Police Thought They’d Never Find Elizabeth Smart After Suspect Died in Custody

Richard Ricci, a contractor who had performed some work at the Smart home, was arrested for an unrelated parole violation on June 14, 2002.

After police discovered some of Lois’ jewelry in Ricci’s possession, he was charged with burglary and became the prime suspect in Elizabeth’s abduction.

As seen in police interview footage, Ricci denied knowing anything about the kidnapping. However, he also refused to explain how he had put several hundred miles on his Jeep within a day of her being taken.

Meanwhile, after seeing him on the news, Mary Katherine insisted that the man who had been in their bedroom that night was not Ricci.

Then, on July 24, 2002, an attempted break-in was reported at the home of Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle. Police found a hole in the window screen and two chairs outside their 18-year-old daughter’s room.

Still, police believed they were close to solving the case. “Desperate” for answers, Lyman recalled in the documentary, they offered Ricci immunity if he could assist in finding Elizabeth—on the condition that he was not guilty of kidnapping or homicide. But Ricci suffered a brain aneurysm in jail and died on August 27, 2002.

“I was sick to my stomach,” Lyman said. “Our most likely suspect died. Everything he knew was gone with him. And it left us at a dead end that was very difficult. As law enforcement, you do set an emotional wall, and that wall started to erode for me.”