Ed Smart Weighs In On Jaycee Kidnap Case

The Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnapping saga brings to mind the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart, who returned home to her family after nine months.

To talk about the case, Elizabeth Smart's father Ed Joined The Early Show Friday to talk about the case.

Asked if he was surprised that Dugard, who had access to phones and contact to the outside world, remained captive for 18 years, Smart said, "No, not at all. I don't agree with your fellow there on Stockholm Syndrome because I think that in many cases, these children do try to escape, and after numerous attempts they feel it's hopeless, and so they try to survive. And that's not necessarily bonding with these monsters."

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"I know Elizabeth did not bond with them. And I resent very much people talking about her moving over, the point being that Elizabeth wrote in this diary and said that she did not like them, that she was not attached to them, and that she loved her family. So I resent very much that people say it's Stockholm Syndrome. It is a matter of survival. When you've been abducted, you know what they're capable of doing. You know, when you're assaulted, when you're molested, there is, you know, no question that this person is capable of doing many things. That does not mean that they will connect with this person and bond with them," he added.

"But if I may just say that her stepfather told me this morning that Jaycee feels incredibly guilty because she did bond with her captor, I'm wondering if that's perhaps because she had two children with him," co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez asked.

"You know, I'm sure that she cared very much. To me that even complicates it more because certainly she had concern for her children. Heaven only knows what they all went through. I still don't agree that, you know, the Stockholm Syndrome answers that question."

Asked if his daughter Elizabeth would be willing to meet with Jaycee, Smart said, "You know, I'm sure she would be happy to talk with her about moving forward with her life, that, you know, this is a segment, you know, that she needs to somehow work out and put behind her, that she has a wonderful life ahead of her."

"Can this girl go back to being a normal human being, or is there always a part, in your experience, that's just not ever the same?" Rodriguez asked.

"You know, I think that, you know, things can never be the way they used to be, but there can be a new normal for them," Smart said. "The thing is finding out what that new normal can be and being able to move ahead with your life."