Exactly two months after a dramatic rescue put an end to her weeklong kidnapping, San Diego teenager Hannah Anderson will appear on the “Today” show once more to discuss her harrowing ordeal at the hands of alleged kidnap suspect James Lee DiMaggio.
“He drugged me,” Hannah – accompanied by her father, Brett Anderson – tells Savannah Guthrie in an exclusive “Today” interview set to air Thursday. “I was out, then I woke up in Idaho – so, I don’t remember anything between there.”
In the interview, Hannah reveals new details about her ordeal with DiMaggio, a longtime family friend-turned-kidnapper and murder suspect. She also discusses the brutal murders of her mother and little brother, Christina and Ethan Anderson, allegedly killed by DiMaggio in Boulevard, Calif., on Aug. 4.
“I miss them so much. Sometimes, it’s like I wait for them to get home, and they’re not there,” she says.
The interview comes just two days after the Idaho coroner confirmed that DiMaggio was killed by six gunshots fired by FBI agents. He was shot and killed during a confrontation in the Idaho wilderness on Aug. 10, which ended in the rescue of Hannah.
In the televised sit-down, the teen – who lived in San Diego’s Lakeside community with her mother and brother at the time of the killings and kidnapping – will also answer direct questions about her relationship with DiMaggio, the events leading to her disappearance that sparked an Amber Alert and why, exactly, she did not take many opportunities to escape her alleged captor.
Hannah reveals that DiMaggio slept with a gun by his head but left it unattended a few times. The teen said she was too afraid to take the gun and use it on her captor.
“Maybe I could’ve done something, but who knows,” she tells Guthrie.
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TIMELINE: The Search for Hannah Anderson
Hannah will also discuss the written letters exchanged between herself and DiMaggio in which they offered advice to one another, as if they were the best of friends. Those same letters were later found by investigators searching DiMaggio’s burned-out home where the charred remains of Christina and Ethan Anderson were discovered.
As she’s said in the past, Hannah reiterates that her captor got what he deserved in the end.
The Murders, Kidnapping, Search and Idaho Rescue
The charred bodies of Christina and Ethan Anderson were discovered by officials on Aug. 4 at DiMaggio's burned-out property in the community of Boulevard, near San Diego.
According to search warrants, investigators believe DiMaggio – a longtime friend of the Anderson family – “tortured and killed” Christina and Ethan on Aug. 4 before allegedly kidnapping Christina’s 16-year-old daughter, Hannah Anderson.
In September, reports released by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office revealed chilling new details about the murders, saying Christina was bludgeoned in the head, bound and gagged, while Ethan's remains were so badly charred, they were practically beyond recognition.
Following the slayings, DiMaggio fled San Diego with Hannah, sparking an Amber Alert that spanned across six states.
The pair ended up in the rugged Idaho backcountry near Cascade and Morehead Lake, where they were spotted by a group of horseback riders on Aug. 7.
After learning about the Amber Alert, the riders reported their sighting to authorities, leading more than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officials to the rural community in Idaho in search of Hannah and DiMaggio.
The pair was ultimately found by an FBI tactical team near Morehead Lake on Aug. 10.
Hannah was rescued safely by officials. DiMaggio was shot and killed at the scene.
Hannah was then reunited with her family, including her father, and returned home to San Diego.
Days after her rescue, the teen was fielding questions about her kidnapping on social media. The teen then made brief appearances at local fundraisers in Lakeside.
In late August, Hannah spoke out about her ordeal in the media for the first time in a tearful interview on NBC's "Today" show. On Aug, 24, Hannah and her family held an emotional memorial service for Christina and Ethan.
Finally, just last week, Hannah was reportedly back on social media, answering questions online about her life and the kidnapping.