In an article titled “Sister Didn’t See Face of Abductor,” Salt Lake Tribune reporters Kevin Cantera and Michael Vigh detail developments in the Smart kidnapping case. Excerpt:
On Thursday, police continued to say they had not ruled out any suspects, including members of Elizabeth’s family. The girl’s June 5 disappearance sparked a large-scale search and has made headlines around the globe.
David Smart, Elizabeth’s uncle, told reporters Thursday the family understood that its members were a necessary focus of the probe and they were willing to sit for lie-detector tests. “If they did not investigate us, they would be negligent,” he said.
The Tribune has confirmed an NBC report Thursday that the responses given by one member of Elizabeth’s extended family during a polygraph test raised investigators’ suspicions about his alibi.
Police have refused to comment on lie-detector tests they have administered in the case, except to say that Elizabeth’s father, Edward Smart, was tested Sunday.
His brother, Tom Smart, appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live” on Wednesday night and said he, too, had been tested.
Tom Smart characterized the polygraph test administered to Edward as “four hours of hell.”
“We’ve been ripped apart by our polygraph[s],” Tom Smart told CNN. “We’ve been ripped apart to the core.”