Tucked up behind the LDS Provo temple sits Rock Canyon, a favorite hiking spot for BYU students.

Walking along the worn trail that weaves up the mountainside, it would be hard to believe the main suspect in a nationwide kidnapping case chose it for a temporary home.

Yet one BYU student says she spotted Mitchell there four years ago.

Brian David Mitchell, who has been charged with the abduction of Elizabeth Smart on June 5, 2002, was a familiar figure without a name before the publicized case.

As Mitchell's face has popped up on nationwide media after the recovery of Smart on March 12, people from Salt Lake and even California say they have seen the proclaimed prophet, who was mostly recognized for his white robes and thick beard, roaming the streets. BYU students and Utah County are no exception.

"I saw that guy four years ago when I was hiking up Rock Canyon," said Emily Spencer, a graduate student in organ performance from Orem.

After forgetting about the confrontation she had with Mitchell, Spencer said she immediately recognized his face when it came on the news.

"When I saw the picture, I just remembered," Spencer said. "After reading about some of the things he was saying, I remember that's what he talked to us about -- prophecies and signs of the times."

Spencer and some friends, who were all BYU students at the time, had decided to take a hike up Rock Canyon. On their way back down, they saw Mitchell, accompanied by a woman.

"He was living in a cave," Spencer said.

After one of Spencer's friends expressed apprehension about approaching Mitchell, Spencer and another girl in her group decided to speak with him.

"He started to preach to us about the end of the world and how LDS people were going astray and needed to repent," Spencer said.

While conversing with Mitchell for ten to 15 minutes, Spencer said they noticed Mitchell and a woman had provisions in the small cave. They also observed the remains of a fire.

"It looked like they had been sleeping there," Spencer said.

After getting off the mountain, the group decided to call the police.

"We didn't think it was legal for anyone to be living up there and thought that he could be dangerous," Spencer said.

Mitchell, along with his wife Wanda Barzee, now face several charges for the abduction of Smart, including aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault.

While Spencer said she couldn't say for sure if Barzee was the same woman she saw on the mountain, Mitchell is definitely the man she talked with.

"He was a nutcase," Spencer said.



Copyright Brigham Young University 20 Mar 2003