ST. GEORGE, Utah, April 29, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — March 12, 2003. That’s the day Elizabeth Smart was reunited with her family after nine months in captivity; the day her family’s hope for her safe return was reignited.
For Tracey Bratt-Smith and Darrin Smith of St. George, their story has no happy ending yet. They’re still waiting for the day their family will be complete once more.
Their youngest child, Macin Darrin Smith, turned 18 earlier this month, and they have absolutely no idea where he is.
Macin has been missing for eight months this weekend. He walked away from his home on Sept. 1 when his parents thought he was on his way to school. Macin left behind his cell phone, wallet and laptop.
Macin did leave a note, which his parents discovered a week later, folded in his wallet. They have not released the contents, preferring to say the note contained an “intent,” which led them to believe he may have planned to harm himself.
Early indications were that Macin might have headed to Las Vegas, but that was never confirmed, and other possible sightings have not proved credible.
His family has worked tirelessly with professional search organization Red Rock Search and Rescue and police to bring Macin home. On the five-month anniversary of his disappearance, Macin’s parents announced a $10,000 reward offered for information leading to his safe return.
Bratt-Smith and other family members have also posted Facebook updates in tribute to Macin almost every day to the 15,611 members of the Help Find Macin Smith page on Facebook.
Smart has gone on to become president of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which aims to prevent and stop predatory crimes.
The Foundation aims to empower children through educating and understanding of choice and options, and assist law enforcement in the rescuing of victims.
At a press conference to raise awareness of missing young people in Utah earlier this month, Gephardt Daily asked Smart to specifically address Macin’s case, as well as that of 26-year old Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado, who vanished without a trace in Provo on April 16, 2015.
“Don’t lose faith, don’t lose hope, your family still loves you, Smart said. “Your community, your adoptive community, wants you back with your family. We want a happy ending, we’re not going to stop looking for you, we’re not going to stop having faith in you. Don’t give up. We will find you. And, do whatever you need to to survive. Whatever it is, we’ll find you.
“There are miracles that happen, like I came home after nine months when many people thought I was dead, Jaycee Dugard came back, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, there are so many survivors that have come back after years and years and years of captivity, so they are still out there, and keeping these stories in the news, and keeping these faces in the news, keeping them in people’s minds, is one way to try and bring them home.”
Smart, now Smart-Gilmour, 28, was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City on June 5, 2002. She was 14 at the time. She was rescued by police officers nine months later in Sandy, in the captivity of Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee, who were indicted for her kidnapping, but initially ruled unfit to stand trial. Barzee and Mitchell were eventually convicted. Barzee pled guilty and was sentenced to concurrent terms in state and federal prison, while Mitchell is serving his life sentence in a high-security federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.
The Smarts and their extended family persistently maintained a presence in the local and national media, providing home videos of their daughter as a teenager and as a child, and created a website to serve as a resource center.
Elizabeth went on to serve an LDS mission in France, and study music at Brigham Young University with an emphasis on harp performance. As well as her activism, she is a contributor for ABC News. She is married and has a daughter, born in February 2015.
Bratt-Smith, Macin’s mom, said of Smart’s comments: “I’m so grateful to all those who keep these unsolved cases in the public eye. I think as time goes on some of us get more discouraged having to think this is our new normal. I remember saying to Macin last year: ‘Let’s make 2015 the best year ever.’ I hope 2016 will provide some answers but currently the case feels like it’s at a standstill. Trying to keep our vision positive but it’s challenging.
“We all miss him terribly. With prom and grad season upon us it’s particularly hard as it’s a reminder of what ‘should’ be occurring in Macin’s life at this time. We continue to pray for his safety and well being. That’s the message I want shouted from the rooftops is that we love and miss our boy. Thanks to organizations like Elizabeth Smart’s who continue to keep those who are missing in the public eye.”
Macin was the last of six children, three boys and three girls, still living at home when the family moved to Utah from Canada just over a year ago.
He is 6-feet-4-inches and 200 pounds. He has light blue eyes, and he had short blond hair when he went missing.
Anyone with information on Macin is asked to contact the St. George Police Department at 435-627-4300, or David Cummings at RRSAR on 702-787-4068.
More information on the Elizabeth Smart Foundation is available here.
