Was Elizabeth's Cousin Next?

The religious fanatic accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart may have tried to abduct her 18-year-old cousin seven weeks later, authorities said Friday as they began studying a 27-page manifesto in which the suspect talks of assembling a harem of wives.

According to a July 24 sheriff's report, the screen on Jessica Wright's bedroom window was cut and a chair was found beneath it. The would-be intruder fled when the family heard noises in the night and called authorities.

A chair was similarly found under the kitchen window at the Smarts' home after Elizabeth disappeared from her bedroom early on June 5. And the screen was reported cut from the outside.

"It's more than a coincidence," said Sheriff Aaron Kennard. "You have this cousin who looks like Elizabeth and is good friends with Elizabeth."

Kennard said his investigators had evidence linking the two incidents that would be provided to prosecutors for possible attempted kidnapping charges, which could come early next week.

Jessica Wright has been described as Elizabeth's favorite cousin.

Friday night, several thousand residents of Salt Lake City gathered Friday for a candlelight vigil to celebrate Elizabeth's safe return.

Elizabeth didn't attend the party in a park in midtown Salt Lake City, but she sent along a handwritten poster reading, "I'm the luckiest girl in the world! Thank you for your love and prayers. It's a wish come true!! I'm home! I love you all."

As police piece together more about the nine months that Elizabeth was away, the man who led Salt Lake City police in the search for her clearly regrets that the investigation was not more aggressive, reports CBS News Correspondent Jane Clayson.

"At the time, I thought I was making the best choice, but now in hindsight I wasn't," says retired police investigator Corey Lyman. "And so, absolutely, I have regrets."

Lyman says, "I wish I could do it over. I kind of go through this emotional 'Could this have been over so much sooner?'"

Police have acknowledged that they made mistakes in their nine-month effort to find Elizabeth, fixing on the wrong suspects and withholding a composite sketch of the man now being held in her abduction.

"Hindsight is 20-20 vision. If we had to go back over it again, I think every one of (our investigators) would say, 'I wish we had gone public with that ... earlier,'" Salt Lake Police Chief Rick Dinse said Thursday.

Police found Elizabeth on Wednesday walking in a Salt Lake City suburb with Brian Mitchell, a shaggy-haired vagabond and self-styled prophet. With them was his wife, Wanda Barzee. Authorities said the three had been living under bridges and in tents in Utah and California, apparently panhandling to eat.

Family members and police have not disclosed details of Elizabeth's ordeal but have indicated the couple had gained a hold over her psychologically. Her father, Ed Smart, said he fears she was brainwashed.

Investigators are poring over a document titled "The Book of Immanuel David Isaiah," seized Thursday in Montana from one of Mitchell's relatives. It was believed to have been written by Mitchell, whose aliases included the name Emmanuel.

In it, Mitchell calls polygamy a lost "blessing." And he refers to himself as a "just and merciful" God who can restore lost blessings to those who do not sin.

One passage, in which he appears to address his wife by a biblical name, says: "Thou wilt take into thy heart and home seven sisters, and thou wilt recognize them through the spirit as thy dearest and choicest friends from all eternity."

Mitchell's wife, Wanda Barzee, is not referred to by name in the text but is called Hephizibah Eladah Isaiah, which translates to "God Adorneth," one of her nicknames on the street.

Authorities are expected to charge Mitchell, 49, and Barzee, 57, as early as Monday with kidnapping Elizabeth last June.

Police have said Mitchell was excommunicated from the Mormon Church, the religion of the Smart family, and considered himself a polygamist. The practice has long been outlawed in Utah.

Asked whether Elizabeth may have been taken to be a wife, the girl's aunt, Angela Dumke, said, "You never know. He's nuts."

"This guy's probably involved in polygamy," said Dumke, Ed Smart's sister.

Dumke said another theory is that Barzee considered Elizabeth to be her child. Relatives of the 57-year-old woman said she fled a violent marriage years ago, leaving behind six children.

Prosecutors said aggravated kidnapping and other charges from the Smart case would probably be filed against the two Monday.

Elizabeth's mother, Lois Smart, said Friday that the teenager was feeling "fantastic" and sleeping well for the first time since her ordeal began. The Smarts have yet to decide when Elizabeth will return to school, she said.

For now, "we need to be with Elizabeth," the girl's mother said.

In other news, authorities in California said Friday that Mitchell, Barzee spent several months with Elizabeth in a rural town east of San Diego, authorities said.

The three were conspicuous in their off-white robes and veils but gave authorities no reason to think there was anything seriously amiss, San Diego County Sheriff's Capt. Glenn Revell said.

Sheriff's deputies said they first spoke with Mitchell, who went by the name Emmanuel, in late October after residents complained he was panhandling and preaching on street corners.

A deputy warned Mitchell panhandling was illegal and tried to make eye contact with Barzee and Elizabeth, who stood quietly behind him, Revell said.

Mitchell gave his name as David Shirlson, an apparent reference to his father, who is named Shirl. The officer checked the name and found no outstanding warrants.

Mitchell was arrested after breaking into a church on Feb. 12, was jailed for six days and ended up pleading guilty to vandalism. Mitchell, who identified himself then as Michael Jensen, said he, his wife and the girl, who he called his daughter, had no firm address.

"We're staying with some friends in the Lord Jesus Christ," he said in the videotaped proceeding. "I'm a minister for the Lord."

Mitchell apologized and said the break-in came after a night of drinking.

"The whole night was just a nightmare," he told the judge. "This week in jail has been like Jonah getting swallowed by the whale. It's turned me right around and I know I need to do what the Lord wants me to do with my life."

Revell said it is unclear where Barzee and Elizabeth were during Mitchell's time behind bars. Federal investigators have said the trio stayed at campsites often used by the homeless.