Hannah Anderson was found alive and safe in the Idaho wilderness after a week long search for the 16-year old who was allegedly taken by James Lee DiMaggio.
The 40-year old suspected abductor was shot and killed after FBI agents saw his campsite in the area of Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, which was just about 40 miles from the town of Cascade. After being found, Hannah Anderson was immediately taken to a hospital ready for her care. Three days before the rescue, pistol-packing horseback riders saw them hiking and found them 'unfit' to be in such a place.
Mark John, one of the riders and also an ex-sheriff shares, "They were just like a square peg going into a round hole. They didn't fit. He might have been an outdoorsman in California, but he was not an outdoorsman in Idaho," Mike Young, who was also with Mark when they saw the two says, "She kinda had a scared look on her face. I just had a gut feeling about him," The riders later on gave lead to the authorities who succeeded in rescuing the teenager.
Amidst the rescue and the good news, Idaho's sheriff Bill Gore states shares in a press conference that "she didn't look she was being held against her will". In an interview with CNN, Hannah's friend Marissa Chavez shares that Hannah wouldn't have gone with DiMaggio willingly. She recalls that Hannah "didn't want to be alone with him" and would often ask Marissa to stay with her.
DiMaggio was a family friend and was sought as an uncle to Hannah and her deceased brother. Brett, Hannah's father shares, "I can't fathom what happened in Jim's head. He obviously just lost it," relaying that the suspect used to go with them on camping trips.
Authorities say that DiMaggio had an "unusual infatuation" towards his victim but the father doesn't recall any strange behaviour before. When Hannah Anderson was found, she possessed no major injuries.
The case started when the bodies of Hannah Anderson's brother and mother were found in the burning house of DiMaggio last August 4. 8-year old Ethan Anderson's body was found inside the home while the body of Hannah's mother, Cristina was found in James' garage. Brett Anderson, the teenager's dad shares that DiMaggio was a family friend and were close to them. The father and daughter reunited yesterday.
270 law enforcement officers were involved in the 300-mile radius manhunt. The area is inhabited by wolves, bears and other dangerous animals that some of the rescuers needed to be flown around while others were on horses.
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