Kidnap Victim Hannah Anderson Goes Public for the First Time Since Her Ordeal (VIDEO)

vrijdag 16 augustus 2013

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by Sasha Brown-Worsham 3 hours ago

Kidnap victim Hannah Anderson has made her first public appearance since her horrific ordeal last week that left her mother and brother dead at the hands of long-time family friend James DiMaggio. She came out to a public fundraiser at the Lakeside Boll Weevil restaurant in San Diego where 20 percent of their sales were going to the Anderson family. She looked subdued and maybe even freaked out by all the media attention, which isn't surprising given how much people have been focused on her this week.

Anderson, 16, was kidnapped two weekends ago after DiMaggio, a man she called "Uncle Jimmy," killed her mother Christina and 8-year-old brother Ethan, then picked her up from cheerleading practice and drove into the woods where he hid out from the police for days. A pair of hikers spotted the "couple" and reported them, which ultimately saved Anderson's life. DiMaggio was killed during a gun fight with the police.

See below:

The family's ordeal has been unimaginable and, according to her father, they have many large expenses as a result. But Hannah's behavior in the days since her rescue have caused some to begin to question things about her. This is largely taking place in the Internet comments sections of news outlets, so isn't exactly reliable or even sane in many cases, but it's happening.

Hannah or a person posing as Hannah spent a lot of time soon after her rescue on a social media site called Ask.fm. She was answering questions and posting photos of the manicure she got in honor of her mom and Ethan and also of herself goofing around with friends.

Her family hasn't denied that it's her and family friends have confirmed that it was, leading many to assume that it's authentic. If it is, it's a bit ... odd. To be sure. But also, who are we to judge how a person behaves after something like this?

She may be so deeply in shock from all that has transpired and the new, sick details -- both her mother and brother were tortured by DiMaggio and her dog was shot -- that she may just be desperate for some sense of normalcy, which she is finding through social media, manicures, and time with her friends. She is 16, after all.

What happened to her was horrendous, hideous, beyond imagining. There is no road map for behavior when you survive something like this. It's just one foot in front of the other. We should be supporting her, not judging her.

Do you think people need to lay off Hannah in the comments sections?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sasha Brown-Worsham

can't decide whether she is a mother, writer, or runner, but is usually all three at some point each day. She has written for dozens of print magazines, newspapers, and websites. She rarely ever writes on bathroom walls.

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Kidnap Victim Hannah Anderson Had 'No Idea' Her Mom and Brother Were Killed (VIDEO)

dinsdag 13 augustus 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 11 hours ago

Kidnap victim Hannah Anderson has been reunited with her father after her ordeal in the Idaho mountains with murder suspect James Lee DiMaggio. More news is coming out about what happened in the mountains, and San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore gave an interview saying that Hannah had no idea that her mother, Christina Anderson, and her 8-year-old brother, Ethan, had been killed.

Gore said:

It is clear from the information that we've received, that she was under extreme duress. She was taken out of the county, out of the state, clearly against her will ... Our focus now is on trying to get Hannah all the resources, the help she needs to get through this extremely traumatic ordeal she’s been through.

DiMaggio was killed by FBI agents as he and 16-year-old Hannah hiked in the Idaho wilderness. They were spotted by four horseback riders who thought they seemed out of place and who, when they tried to make conversation with the pair, got the distinct feeling they didn't want to speak. Hannah is reported to have said, "We're in trouble now," and tried to avoid eye contact with the riders. It wasn't until the riders returned and saw the pair on TV that they knew who they were.

Gore also said that DiMaggio had fired at least one shot at agents before he was killed. Previous reports had said he was unarmed.

Hannah has been reunited with her father, Brett Anderson. She has also been reunited with her cat, which was also with them on the trip. It was one of the odd clues that led the riders to believe the two didn't belong in the woods. Said rider Mark John:

The only reason you bring a cat out there is to attract a mountain lion or a bear.

It's a good thing that Hannah was spotted when she was. Had she stayed up in the mountains any longer, who knows what DiMaggio -- or a mountain lion -- would have done to her. Asked if we'll ever know the motivation behind why DiMaggio did what he did, Gore said: "Sometimes you never know ... Clearly he had severe mental problems to do what he did."

Now Hannah will have to deal with the terrible trauma of what happened to her mom and brother.

Have you been following the case?

Image via Fox 5 San Diego

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16-Year-Old Kidnap Victim Hannah Anderson Appears 'Safe' With Murder Suspect James DiMaggio

zaterdag 10 augustus 2013

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by Kiri Blakeley 11 hours ago

The manhunt for James DiMaggio, who is suspected of killing Christina Anderson and her 8-year-old son, Ethan, and then burning down their house in Southern California, got an enormous breakthrough when a couple on horseback believe they saw DiMaggio and 16-year-old Hannah Anderson camping in the remote wilderness of the Idaho mountains. The riders said Hannah appeared safe and unharmed. The shocking part? San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore said: "As far as we know, it didn't appear she was being held against her will." Ethan's remains were positively identified on Friday night.

DiMaggio was an avid outdoorsman and police believe the tip is very credible, especially since DiMaggio had hiked in Cascade, Idaho, near what is called "The River of No Return" before. His car was found nearby and searchers are now concentrated on the area. Law enforcement also believes that the suspect bought camping gear a few weeks ago.

DiMaggio was reportedly like "an uncle" to Hannah and Ethan, but police are working off the theory that he had developed an "unusual infatuation" with the blonde teen. It's unknown whether Hannah realizes her mother and brother had been killed. Whether she is along with DiMaggio because she thinks they are merely on a camping trip. The other possibility, that she may have been part of the plot to kill her mother and brother, will certainly be looked at by investigators, but no one should assume that yet.

Additionally, it's possible that even if she was taken against her will, she is playing along with DiMaggio because she fears him. No one will know until the two are found and Hannah can talk and the investigators can piece together what happened.

One of Hannah's friends told the Associated Press that the girl was "creeped out" by DiMaggio and "didn't want to be alone" with him.

At any rate, investigators are confident the two will soon be found, and that Hannah will be returned to her heartbroken father.

Let's hope this all comes to a safe conclusion very soon.

Anyone who spots DiMaggio should call the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's homicide unit at 858-974-2321 and after hours at 858-565-5200, or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

What do you think is happening here?

Image via police

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Ariel Castro Is Sentenced in Cleveland Kidnap Horror But Did He Get What He Deserved? (VIDEO)

maandag 29 juli 2013

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by Kiri Blakeley 2 hours ago

Ariel Castro has pled guilty to a slew of charges that will have him never see freedom again. But he will remain alive. He appeared in court to plead guilty to 937 criminal counts of kidnapping, rape and aggravated murder. He will receive life in prison with no chance of parole -- plus an additional 1000 years which, unless he's a vampire, he won't serve, but it guarantees he will never get out. Castro kept three women, Amanda Berry, Georgina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight, captive for at least a decade in a house of horrors in Cleveland. Also inside the house was Amanda Berry's child with Castro, Jocelyn.

Castro seemed lucid and calm as he appeared in court. As the judge told him in no uncertain terms that he would never again see the outside of prison walls if he agreed to the deal, he said, "I'm fully aware and I do consent to the agreement." It appears that while Ariel did not value the life of the three women he held captive, he does indeed value his own, as now he will not be put to death. (Anyone surprised he is such a coward at heart?)

The deal also means there will be no trial, the women will not have to testify, and they won't have to relive every horror they'd been through.

A statement released by their law firm said that the women, "are satisfied by this resolution to the case, and are looking forward to having these legal proceedings draw to a final close in the near future."

There is no doubt that the women were consulted about the outcome. They obviously must have chosen life in prison for Castro over the possible death penalty in order that they could get on with their lives and not have to face this horrific man again. They already appear to be miraculously moving on.

Psychologists said that while for some victims testifying against their perpetrator can mean being given a sense of power and resolution, the trauma that these three women endured over such a long period of time would have been devastating and damaging to recount. Not to mention that millions would have been following the trial.

While many of us would have liked to have seen Castro fry, perhaps it is better that he have so many years ahead of him to contemplate his horrific actions and pay for his heinous crimes. It is, however, unfortunate that he will be fed three times a day and given shelter -- things that a lot of innocent people do not have.

Do you think the sentence is fair?

Image via USA Today/AP

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