The Kidnapping of Hannah Anderson (Crime Documentary)
- 5 years ago
On or about the afternoon of August 3, 2013, 16-year-old Hannah Anderson (born July 22, 1997) was abducted after cheerleading practice from Sweetwater High School in National City, California. The suspect was later identified by authorities as 40-year-old James DiMaggio, owner of a home in Boulevard, California, about an hour away, where Anderson, her mother Christina and brother Ethan had been overnight guests the previous evening.
The bodies of Christina and Ethan Anderson and the family dog, Cali, were later found in DiMaggio's burned home. An AMBER alert was issued for Hannah Anderson, who was found alive in Cascade, Idaho on August 10, a week after she was abducted. DiMaggio was killed by FBI agents during a shootout at the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho, where he had been camping with Anderson.
James DiMaggio had invited Christina Anderson and her children to his home at 2071 Ross Avenue in Boulevard, ostensibly to say goodbye because he was planning to move to Texas. The Anderson family, who lived about 45 miles (72 km) away in Lakeside, stayed over at his home. The children's father, Brett Anderson, was on a three-month job in Tennessee at the time.
On August 4, a fire was reported at DiMaggio's house in Boulevard, where firemen found the bodies of Anderson's mother, Christina, her eight-year-old brother Ethan, and the family dog Cali. Christina Anderson died of blunt force trauma, believed to have been caused by a crowbar. She was apparently tortured, and her body covered with a tarp. Cali was shot dead and covered with a sleeping bag. An arrest warrant was issued for DiMaggio.
In late September 2013, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office released results of the autopsies of Christina and Ethan Anderson. The autopsy of Christina Anderson found that a plastic cable tie had been used to bind her ankles, and that duct tape was wrapped around her neck and mouth. Her right arm and both legs were fractured, and there was a cut on her neck. She had been struck at least twelve times in the head. The autopsy of Ethan Anderson determined that the boy died because of the fire, though he also had skeletal fractures that could have been caused by events the day of the murders.
On August 4, 2013, Anderson's grandparents called the police and reported their grandchildren missing, prompting police to issue a statewide AMBER Alert, the first alert sent out to cellphones in California. As the child's body found in the burned-out home was burned beyond recognition, the AMBER Alert included both Hannah and Ethan Anderson. The manhunt stretched from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico.
On August 7, two people matching the description of DiMaggio and Anderson were seen by horseback riders in Cascade, Idaho. The next day, authorities were notified of this sighting after the riders watched a news report about the abduction.
The bodies of Christina and Ethan Anderson and the family dog, Cali, were later found in DiMaggio's burned home. An AMBER alert was issued for Hannah Anderson, who was found alive in Cascade, Idaho on August 10, a week after she was abducted. DiMaggio was killed by FBI agents during a shootout at the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho, where he had been camping with Anderson.
James DiMaggio had invited Christina Anderson and her children to his home at 2071 Ross Avenue in Boulevard, ostensibly to say goodbye because he was planning to move to Texas. The Anderson family, who lived about 45 miles (72 km) away in Lakeside, stayed over at his home. The children's father, Brett Anderson, was on a three-month job in Tennessee at the time.
On August 4, a fire was reported at DiMaggio's house in Boulevard, where firemen found the bodies of Anderson's mother, Christina, her eight-year-old brother Ethan, and the family dog Cali. Christina Anderson died of blunt force trauma, believed to have been caused by a crowbar. She was apparently tortured, and her body covered with a tarp. Cali was shot dead and covered with a sleeping bag. An arrest warrant was issued for DiMaggio.
In late September 2013, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office released results of the autopsies of Christina and Ethan Anderson. The autopsy of Christina Anderson found that a plastic cable tie had been used to bind her ankles, and that duct tape was wrapped around her neck and mouth. Her right arm and both legs were fractured, and there was a cut on her neck. She had been struck at least twelve times in the head. The autopsy of Ethan Anderson determined that the boy died because of the fire, though he also had skeletal fractures that could have been caused by events the day of the murders.
On August 4, 2013, Anderson's grandparents called the police and reported their grandchildren missing, prompting police to issue a statewide AMBER Alert, the first alert sent out to cellphones in California. As the child's body found in the burned-out home was burned beyond recognition, the AMBER Alert included both Hannah and Ethan Anderson. The manhunt stretched from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico.
On August 7, two people matching the description of DiMaggio and Anderson were seen by horseback riders in Cascade, Idaho. The next day, authorities were notified of this sighting after the riders watched a news report about the abduction.