Elizabeth Smart is sharing her heartfelt take on Gabby Petito‘s death.
On Wednesday, Oct. 13, Elizabeth was a guest on Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk, where the 33-year-old kidnapping survivor told co-hosts Jada Pinkett Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris how situations like Gabby’s make her feel. Gabby was confirmed dead on Sept. 21 after her remains were found following a cross-country road trip with fiancé Brian Laundrie.
“In Gabby’s case in particular—I mean, I was alive, and I came home, and hers, tragically, has not ended that way,” Elizabeth said. “But knowing what it’s like being on the other side, and potentially what may have happened and what may have led up to her final moments, and understanding probably a lot of what she was feeling, it’s heartbreaking.”
When Jada asked if she always maintained hope of being rescued, Elizabeth replied with a smile, “I always wanted to be rescued. I don’t know that I always had hope. There was some pretty dark times, for sure.” Elizabeth was kidnapped from her Utah home in June 2002 at the age of 14 before being returned to her family nine months later.
