When the man who abducted her in 2002 was convicted of kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart said she hoped her experience would show “it is possible to move on after something terrible has happened, and that we can speak out and we will be heard.” The Salt Lake Tribune says the 23-year-old Utahn has found a platform for that message — she's signed on with ABC News.
Smart will contribute to everything from “Good Morning America” to “ABC World News Tonight” to “Nightline” to the ABCNews.com website. “She will help our viewers better understand missing-persons stories from the perspective of someone who really knows what the family experiences when a loved one goes missing,” said a network spokesman. Her father, Ed, said, “There was so much media attention on Elizabeth, and that was certainly what helped to bring her home. There's great value in being able to get out there and to speak as a victim advocate.” Street preacher Brian Mitchell was convicted in December and is serving a life sentence without a chance of parole.