Elizabeth Smart has officially joined the search for Elizabeth “Elena” Laguna-Salgado, a young Provo woman who went missing more than a week ago.
At a recent press conference held at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, Smart affirmed that she believes “[Elizabeth] alive and I do believe we can bring her home.”
Having survived a kidnapping herself, Smart is now an advocate for child safety and missing persons. With Smart’s involvement, Laguna-Salgado’s family hopes they will be able to find her. The Huffington Post reports that detectives are looking into questioning two men who Laguna-Salgado turned down for dates. Other search efforts have not brought forth any leads.
Provo Police report that 26-year-old Laguna-Salgado, who had only lived in Utah for a month, was last seen leaving the Nomen Global Language Center in Provo toward the direction of her apartment, about 18 blocks away.
Provo Police Lt. Brandon Post told the Huff Post, “We don’t have any indication of foul play, but this behavior is very outside the norm for her,” said Post. “She [typically] keeps in constant contact with her family via phone calls and text messages. Since [her disappearance], there has been no activity in her email, social media, cell phone or financial accounts. She just vanished.”
Smart is hoping to bring more awareness to Laguna-Salgado’s disappearance and believes that she is waiting for someone to find her. Urging the public to participate in the search for Laguna-Salgado, Smart said, “Maybe we’re wrong. But, if we’re right then at least we’re doing everything we can.”
Someone knows where Elizabeth Salgado is, and they need to [help us] find her.
Laguna-Salgado lived in the Branbury Apartments in Provo and is described as being 5-foot-4 to 5-foot-5, 120 to 130 pounds, with long black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen on Thursday, April 16, 2015 wearing a denim jacket, blue jeans, black or brown knee-high boots, and was carrying a denim handbag with red straps.
The young woman’s family has also set up a Facebook page to share information about the case.
If you have any information regarding Elizabeth Laguna-Salgado’s disappearance, please contact the Provo Police at (801) 852-6210.
