Kidnapped Teen Didn't Know Mom, Brother Were Dead

Hannah Anderson 'has been through a tremendous, horrific ordeal,' says dad
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 13, 2013 2:00 AM CDT
Updated Aug 13, 2013 7:42 AM CDT
Kidnapped Teen Didn't Know Mother, Brother Were Dead
Brett Anderson, wearing a shirt featuring a photo of his daughter, Hannah, makes a statement regarding her kidnapping and rescue at a news conference Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, in San Diego.   (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Kidnapped California teen Hannah Anderson's ordeal is over, but in other ways it has just begun. "The healing process will be slow," said father Brett Anderson at a press conference yesterday. "She has been through a tremendous, horrific ordeal." He was joined by San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore, who shared this wrenching detail: The 16-year-old didn't know her mother and brother had been killed until after her rescue; she was told while in the hospital, reports the Los Angeles Times. (The Times shares Gore's theory: that Hannah was kept in an area of DiMaggio's property where she wouldn't have observed their murders.) Other details from the press conference:

  • James DiMaggio fired at FBI agents—at least once, possibly twice—using his rifle before they killed him.
  • Gore says that Hannah made it "very clear" in interviews with police that she is "a victim in every sense of the word."
  • Gore also said, without elaboration, that the crime was "not spur of the moment."
  • As for what her captivity was like, Gore told the Times that she was "under extreme duress" and that "extensive threats" and a weapon were involved.
  • Questions that remain unanswered, per the AP: How Hannah's mother and brother died and whether Hannah tried to escape.
  • Very bizarre details, from a family friend: DiMaggio's father, James Everet DiMaggio, was arrested after breaking into the home of his ex-girlfriend in 1988, wearing a ski mask and carrying a sawed-off shotgun and handcuffs; she wasn't home, but he held her 16-year-old daughter until she escaped after asking to use the bathroom. DiMaggio's house burned down exactly 15 years after his father disappeared, and Saturday's shootout came exactly 15 years after his father committed suicide in 1998 after consuming a large amount of meth intravenously and walking into the desert.
(More Hannah Anderson stories.)

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