox News
Wednesday July 3, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY - Another man is being held in custody as a possible witness in the disappearance of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the U.S. Marshal's Office has told Fox News.

Douglas Rex Young, 51, was picked up on Sunday at the state prison when he went to visit a buddy.

A federal warrant turned up in the computer when Young gave officials at the prison his ID to get in.

Authorities say Young worked with Richard Ricci as a handyman in the Federal Heights area. That is the neighborhood where the Smarts live, however it is unknown at this time whether or not Young also worked in the Smart home.

The U.S. Marshal's Office says they took Young into custody and shortly thereafter Salt Lake City police and the FBI notified them they wanted to interview Young about the Smart case.

Police and the FBI were back Tuesday at Ricci's mobile home, taking bags of evidence they hope will lead to a break in the case.

Authorities carted off two bags after searching Ricci's home and shed for two hours. Investigators would not comment on what they took.

Ricci, 48, worked as a handyman for the Smart family a year ago. He is being held on an unrelated parole violation.

His father-in-law, Dave Morse Sr., said he used a key to open Ricci's trailer so authorities wouldn't have to break in.

"The police have definitely had a focus on Richard," Ed Smart, the missing girl's father, said Tuesday during the family's regular daily news briefing.

Detectives have said they have questions about Ricci's alibi June 5 - the day police say the girl was taken by gunpoint from her bedroom. Ricci has said he was home with his wife that night.

Ricci's wife, Angela, was not home during Tuesday's search. She was flying back to Salt Lake City after defending her husband in an interview Monday.

Through a statement released Friday by his lawyer, Ricci said he had nothing to do with the girl's disappearance. He said he has given 26 hours of police interviews, taken polygraph tests, given a blood sample, and surrendered the impounded 1990 Jeep Cherokee given him by Ed Smart as payment for work.

[stlnative]

Police Lack Evidence to Tie In Ricci

Wednesday, July 3, 2002

BY KEVIN CANTERA and MICHAEL VIGH THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE    Salt Lake City police investigators seeking to connect career criminal Richard Ricci to the disappearance of Elizabeth Smart remain stymied by a lack of forensic evidence.     "We are in the canvassing stage at this point," said Assistant Salt Lake County District Attorney Kent Morgan. "We have no forensic evidence at this time [to tie Ricci to the apparent abduction]. We are looking for that evidence."     Morgan, who met with police for a second consecutive day Tuesday, refused to comment on specific evidence police have gathered.     Also Tuesday, investigators interviewed Douglas Rex Young, 51, of Sunset, "an associate of Ricci's," said Fred Louis, Salt Lake City police spokesman.     Young was picked up on a federal parole violation Saturday while trying to visit an inmate at the state prison in Gunnison, Louis said. His con- nection to Ricci has drawn the attention of detectives working the Smart case, said Louis, who could not say if Young had taken a polygraph test.     Young -- who briefly escaped from prison in 1993 while serving time for bank robbery -- pleaded guilty to a previous parole violation in 1997 in U.S. District Court for Utah, court records show.     Young's father, Rex Young, said that before his arrest his son had been living with his wife and "working to provide for his family." He refused further comment.     Douglas Young is being held at the Salt Lake County Jail.     At the same time, Ricci's Kearns trailer home was searched for a second time by FBI agents. Investigators took several bags of possible evidence, said Ricci's father-in-law and next-door neighbor, David Morse Sr. He said he unlocked the door for agents who arrived with a sealed search warrant shortly after 9 a.m.     Morse also maintains that Richard Ricci -- whom police have called a "potential suspect" -- had nothing to do with the 14-year-old's June 5 disappearance. "I still think they're pulling at straws -- I sure hope they are," Morse said. "I'm starting to wonder just what the hell is going on."     Police first questioned Ricci, a former handyman in the Smarts' home, a day after Elizabeth disappeared, and later searched his home and yard, digging up a tomato garden.     After administering an inconclusive polygraph to Ricci, investigators remain unconvinced by his alibi for the night of the kidnapping -- that he was home asleep with his wife. An account given by Ricci's mechanic has also raised red flags with investigators.     Still, it remains unclear whether Ricci, who has an extensive criminal record and is in Utah State Prison on a parole violation, will be charged in connection with Elizabeth's apparent abduction. Ricci maintains he is innocent.     Meanwhile, drifter Bret Michael Edmunds, 26, wanted for questioning in the disappearance for two weeks before he checked himself into a West Virginia hospital with symptoms of a drug overdose, signed paperwork allowing author- ities to send him back to Utah.     Though police won't call him a suspect, he is wanted for violating his parole in Utah. He also is accused of fleeing police and assaulting a police officer. Berkeley County Prosecutor Pamela Games-Neely told The Associated Press that Edmunds would probably be extradited within a week.     Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse said Edmunds remains only a potential witness and not a suspect .     kcantera@sltrib.com     mvigh@sltrib.com

[JudyB1938]

Good morning!

[stlnative]

Well I found out that Young is from Sunset Utah, from my last news post (Zip 84015), so Trailer #158 is not Youngs Trailer, so he does not live in the trailer court. Also he is not listed on the sex offender site under the zip above or under his name.

I just saw on TV, Trailer #158 is Ricci's trailer...they showed the FBI coming out of it after they did the warrant search yesterday of the trailer.

[dougherty]

If Young is involved, Ricci is involved as Young probably didn't even know Elizabeth Smart existed. If they are involved, I hope one of them eventually breaks down and rats out the other.

This case has more twists and turns than a Perry Mason episode.