Hunt for Missing Hanna Anderson Shifts to Idaho After Her Kidnapper’s Car Found

Posted on | August 9, 2013 | 25 Comments

Last night, I reported at Viral Read about this story:

A West Coast manhunt was under way Thursday for a California man suspected of having murdered a woman and her 8-year-old son and kidnapped the slain woman’s 16-year-old daughter. James DiMaggio, 40, could be fleeing north toward the Canadian border with Hannah Anderson, the girl whose mother and brother were believed to have been killed by her captor, a family friend she called “Uncle Jim.” DiMaggio was apparently obsessed with the blond teenager, and recently told Hannah that he would date her if they were the same age.

Now the story takes a new turn:

A car belonging to murder and kidnapping suspect James DiMaggio was found today covered in brush near Cascade, Idaho, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said this afternoon.
The blue Nissan Versa was found without license plates, but authorities were able to determine that the vehicle belonged to DiMaggio of Boulevard, Calif., through its identification number, Gore said
The discovery marks a significant break in the case as the manhunt for DiMaggio, 40, and missing teen Hannah Anderson, 16, entered a sixth day today.

Horseback riders encountered Hannah and DiMaggio hiking on a mountain trail, but didn’t immediately report the sighting because they hadn’t seen the news about the girl’s kidnapping:

Hannah appeared healthy and safe, leading San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore to conclude: ‘As far as we know, it didn’t appear she was being held against her will.’ . . .
The riders said they encountered a man and a young woman hiking in the wilderness on Wednesday. The pair had a tent and each was carrying a backpack.

Even if she voluntarily went with DiMaggio, Hannah probably doesn’t realize that “Uncle Jim” killed her mother and brother. But now that police know where to look, we have every reason to hope that Hannah will be found safe very soon.

Category: Crime

Comments

25 Responses to “Hunt for Missing Hanna Anderson Shifts to Idaho After Her Kidnapper’s Car Found”

MrEvilMatt
August 9th, 2013 @ 8:51 pm

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Lockestep1776
August 9th, 2013 @ 8:51 pm

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CHideout
August 9th, 2013 @ 8:51 pm

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Citzcom
August 9th, 2013 @ 8:51 pm

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jwbrown1969
August 9th, 2013 @ 8:51 pm

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rsmccain
August 9th, 2013 @ 8:53 pm

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BobBelvedere
August 9th, 2013 @ 8:59 pm

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preciseBlogs
August 9th, 2013 @ 9:04 pm

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thatMrGguy
August 9th, 2013 @ 9:18 pm

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JeffS
August 9th, 2013 @ 9:24 pm

They are in seriously rugged wilderness. Finding them will require original thinking, and out-thinking DiMaggio.

And it’s fire season. There doesn’t appear to be any fires in that part of Idaho, but much of that part of the state is under red flag warning, with lightning in the forecast.

Hope really hard, folks.
Kirby McCain
August 9th, 2013 @ 9:37 pm

Drop one Airborne Ranger in there with orders to bring the girl back. Seriously, fly over at night with thermal. Anybody wanna guess what kind of troops are at Ft. Lewis? They have the equipment and those guys call that terrain, home.
gmardre
August 9th, 2013 @ 10:56 pm

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ssdd540
August 9th, 2013 @ 11:15 pm

I bet you anything that one, she is so brainwashed and doubtful of any good ending (knowing her mom and pressumbly dead brother are gone and a father who seems to be out of the picture) that of course she’s giving in and willing going with him, to her her life is over. Secondly it comes at no surprise that the car is ditched. They are not dealing with a dumb person here. My best guess is there next state is Wyoming in a new car.
K-Bob
August 10th, 2013 @ 12:07 am

I hope she returns safely.

But of course, my first thought was, “oh great, another cute blonde. Here comes six months of endless, mindless, and pointless coverage.”

So I refuse to turn on the TV. I’ll find out online what happened.
K-Bob
August 10th, 2013 @ 12:07 am

I hope she returns safely.

But of course, my first thought was, “oh great, another cute blonde. Here comes six months of endless, mindless, and pointless coverage.”

So I refuse to turn on the TV. I’ll find out online what happened.
Professor_Why
August 10th, 2013 @ 12:17 am

Hunt for Missing Hanna Anderson Shifts to Idaho After Her Kidnapper’s Car Found http://t.co/0QCdYyOMts
crosspatch
August 10th, 2013 @ 1:45 am

Gets pretty cold in that area at night. Should be able to find them with infrared.
crosspatch
August 10th, 2013 @ 1:49 am

Agreed. But Rangers can’t be used for law enforcement. A firefighting helicopter would have the required thermal imaging. Shouldn’t be too hard to spot them. It gets pretty cool up there. Will be in the 40’s tomorrow night.
SDN
August 10th, 2013 @ 6:42 am

Note that there are other people (horseback riders, maybe other hikers) in the area. Yeah, you can spot 2 heat shapes; you’ll need boots on the ground to check each one out.
Rosalie
August 10th, 2013 @ 8:27 am

I turned it off a long time ago. Don’t even watch Fox. Can’t take the melodrama. I get my news on blogs.
sarah wells
August 10th, 2013 @ 11:05 am

Since the young girl was refusing to see him, as he creeped her completely out with his professions of ..attachment… I don’t think it should even be suggested she went with him voluntarily, except to the extent she chose to obey and placate to stay alive.
Kirby McCain
August 10th, 2013 @ 12:32 pm

I agree with Sara and others. This report that she was willingly accompanying him is likely spurious. The DC sniper was a white guy in a white van, remember? The abandoned car is the only creditable lead.
ThomasD
August 10th, 2013 @ 2:24 pm

I don’t know what it is about people that makes them think surviving in the mountains is easy. In my years in north Idaho I’ve seen more than a few fugitives try, and none succeed for any length of time.

It is doubtful either of those two, flat landers from southern CA, have the knowledge or ability to engage in any significant off trail travel or wilderness survival.

I further doubt that, having abandoned the car, they have more than a couple days of food on them. And, given the terrain, they’ll be hard pressed to travel more than a dozen miles a day maximum.

The key will be making sure that they didn’t hitch ride out of the area, or steal another vehicle.
ThomasD
August 10th, 2013 @ 2:27 pm

The problem is that they apparently have camping gear, which means they can blend in at most any campground. That will mean on-site verification in a relatively popular area with lots of sites and lots of miles between them.
JeffS
August 10th, 2013 @ 5:40 pm

Yep, you got that right. This isn’t any Hollywood movie. Wilderness survival is no joke, even with the right gear, training, and physical fitness. And no posse on your trail.

Further, if people bother to check a map, they will find that much of central Idaho is howling designated wilderness, with darned few people and serious mountains. Hit Google Earth, and search for “Cascade, ID”. Deserts to the west, wilderness everywhere else.

And that chunk of wilderness this pair walked into stretches for hundreds of miles, with limited access by vehicle. Not even fire roads in some areas, assuming they want to use them. This is a place to get lost in, not traverse in a bid to outrun the law.

A dozen miles a day? After climbing hills, dodging posses, avoiding animals, and foraging for food? That will be a GOOD one.