Elizabeth Smart talks healing at Barron town hall as Jayme Closs starts to reclaim her life
BARRON - When Elizabeth Smart came home after nine months in captivity, she struggled with the notoriety that accompanied her abduction.
She couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized. Trips to the grocery store took longer. She was no longer a wallflower.
Her return was the beginning of a new journey, she told Barron County residents Friday.
“In my mind, I thought that I could just go back to who I was before I was kidnapped,” she said. “At that point in time, I didn’t realize that actually, that girl, Elizabeth Smart, who existed before I was kidnapped, didn’t exist anymore.”
Smart spoke at Barron High School to help the community move forward after the return of 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who escaped the home of Jake Patterson over two months ago. Patterson, 21, is charged with gunning down Jayme’s parents on Oct. 15, kidnapping the teen and holding her for 88 days in the Douglas County town of Gordon.
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Smart, who is now a child safety advocate, on Friday encouraged Barron residents to respect Jayme’s privacy as she begins to heal and reclaim her life. She suggested those who want to talk to her write a letter that she can read when she’s ready.
Smart also emphasized that one should never ask a victim a question that starts with, “Why didn’t you?”
“Whatever they have done, they did the right thing, because they survived,” she said.
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Now that Jayme is home, Smart said, it’s OK for the community to keep living. The family will need time to mourn Jayme’s parents, James and Denise, but things will get better, she said.
Smart also called Jayme an extraordinary young woman who will find her way forward.
“Despite the horrors that she saw, despite the terrible things that she suffered that are hers and hers alone to share, she still escaped ... she is a survivor,” Smart said.
