What Happened to Richard Ricci, Former Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping Suspect?

Alyssa Norwin January 21, 2026, 11:06 am

The new Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart explores the abduction of then-teenager Elizabeth Smart from her bedroom in 2002, as well as her return to her family nine months later. In addition to Elizabeth herself detailing the kidnapping by Brian David Mitchell, the doc also touched on suspicions about Richard Ricci, who was questioned by police after Elizabeth went missing.

Although Ricci was never officially named a suspect, authorities had their eyes on him for months. Ultimately, he was the wrong guy. Scroll down to find out why he was suspected and what happened to him afterwards.

Why was Richard Ricci suspected in Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapping?

Ricci was questioned in Elizabeth’s kidnapping the day after she was abducted. He had previously done work in the Smarts’ home as a handyman. “We found out he and [Elizabeth’s father] Ed Smart had some sort of conflict over wages,” detective Cordon Parks explained in Kidnapped. “A search warrant was obtained for Richard Ricci’s house. Jewelry items belonging to [Elizabeth’s mother] Lois Smart were found at his house.”

It was noted in the doc that Ricci had a “violent, criminal history.” Days after Elizabeth’s disappearance, he was charged with one count of theft for stealing $3,500 worth of items from the Smarts’ home, including the jewelry, as well as perfume, and a wine glass filled with seashells, per CBS News. He admitted to this, and confirmed that he also stole items from another home in the same neighborhood, resulting in another theft charge.

Per CNN, Ricci had been “in and out of prison since 1973,” with a criminal history that included “convictions for felony burglary, aggravated robbery, attempted criminal homicide, and third-degree theft.”

While Ricci claimed to have an alibi for the night Elizabeth was abducted, the evidence against him mounted when officials discovered that there was a significant amount of mileage put on his jeep around that time. He did not have a rational explanation for the added miles.

What happened to Richard Ricci?

After his string of previous arrests, Ricci had been on parole since September 2000 when Elizabeth went missing. Nine days after her disappearance, he was arrested for violating his parole because he was caught drinking alcohol.

With Ricci behind bars on the charges unrelated to the kidnapping, the police were “99.9% sure” they had their man, Elizabeth’s uncle Tom Smart said in Kidnapped. However, Ricci maintained his innocence, and Elizabeth’s sister, Mary Katherine Smart — the only witness to the abduction — said Ricci wasn’t the man who came into her bedroom and took Elizabeth.

Law enforcement wasn’t convinced, though, as Parks pointed out, “Mary Katherine was asleep. She would’ve been groggy. Reports say she kept her eyes shut during the abduction. Maybe she didn’t realize it was Ricci.”

Where Is Mary Katherine Smart Now? An Update on Elizabeth Smart’s Sister

A little over a month after Elizabeth was kidnapped, there was a break-in at her aunt and uncle’s residence, with the screen of her cousin’s bedroom window cut open and two chairs placed against the window. The scene mimicked that of Elizabeth’s home on the night she was taken. However, Ricci was in jail at this time, so he wasn’t a suspect.

Still, police figured it “could’ve been someone who was aware of what happened to Elizabeth and did it as a cruel prank or copycat,” according to then-police captain Cory Lyman.

On August 30, 2002, Ricci died in jail. By the time of his death, he had not revealed what he was doing in his car at the time Elizabeth Smart disappeared.