Elizabeth Smart Found Alive

S A L T  L A K E  C I T Y, March 12 -- Elizabeth Smart, the Salt Lake City teen kidnapped at gunpoint from her bedroom nine months ago, was found alive today with a drifter who once worked for her family as a handyman.

The drifter and another person were in custody.

After reuniting with his daughter, a joyous and tearful Ed Smart, was grateful for all the prayers and help people lent in the search for his daughter.

"All of the children out there deserve to come back to theirparents the way Elizabeth has come back to us," he said. "It is nothing but a miracle. I just held her, held her the whole way home. … I had to take a double-take and pull her back away from her and say, 'Is it really you? ’

Elizabeth, 15, was found in Sandy, Utah — just about 15 miles from her home — with drifter Brian David Mitchell and a woman identified as Wanda Eileen Barzee, police said. The girl's blond hair was concealed by a veil and a wig, police said.

"Words cannot express how incredibly grateful we are," said Elizabeth's uncle, David. "Do miracles still exist? Our answer is yes."

Salt Lake City police said Elizabeth did not appear to be physically harmed. She was reunited with her parents at Salt Lake City police headquarters.

"I think you can imagine what the reunion was like," said Salt Lake City police Chief Rick Dinse. "It was every bit what you could imagine. It was emotional. It was exciting. … it was a thrill for everybody. The parents were in tears."

The Smart family said Elizabeth was sharp and healthy. During her reunion with her parents, she asked questions about her siblings and was shocked to hear that her younger brother had earned straight A's on his last report card, according to family members who spoke to reporters tonight. They said police were amazed about the amount of information Elizabeth was giving them in their interview.

Mitchell — who considered himself a street prophet and called himself Emmanuel — and Barzee were in the custody of Salt Lake City Police. No charges had been filed. Barzee's connection to Mitchell was unclear. A motive for the kidnapping also remains unclear.