Missing teen Hannah Anderson has been found safe in Idaho backcountry and kidnapping suspect James DiMaggio has been shot and killed, San Diego County officials said Saturday.
At a briefing held around 5:25 p.m., officials with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department announced these latest developments in the high-profile case.
San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore said DiMaggio had been shot by FBI agents in the wilderness. Anderson was safely recovered by officials and appeared to be in good shape, Gore said.
She was taken to a local hospital in Idaho for evaluation.
"I want to emphasize want a joint effort his was," said Gore. "I'm happy to stand here today and say that Hannah was successfully rescued."
Gore said Hannah's father, Brett Anderson, has been contacted by officials and will soon travel to Idaho to reunite with his daughter.
"He's elated that we found his daughter alive," added Gore.
Gore said more details of the events leading to the safe recovery of Hannah are forthcoming, and will be released later by officials in Idaho. A press conference out of Idaho is expected to begin around 6:15 p.m. PT.
On Saturday, officials in Idaho meticulously searched the rugged, backcountry terrain near Cascade and Morehead Lake Saturday for missing San Diego teen Hannah Anderson and kidnapping suspect James Lee DiMaggio.
At a morning press briefing, Andrea Dearden, acting Public Information Officer for Valley County, Idaho, said all hands were on deck Saturday in the search for Hannah and DiMaggio.
“We are going to put in every resource possible,” said Dearden. “We are hopeful that we’ll be able to find these two.”
Crews searched the area overnight on foot and horseback, given that there was no accessibility in the remote area for vehicles.
Dearden said multiple law enforcement agencies were assisting in the search, including officials from San Diego who traveled to Idaho overnight. Officers with local law enforcement, Idaho State police, the FBI, the U.S. Marshal’s service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection all joined in the search.
San Diego detectives will now process DiMaggio’s vehicle for evidence – a blue Nissan Versa found covered in brush about six to eight miles from where a horseback rider reported a sighting of DiMaggio and Hannah.
Dearden said an Idaho explosives team conducted an initial search of the vehicle overnight, and no explosives were found. Earlier this week, investigators believed DiMaggio could be armed with homemade explosives, and may have rigged the vehicle with explosive devices as well.
Dearden said “highly-trained teams with lots of equipment and resources” will scour the terrain all day searching for any trace of Hannah and DiMaggio. She said there are currently approximately 150 agents working the case, and more were expected to arrive in Idaho.
She expected to have 200 law enforcement officials on the ground searching for the pair, as well as aerial crews.
Dearden said there had been a positive shift in weather and visibility in the region, which was helping in the search, especially for crews in the air.
She said search teams would move into the wilderness where the pair was spotted and cover as much ground as possible, given the difficult, rugged terrain.
“Traditional search and rescue isn’t going to work here,” said Dearden. “Managing the terrain is tough.”
Dearden said no additional sightings of Hannah and DiMaggio have been reported.
TIMELINE: Fire, Missing Teen Lead to Widespread Amber Alert
She urged anyone who may have seen the pair – or DiMaggio’s vehicle – in the area to contact authorities immediately, adding, “Any information is valuable.”
Law enforcement officials have set up checkpoints in the backcountry area, and visitors and campers may be stopped. For now, there have been no evacuations ordered in the region, including Morehead Lake.
By noon, investigators with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department had reached DiMaggio's vehicle.
NBC 7 was the only camera crew to follow a caravan of forensic experts, including an FBI Evidence Response Team into the rugged area. Its located about 40 miles from Cascade - a long road, about an hour and a half drive.
Investigators have set up crime tape on a winding, dusty dirt road. The vehicle is several miles from this location. Its not known how long it will take before the car is towed from the scene.
At this point, investigators have not been able to disclose any information regarding what, if anything, they've found inside DiMaggio's car.
Meanwhile, about two miles from the crime tape, Idaho State Police have set up a road block, and are thoroughly searching every vehicle and boat that travels in and out of the area.
Its a bit frustrating for campers, but they understand.
"I hope they get the guy," one boat owner told NBC 7.
By 1 p.m., Dearden said all law enforcement officials working on the case were now in Idaho. She said the team includes approximately 150 FBI agents, 60 local law enforcement officials and 50 to 60 officials from state and other federal agencies.
Dearden said the plan is to continue canvassing the area by ground and air. When night falls, crews will likely postpone the search due to safety reasons.
She said officials are still hopeful Hannah and DiMaggio are in the Idaho backcountry near the area where they may have been spotted. She said authorities have no reason to believe the pair may have moved elsewhere.
“We’re absolutely looking for two individuals – DiMaggio and Hannah, and we’re hoping to bring her home safely,” said Dearden. “We know any information, detail or clue could be what we need to bring Hannah home safely.”
Another briefing out of Idaho will be held later today.
Events leading to the search:
DiMaggio, 40, of Boulevard and Hannah Anderson, 16, of Lakeside are the subjects of an Amber Alert issued Monday. Hannah and her 8-year-old brother, Ethan Anderson, were originally believed to have been abducted by DiMaggio after their mother was found dead in a house fire.
A second body – the charred remains of a child – was also found in the burned out home in Boulevard. Late Friday night, officials positively identified that victim as Ethan.
On Friday, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore announced that officials had recovered the vehicle of James Lee DiMaggio near Cascade, Idaho, approximately 80 miles north of Boise and roughly 400 miles from the Canadian border.
The search then honed in on the rural Idaho community, known as the “River of No Return Wilderness,” where the focus remained Saturday.
On Friday, officials said that a horseback rider ran into a man and a teenage girl near Morehead Lake believed to be DiMaggio and Hannah. The horseback rider had a brief conversation with the pair and then parted ways.
When the horseback rider got home later that day, he saw the news about the Amber Alert concerning Hannah and DiMaggio, and reported his sighting to officials.
The rider told police the pair was equipped with backpacks and a tent. At the time of their interaction, the rider was not aware of the Amber Alert and didn’t know who they were, therefore he saw no reason to be alarmed.
When officials arrived in the Idaho wilderness, they discovered DiMaggio’s vehicle, the same car listed in the Amber Alert, in the area.
Photo Credit: Artie Ojeda/ NBC 7