http://www.channel3000.com/news/1551858/detail.html
Ed Smart not so sure about the letter
Smart's Father Less Sure About Letter
Sender Claims To Know Utah Teenager's Abductor
Posted: 1:00 pm EDT July 10, 2002Updated: 10:21 pm EDT July 10, 2002The father of Elizabeth Smart is apparently pulling back from earlier statements about a letter concerning his missing daughter.
Ed Smart said on CNN's "Larry King Live" that there are some things in the letter that don't seem to fit Elizabeth. He didn't elaborate.
Earlier, Smart said he thought the letter might have come from someone with knowledge of his daughter's abduction in June.
The letter was unsigned and lacked any solid information, but Smart said it seemed to be from someone who had talked with the kidnapper, and was willing to negotiate a way out of the situation.
Since the 14-year-old girl disappeared from her Salt Lake City bedroom, the family has gotten thousands of letters.
Smarts Receive 'Suspicious' Letter
On Tuesday, Smart's family received an anonymous letter in which the sender claims to know the abductor, the victim's father said Wednesday at a news conference.
Ed Smart, who made clear he didn't know whether the "suspicious," one-page letter was authentic, appealed to the sender to correspond with the family or with authorities so it could be determined whether the sender's claim, that the abductor wants to release Elizabeth, was credible. Smart said no monetary value was mentioned, indicating there was no ransom demand.
He said the letter's author said the letter was written on behalf of another person, who is holding Elizabeth.
"I've received a lot of mail, but this (letter) is different from all the others," Ed Smart said. "I just want to be upfront with all of you."
Ed Smart told reporters that he believed the alleged abductor is scared of what could happen if Elizabeth is released. He referred to the alleged abductor as "he," but later said he had no way of knowing a gender.
Elizabeth has been missing from her Salt Lake City home since June 5. Police have no official suspects, although they have questioned at least two men.
