Police: Kidnapper may be 'trusted' person

Sister saw kidnapper twice

Police said Tuesday these Ralph Lauren athletic shoes are similar to those Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper allowed her to take.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (CNN) -- Police said Tuesday a "trusted person in the neighborhood" may be the man who snatched 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart from her home at gunpoint. In hopes someone might recognize him, they released a more detailed description.

Capt. Scott Atkinson said they were looking for a white male, 30 to 40 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a medium build and dark hair.

The night of the abduction, police said the suspect carried a small dark handgun and wore a Polo brand shirt, tan pants, dark shoes and tan cap. He had dark hair on his arms and the back of hands, they said, and was described as calm but "concerned others would awake."

Atkinson showed reporters a pair of white Ralph Lauren tennis shoes, saying they were nearly identical to the ones Elizabeth Smart was wearing when she left that night.

He said 9-year-old Mary Catherine reported seeing the suspect in the home at two different locations the night her sister was kidnapped.

He would not specify the second location. Police had already said Mary Catherine saw the man in the girls' shared bedroom.

"We believe that this person may be a trusted person in the neighborhood or in the community. [It] might be someone ... that had reason to be here, that had reason to come across the family, all those kind of things we still believe," Atkinson said.

Elizabeth, who is blond, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 105 pounds, was last seen wearing red pajamas.

Uncle: Sister was paralyzed with fear

Elizabeth Smart disappeared June 5.

When Elizabeth Smart was taken during the night June 5, the intruder apparently believed Mary Catherine was asleep, but Atkinson said she was faking.

The family lives in the upscale Federal Heights neighborhood of Salt Lake City and the house is on the market for $1.19 million. Besides the two girls, the family has four sons, all of whom were home at the time of the abduction.

The younger sister waited about two hours before telling her parents about the kidnapping, police have said.

It was first reported that the delay occurred because the suspect warned Mary Catherine not to tell anyone, but Atkinson said Tuesday that Mary Catherine had no conversation with the suspect.

Instead, he said, she delayed telling her parents because of what she overheard the suspect telling Elizabeth.

Shortly after the kidnapping, an uncle of the girls said, "He just threatened [the sister]. Apparently he told her he would kill her if she said anything."

CNN NewsPass VIDEO CNN's Michael Okwu reports Salt Lake City police believe Elizabeth Smart's abductor may be someone familiar with the family (June 18) Play video   EXTRA INFORMATION Images of Elizabeth Smart  • Missing children facts     Suspect description White male 30 to 40 years old 5 feet 8 inches tall to 5 feet 10 Medium build Dark hair Dark hair on arms and backs of hands Source: Salt Lake City police Elizabeth Smart information Web site: ElizabethSmart.com Tip lines: 800-932-0190 or 801-799-3000

"She was paralyzed and in shock for a couple of hours until she went in and talked with her dad," said the uncle, Tom Smart.

The latest information, Atkinson said, came as a result of three interviews with the 9-year-old, conducted by child-interviewing specialists.

One law enforcement official was asked if Mary Catherine had been hypnotized by investigators as part of their interviewing her. "It is safe to say we've tried everything," the official said.

Other leads

Law enforcement officials told CNN Tuesday a surveillance tape from Shriners Hospital, not far from the Smart's neighborhood, has been sent to an FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for enhancement.

A surveillance camera in the parking lot of the hospital can pick up some activity on Virginia Avenue, which is the main road in and out of Federal Heights.

Fred Trujillo, the security director at the Shriners Hospital, told CNN he saw a car being driven in a suspicious way and trained a camera on it for several minutes.

A second car arrived and there appeared to be some interaction for a few moments before both cars drove away, Trujillo said. Police said the tape is of poor quality because of the low light conditions.

The search for a transient wanted for questioning in connection with her disappearance continued. But authorities were at pains to point out that he was wanted for questioning "as a witness" not as a suspect.

Police say Bret Michael Edmunds, 26, is a potential witness because he knew the neighborhood and did odd jobs in the area.