Girl's dad: I want to hear from perpetrator

At news conference Ed Smart tells kidnapper: "I would really appreciate it if you would let me know what your intentions are."

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (CNN) -- The father of missing 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart said late Wednesday that an anonymous letter indicating someone wants to negotiate her release contained some details about the girl that weren't credible.

Speaking on CNN's "Larry King Live," Ed Smart said that despite those details he decided to reveal publicly the existence of the letter in an effort to make sure he does everything possible to bring his daughter home.

"It was the first anonymous letter that I have received, and the letter basically stated that they wanted to release Elizabeth. In there, they describe a couple of things about Elizabeth which didn't seem credible to me," he said.

"I was trying to make the point that the reason I was bringing this forward is that I do want to hear from the perpetrator or the captor. I want Elizabeth back, and I want to do whatever it is going to take to bring her back."

Smart revealed the letter's existence at a news conference earlier in the day. He said did not know "how credible the correspondence was" and said it was not a ransom note.

He said the letter's author wrote that the note was on behalf of another person, who is holding Elizabeth.

"I thought it was important to come out today and ask the abductor to please communicate or correspond with me," Smart said.

EXTRA INFORMATION • Missing children facts    Elizabeth Smart information Web site: ElizabethSmart.com Tip lines: 800-932-0190 or 801-799-3000

Smart said the typewritten, unsigned letter was postmarked July 3. He said it was addressed to "the parents of Elizabeth Smart." A third party received the letter and faxed it to police, Smart said. The letter eventually was sent to the Smarts.

He declined to say from where the letter was sent.

A law enforcement source told CNN that investigators doubt the credibility of the letter for several reasons, including the fact it was written by a third person and it gave no details about how to negotiate.

Police said Wednesday they were looking into the letter but declined to comment on it. As recently as Tuesday, authorities had not indicated there was a major break in the case. In fact, police said that breaking the case could take an "indefinite" amount of time.

Authorities said there have been three phony ransom demands earlier.

Police focus on handyman

Police said Elizabeth was taken from her bedroom in the predawn hours of June 5, while her parents and four brothers slept. Her younger sister witnessed the kidnapping.

Authorities have not named a suspect in the disappearance but have focused their attention on Richard Ricci, 48, a handyman who once worked in the Smart house.

Law enforcement sources said Monday that Ricci is likely to be charged this week on several counts of burglary of the Smart home and others in the upscale Federal Heights neighborhood of Salt Lake City. The sources said the incidents occurred well before the girl's disappearance.

Ricci is in a Utah state prison on alleged parole violations. In a statement released by his attorney, he has denied any involvement in Elizabeth's abduction and has expressed concern for her family.

Ricci's criminal record goes back 30 years. His attorney, David Smith, said the arrest that resulted in his current incarceration was for drinking alcohol, a parole violation.

Smith said his client has cooperated with authorities, undergone hours of questioning, taken a lie-detector test, consented to searches of his property and vehicles, and given a blood sample.