Friday, 16 August 2013

Rescued Teen Hannah Anderson Appears at Fundraiser

Hannah Anderson, the California teen rescued over the weekend as FBI agents shot and killed her suspected kidnapper, arrived unexpectedly this evening at a fundraiser to benefit her and help pay for the funeral expenses of her mother and brother.

In her first public appearance since the rescue, Anderson, 16, arrived at the Boll Weevil restaurant in Lakeside, Calif., shortly after 4 p.m. PT, according to ABC News affiliate KGTV. She made no statement as she walked into the fundraiser, which was closed to the media.

"Hannah sends her love," her father, Brett Anderson, told reporters. "She's doing good day by day. And we'll just keep moving forward from here.

"Right now, we're just looking for her future and [to] get her settled," he added.

Hannah Anderson's grandparents, Sara and Ralph Britt, also at the fundraiser, released a statement through KGTV anchor Kimberly Hunt saying Sara Britt "asks us to pray for Hannah as she undergoes therapy, deals with the upcoming funeral of her mother and brother and copes with a lifetime of loss.

"Sara would like people to know that while Hannah is putting on a happy face, she hasn't yet faced the reality of the loss of her mother and brother," the statement said. "She says the pain from this tragedy is so overwhelming Hannah can't yet face it. She's going to need time to heal and once again become 'healthy Hannah.'"

The fundraiser was to benefit Hannah Anderson and help pay funeral costs for her mother, Christina Anderson, 44, and younger brother, Ethan, 8, who police believe were killed as Hannah Anderson was kidnapped Aug. 4, by James DiMaggio, 40, a family friend.

A handwritten note was recovered from the scorched home where DiMaggio tortured and killed Hannah's mother and brother, according to warrants released today by the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.

The content of the note was not revealed and police declined to say whether it was related to Hannah Anderson's kidnapping.

The warrants released today also revealed that DiMaggio likely used incendiary devices to set two separate fires after he "tortured and killed" Christina Anderson and Ethan.

One blaze was set in his house, where Ethan's body was found burned beyond recognition, according to authorities. The second fire was set in DiMaggio's garage, where Anderson was found under a tarp, according to the warrants.

After killing the pair, DiMaggio kidnapped Hannah Anderson, setting off a tense, six-day manhunt that ended last Saturday in the Idaho wilderness when FBI agents shot and killed the suspect, DiMaggio, and rescued the teen.

Police were tipped off to the possible presence of DiMaggio and Hannah Anderson in the area where they were found by horsemen who believed they spotted them there.

Brett Anderson today said he has spoken to the horsemen by phone and thanked them.

"I gave them thanks and our love and gratitude," he said.

This week, Hannah Anderson fielded questions about her ordeal on social media site ask.fm, but later disabled her account. A source briefed on Anderson's case confirmed to ABC News that the posts made on the site were from the teen but was unable to confirm any of the information the teen shared.

According to Anderson, DiMaggio tricked her family into coming to his Boulevard, Calif., home.

"He told us he was losing his house because of money issues so we went up there one last time to support him, and to have fun riding go karts up there but he tricked us," she wrote.

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