Key Insights

Police initially believed they had a solid suspect in the Elizabeth Smart case.

Richard Ricci was arrested for a parole violation and later became the prime suspect after jewelry was found in his possession.

Despite his denials, Ricci’s actions raised suspicions regarding his involvement in the kidnapping.

His unexpected death left investigators without crucial information, complicating the case further.

Richard Ricci, a contractor who had worked 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. Yet 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 maintained 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 thought they were close to cracking the case. “Desperate” for answers, Lyman recalled in the documentary, they offered Ricci immunity if he could help find Elizabeth—on condition that he wasn’t 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.”