by Patrick H. Moore
The James Lee DiMaggio Amber Alert kidnapping and multiple murder story is so weird and compelling that one fervently wishes it was a movie starring Kristen Stewart as Hannah Anderson rather than a true crime story. On Wednesday August 7th, James DiMaggio and the 16-year-old kidnapped victim were sighted on foot with camping gear in a rugged Idaho backcountry area near Morehead Lake 70 miles northeast of Boise.
Well, that is precisely what transpired. The massive multi-agency manhunt for the suspect James Dimaggio ended Saturday with DiMaggio being killed by a tactical SWAT team at a campsite near remote Morehead Lake deep in the Idaho wilderness as they attempted to take him into custody. Hannah Anderson has been rescued, apparently unharmed. She was taken by helicopter to an Idaho hospital and will be reunited by her father Brett Anderson as early as today. Mr. Anderson sent a message to CNN in which he stated that he was “nervous” and excited to see Hannah, but worried about what she has been through.
“Hannah is safe and that’s the best outcome we were hoping for, our top priority,” Andrea Dearden, a spokeswoman for the Ada County Sheriff’s Department, told reporters at a news briefing in Idaho.
According to Mary Rook, speaking on behalf of the FBI’s Salt Lake City office, DiMaggio and Hannah were spotted by agents who were part of a special hostage rescue team at the campsite near the lake at about 5:20 p.m. Mountain Time (7:20 p.m. EDT, 4″20 p.m. PDT).
“Agents moved in to rescue Hannah and the suspect is deceased,” Rook said somewhat cryptically.
Rook declined to provide more details referring to the rescue as a “very challenging situation”. A full investigation of the incident by an FBI shooting review team is now underway. It is not yet clear clear whether DiMaggio fired on the agents. There were no reports of law enforcement officers being injured in the operation.
“Now that Hannah is safe and being evaluated in a medical facility, FBI victim specialists are working with Hannah and her family to get them the resources they need as they enter this next challenging phase of this incident,” Rook said.
It is known that based on a tip from a still-unnamed horseback rider who encountered DiMaggio and Hannah on Wednesday near the lake, more than 150 law enforcement officers on foot and on horseback had descended into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness to search for the pair. In addition, DiMaggio’s abandoned vehicle had been discovered on the edge of the wilderness, stripped of its license plates and covered with brush. Thus, a scenario arises in which one envisions DiMaggio ordering the frightened teenager out of the car prior to the two of them, heavily laden with camping gears and survivalist supplies, beginning their long trek into the outback.
DiMaggio’s Motivation:
There are some very weird parts to this story that have nothing to do with the rescue operation, which appears to have been executed with consummate skill and professionalism.
It is known that James DiMaggio, who was a telecommunications technician at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego and has been described as somewhat of a loner, had been a very close friend of both Hannah’s father and her deceased mother, Christina Anderson, since even before Hannah was born. He has been described as “like an uncle” to Hannah and her deceased 8-year old brother Ethan.
Based on the available photographs, Hannah was (is) a very pretty teenage girl. She has been described as being outgoing and friendly and is also a skilled competitive gymnast.
Here is a brief rundown of statements made by various individuals who were close to Hannah and Christina Anderson concerning the overall situation and, more specifically, DiMaggio’s relationship with Hannah:
- Christina Anderson’s father, Christopher Saincome, has stated that Christina visited DiMaggio’s home on Friday to say goodbye to him because he was moving to Texas.
- Dawn MacNabb’s son, Alan, was close friends with Hannah. Dawn stated that Hannah told Alan on Friday that the Andersons were going to visit DiMaggio at his house before he moved.
“She told him Jim was depressed, that it was his last weekend.”
- As a close friend of the Anderson’s, DiMaggio had been entrusted with helping out with everyday duties such as driving Hannah and her teammates to-and-from gymnastic practices and competitions. According to Hannah’s teammate, 15-year-old Marissa Chavez, while driving home from a gymnastics competition in late May or early June, DiMaggio told Hannah that he had a crush on her and would date her if they were the same age. Chavez said Hannah was “a little creeped out by it.”
- Both Marissa Chavez and Dawn McNabb have revealed that DiMaggio argued with Hannah when he took her alone to Hollywood to celebrate her 16th birthday last month, apparently because Hannah was more interested in seeing the sights and snapping photos on her cell phone than in paying attention to DiMaggio.
- Dawn MacNabb also said that DiMaggio occasionally took Hannah and her friends to his house (apparently after practice) and that she felt uncomfortable enough about it to warn Christina Anderson.
“She really trusted him,” MacNabb said. “I have been concerned for a while. It’s not normal behavior.”
* * * * *
To me, it is somewhat incredible that Christina Anderson was so blind as to what was really going on here. DiMaggio had clearly developed an unhealthy and obsessive interest in her daughter, a fact he clearly revealed through his actions and statements. If I had a teenage daughter, there is no way on earth that I would allow any non-relative adult male more than twice her age to spend time alone with her in potentially compromising situations.
Sadly, Christina Anderson’s naivete has cost her and her son Ethan their lives. It has also greatly affected Hannah who will now have to find a way to live with the fact that her mother and brother are dead, all due to the fact that DiMaggio had developed his unhealthy infatuation with her. This is a heavy, heavy burden for a young girl to bear. Plus, she must somehow learn to live with whatever transpired during the week she was DiMaggio’s prisoner.
The one good thing is the fact that she is still alive. Although DiMaggio may well have raped her, he did not kill her, probably because he — and I know this sounds bizarre — was in love with her.
And, this whole strange tale will make a fantastic movie. I only hope that Hannah Anderson will be paid a handsome sum, should she choose to reveal what transpired during their week DiMaggio was on the run and she was his prisoner.
Please click on the link to view our previous post on this case:
Amber Alert: Abducted Teenage Girl Hannah Anderson Sighted with Kidnapper in Idaho Wilderness