16-year-old Hannah Anderson was rescued and her 40-year-old abductor James Lee DiMaggio was shot and killed by an FBI agent this weekend in a rescue, which had been triggered by horseback riders who grew suspicious of the two people, CNN reported. DiMaggio and Anderson were found while hiking, and seemed ill-equipped for the Idaho wilderness, according to the riders.
The appeared out of place in Idaho's backcountry, like "a square peg going into a round hole," Mark John, a retired Gem County, Idaho sheriff who had been riding on horseback with his wife and another couple when they saw the two. "They just didn't fit. He might have been an outdoorsman in California, but was not an outdoorman in Idaho... Red flags kid of went up."They said Dimaggio had only a light pack on, and it appeared that Anderson was wearing only pajama pants, the Associated Press reported.
The two couples reported the sighting of DiMaggio and Anderson in the rough terrain of the Frank Church River of No Return Wildernes, while they were riding on horseback, to police on Wednesday after hearing of the case on the evening news .
After the rescue on Saturday, Anderson was expected to be reunited with her father on Sunday. She was airlifted on Saturday evening from an alpine lake in central Idaho.
The rescue came after a two-day manhunt by law enforcement agents, leading to a nationwide search. On Friday, police found DiMaggio's car, hidden under brush at a trailhead on the border of the wilderness area. When searchers spotted DiMaggio and Anderson on Saturday by air, two highly specialized FBI hostage teams moved in on ground, and lead to Anderson's rescue.
DiMaggio is also suspected of killing Anderson's mother, Christina, and the girl's brother at his home in Southern California. He had been close to the Anderson family. Christina Anderson's husband Brett Anderson had described DiMaggio as a close friend, even seen as an uncle by the kids. Authorities suggested that the DiMaggio had an "unusual infatuation" with Hannah.
An Amber Alert was issued last weeks in hopes of finding them.
© 2023 Lawyer Herald All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Get the Most Popular Lawyerherald Stories in a Weekly Newsletter
Join the Discussion
