Teen found safe in Idaho; alleged abductor killed

CASCADE, Idaho -- The man suspected of abducting 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and killing her mother and brother has been killed in Idaho and the teen has been found safe, San Diego County Sheriff's officials said Saturday.

The confrontation between 40-year-old James Lee DiMaggio and the FBI happened after a campsite was spotted from the air, according to Gore. Gore said DiMaggio was killed in the shootout, but declined to discuss details, saying authorities in Idaho will release details at a news conference planned Saturday evening.

He said San Diego sheriff's authorities have notified Hannah's father that she was rescued.

"He was very relieved and very excited and looking forward to be reunited with his daughter," Gore said.

Federal and local law enforcement spent Saturday combing through Idaho's rugged Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in search of Hannah and DiMaggio. The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness is the largest roadless area in the lower 48 states, sprawling across central Idaho and reaching north to the Montana border.

DiMaggio is suspected of killing Hannah's mother, 44-year-old Christina Anderson, and her 8-year-old brother Ethan Anderson, whose bodies were found Sunday night in DiMaggio's burning house in California near the Mexico border.

DiMaggio's car was found Friday morning about 40 miles east of the tiny town of Cascade, parked where the dirt road ends and the Sand Creek trailhead enters the wilderness area. Detectives with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department finished searching DiMaggio's car Saturday afternoon. They had the vehicle towed to a garage in Cascade for further processing.

The discovery of the car came about two days after a horseback rider reported seeing the man and girl hiking in the area. Ada County Sheriff's department spokeswoman Andrea Dearden, who is helping the Valley County sheriff's department handle the case, said the rider didn't realize the pair were being sought until he got home and recognized them in news reports.