Kidnap Suspect Has Brain Hemorrhage

The man named as the top suspect in the abduction of Elizabeth Smart suffered an apparent hemorrhage and was on life support Wednesday after a six-hour emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.

Hospital officials said Richard Albert Ricci’s prognosis--including whether he suffered any brain damage--wouldn’t be known for 24 to 48 hours. They said the cause of the apparent cerebral hemorrhage was unknown.

Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse said his first reaction upon hearing of Ricci’s condition was to swear.

“Clearly, if he does not survive, that would be a big impact on the case,” Dinse said Wednesday.

“I’ve said from the first, this was an unusual case,” Dinse said. “To have another twist come in was exceptional in my experience.”

Though authorities have named him as their top suspect, Ricci, 48, has maintained his innocence and has not been charged in the disappearance of 14-year-old Elizabeth, who was taken from her bedroom by a gunman June 5.

Ricci, a former handyman for the Smart family, who is in prison for violating parole after he was charged with theft and burglary, told guards Tuesday he was having trouble breathing, state Corrections spokesman Jack Ford said. As they talked to him, he passed out.

They began resuscitation, and he was flown to University Hospital in Salt Lake City, Ford said.

Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Robby Russo said it was too early to tell whether Ricci suffered brain damage.

No traces of drugs were found in Ricci’s cell, and Ford said Ricci didn’t leave a note to indicate suicide.

“This is the most bizarre thing that I ever could have imagined,” Elizabeth’s father, Ed Smart, said.

Police hoped that survival would make Ricci more cooperative.

“He’s an individual who generally speaking never volunteered a lot of information,” Dinse said.

Ricci had been in court earlier Tuesday, when his attorneys asked for more time to review theft charges against him. Third District Judge Paul Maughan granted the request, setting a Sept. 17 hearing.

The theft charges include allegations that he took items from the Smarts’ home.