Memphis Father Identifies with Smart Kidnapping
Desi
: http://makeashorterlink.com/?V1BF266D3
By A. J. Wolfe
"We belong to a club that nobody else wants to belong to," said George
Gattas, referring to Ed Smart, the father of kidnap victim Elizabeth
Smart. Behind him is a 1968 portrait of three of his children including
Leslie (left), who was 15 when she was kidnapped from her bed in 1981
and held captive for months.
Memphis dad identifies with Smart family
By Lawrence Buser
bu...@gomemphis.com
March 15, 2003
George Gattas of Memphis has a connection with Ed Smart of Salt Lake
City, though it's not something either man would want.
Both are the fathers of 15-year-old daughters who were kidnapped for
months while their families lived in anguish, hoping for miracles.
Miracles did happen - both for Leslie Gattas and this week for Elizabeth
Smart.
"That was a very sad situation that ended up happily," said Gattas,
whose daughter Leslie was abducted from her home in 1981 and held in a
church attic for four months. "We belong to a club that nobody else
wants to belong to. I doubt if there's any other fathers in the world
who would want to belong to that club."
For nine months, the Smart family lived with the fear of the unknown
after their daughter was taken in the night at knifepoint from their
Salt Lake City home.
On Wednesday Elizabeth Smart was reunited with her family after she was
found in a Utah suburb in the company of a drifter couple who had
disguised her in a dark wig and veil. The couple are now charged with
kidnapping.
"I'm happy for the Smart family and I know this is a joyous day for
them," said Gattas, 72, a retired businessman.
"I just hope the girl is all right now and that she grows up to lead a
normal life."
Turn back the clock to March 18, 1982, and the Gattas family was
rejoicing over the return of their daughter.
She escaped from the hands of unemployed machinist Ernest Stubblefield,
who had taken her from her East Memphis home and for 119 days kept her
with him in the attic of Christ United Methodist Church less than 3
miles away.
"It was an early Easter for us and there certainly was a celebration for
all of us," recalled Gattas, whose daughter now is a 36-year-old lawyer.
"When I look at her now I just thank God every day that He's been so
good to Mrs. Gattas and I.
"I often think how wonderful it is. Anthony is the patron saint of
things lost and my middle name is Anthony."
Stubblefield was released from prison last November after serving more
than 20 years for the kidnapping. He is believed to be living in
Illinois.
Frightened at first by her abduction at knifepoint, Elizabeth was forced
to depend on her captors during her nine-month disappearance,
authorities said. When found by police, the 15-year-old vehemently
denied her identity when asked if she was Elizabeth Smart and told
officers that the couple she was with were her parents.
"If the person is depending on approval and support for not only their
psychological but for their physical survival then the need to identify
(with the captors) is going to be very great," said clinical
psychologist Dr. J. Kip Parrish of Memphis.
"You have an aspect of 'if you can't beat them, join them. These people
control my life and if I do not identify with them and if I do not get
along with them I will die.' " He said those feelings develop over time
and take time to overcome once a victim is freed.
"I can assure you that she did not become brainwashed and did not
identify with a new family overnight," Parrish added. "That was
something that took probably months and months and months and it's going
to take a lot of time (to recover) and it's not going to be overnight. A
normal person would have a lot of conflicts and a lot of issues."
Leslie Gattas was out of town Friday, but she told a reporter in 1993
that Stubblefield was nice to her, but she believed it also was possible
he would kill her.
She said she relied on prayer and her wits and that after she was freed
she never sought therapy.
Gattas, a sophomore at St. Agnes Academy when she was abducted, tried to
draw attention to her whereabouts. When Stubblefield brought her down to
the church kitchen at night, she took extra amounts of food to raise
suspicions and left numerous notes for the church staff asking for help.
"Leslie's a strong girl and she really maneuvered her own escape, so to
speak," said her father. "When she was in captivity she did everything
she could to alert people.
"As soon as Leslie came home we tried to put her right back in her
environment. She went right back to school. When you fall off a horse
you get right back on it. You try to get your life back in as regular a
routine as possible because it doesn't pay to dwell on it."
Ringo
"Desi" <de...@cts.com> wrote in message
news:CJoda.1219$2x2.4...@dca1-nnrp1.news.algx.net...
Desi
Ringo wrote in message <2Qoda.145528$qi4.70401@rwcrnsc54>...
>Was Gattis sexually assaulted?
>
Doesn't say, but he had 4,000 names of teens and various other
incriminating evidence. He plead guilty and has nver talked about it
