True Crime with Kimbyr - The Anderson Family Tragedy: Stalked, Abducted, and Torn Apart

Episode Date: April 28, 2025

In this chilling episode of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha unpacks the horrifying case that shattered the seemingly perfect Anderson family. Brett and Tina Anderson were devoted parents, building a safe life for their children—until a trusted figure began secretly stalking them. What followed was a calculated crime that ended in abduction, murder, and national headlines. How could such evil hide in plain sight? And what clues did everyone miss? Join True Crime with Kimbyr as we uncover the dark truth behind this devastating case and the heartbreak left in its wake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Andersons were the typical all-American family. Husband and wife, Tina, and Brett, worked hard to give their children Ethan and Hannah a good life. Ethan loved fishing, NASCAR, playing Xbox, and hanging out with friends. Hannah Anderson was a typical 16-year-old California girl who enjoyed Starbucks, social media, dancing, and cheerleading. Like most teenagers, she had no care in the world. Hannah never thought anything bad could happen her, her friends, or her family. Little did the Andersons know, someone was watching and waiting for the opportunity to strike in the most unexpected way. This is their story.

Hi, everyone, welcome back to my channel. My name is Kimberlea. And if you've never been here before, nice to finally meet you. Now, I know every time I start a case, I say something about how it affected me, something about, something about, how heartbreaking it is or scary and they all are right they really are how can they not be and this one is too but it also affected me even more because of what we can learn from it as a parent I was shocked and terrified learning about how easy it is for things to go so wrong you'll understand what I mean soon enough today

I'm going to be introducing you to the Anderson family Christina and Brett Anderson and their two children Hannah and Ethan I'll start by telling you a little about Christina and Brett and how they met. Christina Marie Sancombe, who is known as Tina Ortiz, was born in Columbus, Georgia on July 1, 1969, to her parents, Sarah, and Christopher. Two years later, her sister Angela came along. They lived in Georgia until about 1978 when they moved to La Mesa, California. Ultimately, Tina's parents, Christopher, and Sarah divorced, and Sarah went on to remarry a man named Ralph Britt, and though I could not find any details about Christopher and whether he remarried. Christina does have a younger sister named Samantha,

who was born in 1988. And this could have been from a new relationship Christopher was in after the divorce. But either way, Tina has two sisters, Angela and Samantha, and was still very close to her father after the move and the divorce. She was also very close with her sisters, her mom, and her stepdad Ralph growing up. Tina attended Santana High School, where she fell in love with her high school sweetheart James Stephen Chatfield. After they graduated, They got married in June of 1989. Tina had big dreams of becoming a child psychologist. But unfortunately, her life was kind of turned upside down

because their marriage only lasted a short time. James was quoted saying that the relationship was that of convenience and it just didn't work out. However, they remained friends for a little while, but eventually lost touch. And after the breakup, Tina had to pick herself up and start over. She enrolled at Merritt College in San Diego, California, where she studied to become a holistic,

health practitioner. Tina had a passion for helping people. She was a very strong woman who prided herself on always being able to find a solution to a problem or a way to overcome difficulties and get through struggles in her life. When she wasn't working and studying, she liked being active. She loved dance and fitness. Tina was always looking for something exciting and fun to do with friends, but she was also looking for someone special to share those things with, and she finally found him. Brett Anderson. He was exactly what Tina was looking for, intelligent, hardworking, kind, funny, and he had a heart of gold. They just hit it off. They had a genuine connection, and soon the two decided to become more than friends. Brett was working in telecommunications

at the time with ambitions of getting into biotech. Tina and Brett eventually got married, and by the fall of 1996, Tina was pregnant with their first child. This was an exciting time for the couple. Their extended family and their close friends were so happy for them. They had a three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse located in the western foothills on the Sandy River about 21 miles east of downtown San Diego. It's a really pretty area. Both Tina and Brett had made great friends through their careers,

and now they were starting a family. Everyone was anticipating the birth of their daughter. Brett's best friend, James DiMaggio, who went by Jim, was there. He was by their side, eagerly waiting for little Hannah Marie Anderson to enter the world. She was born on July 27, 1997, and she was just beautiful.

Big blue eyes, light blonde hair. It was definitely a magical, a magical moment for the Andersons. They were now a family of three, but they had a much bigger family because the Andersons were the type of people who valued relationships in their life, and therefore even friends were considered family. For instance, one example is that they gave Jim the honorary name Uncle Jim, and life was good. The Andersons frequently had family and friends over for barbecues, family gatherings, parties, and holiday get-togethers. It was great because Jim and Brett had such a close relationship, they were able to get in their guy time, camping, hunting, cookouts, fishing

together. And as Hannah grew up and spent more time with her mom, they were able to continue their boy time because there was a third little guy joining Brett and Jim. Tina and Brett welcomed their son, Ethan, into the world on October 8th, 2004. Now Brett had his own little buddy to teach how to fish, play baseball and football and enjoy time with Uncle Jim. And they had so much fun together. Ethan was such a cutie pie. He was described as being fearless. Over the years of hanging out with Jim and his father, he became a very avid fisherman. Fishing was his thing. Any chance he got, he absolutely loved it. And while kids his age couldn't even hook a worm, little E as he was called, would jump right up at any opportunity. And even as a toddler, he was getting the worm ready,

casting his net into the water and catching fish. Brett was a really good friend. He always tried his best to include Jim and all their family activities because he was going through a divorce. It was really hard on him. And Brett's mom even let Jim stay with her for a little while so that he could get back on his feet. That's just the type of people that Brett and Tina were. They were always trying to help. And Brett really hoped things would turn around for his best friend because he thought he was such a great person and he truly deserved a family of his own. But sometimes you meet your soulmate later in life. So until Jim found the one, Brett was more than happy to include Jim as a member their family. And he helped out a lot with anything they needed. It was just his nature.

He would help cook, watch the kids, clean up the house in between furnishing his new home that he purchased in 2009. It was about an hour drive away in Boulevard, California, and this is a really nice area. It was a really nice two-story log cabin with a detached three-car garage. Once it was ready and furnished, Jim extended an open invitation to the Andersons to come hang out any time they wanted. It was a great getaway location in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego. It has a population of about only 400 people, so it's a pretty rural area, perfect for a hunting lodge like gyms. The Andersons enjoyed getting away any chance they got, and at this point, Brett was working for applied biotech, and Tina was working as a medical assistant in caring for

Hannah and Ethan while working as much as she could. But Brett was the one who really made it his mission to provide for his family. Not quite a workaholic, but he knew he had the responsibility of the four of them. So he was gone long hours all the time. Tina's mom, Sarah and her sister Angela, would help out when they were around to spend time with Tina and the kids. And of course, as time went on, Hannah became more independent. But of course, her parents, her grandparents and Uncle Jim were there if she ever needed anything, a ride to after-school activities being dropped off at a friend's house. But by the time Hannah was a teenager, she really had her own own life, especially because of how much time kids spend on their phones.

I hate to say it, but having that connection the way we do now with social media makes it so easy for them to grow up really fast. I mean, at this point, you would not see Hannah without her phone. It was glued to her hand all the time. As a dad, of course, Brett wanted to make sure Hannah wasn't doing anything he didn't approve of, so he would monitor her from time to time, but she was just talking to friends and being a normal teenager. Hannah was smart. She was very pretty, sassy, fun, outgoing, and she loved being social.

By high school, she and her best friend Marissa Chavez were absolutely inseparable. They were so much alike. The minute they met, they knew they were going to be best friends. They both love being the center of attention, being silly and goofy, talking about boys, and they really embodied the California girl stereotype. And I mean no offense by that. Here I am. I'm living in California. But just imagine what that means to you. and what you've heard and seen and you'd probably be right. Starbucks in their hands, hair done, cute outfits, makeup, cheerleading, dancing,

and just being carefree and beautiful weather in California. Most teens are, when they know that they have parents taking care of them, they are carefree. I think a lot of us don't realize how hard life can be until we're out on our own. But you know what? Kids are only kids once, so let them live. And Hannah's parents definitely let her have the freedom

to become her own person. Hannah spent time doing gymnastics and dance. She also helped out with the elementary school cheer team. She coached younger girls with cheerleading. Her brother Ethan was very athletic. He was a member of Lakeside baseball. He was in peewee football, the Lakeside Longhorns, number 27, and he loved NASCAR. The family was a big fan of Jimmy Johnson, number 48.

And this little boy always had a smile on his face. He loved playing Xbox with his friends, and he would walk over to the neighbor's houses every morning and greet his buddies and they would all go to school together. He also spent a lot of time with Hannah and her friends, making videos on their phones, cooking food after school. Even though he was a lot younger than them, Ethan was just such a sweetheart, that Hannah's friends couldn't help but include him. He was really funny too. He would constantly be making everyone laugh in from the pictures that I've seen. It looks like the Anderson kids knew how to have fun and they were very loved by their family and everyone close to them. Hannah and Marissa spent a lot

of time together. Many of us are going to relate to the relationship as besties. They were constantly talking. They would exchange hundreds of texts back and forth. I still do this with my best friend. Every day they were posting on Instagram and Facebook to stay in touch with friends. And in the summer of 2013, Hannah was a sophomore at El Capitan High School in Lakeside, getting ready to go into her junior year, and Ethan was attending Linda Lake Elementary School. He was going into fourth grade in the fall. They were both spending a fun summer. hanging out with friends, playing sports. Everything was perfectly normal.

But there was a little bit of pressure put on Brett because unfortunately, the biotech company he was working for had trouble bringing a new medication to market, and they had to make budget cuts, leaving Brett with no choice but to look for work elsewhere. A few months back in April, Brett got a job offer that he couldn't refuse. It did mean that he would have to be away from his family though.

A friend presented him with an opportunity out in Tennessee, and he and Tina talked about it, and they agreed that even though he would be away for the next few months or so, it was well worth it. However, Brett, a dedicated father, promised to fly back in town for Hannah and Ethan's birthday. Hannah's was a big one. It was her sweet 16, and he kept his promise. He came back in town for any important events so he could be there for his kids, but it was very important for him to be able to support them financially. And before this job offer, he was out of work with no pay for a couple of months. During this time when Brett was away, Tina was relying on friends and family more than ever. And Brett asked Jim, hey, would you mind helping out if you can for the kids and Tina here and there? And of course, Jim said that he would.

But he wasn't exactly in the best financial situation either. According to him, he was on the verge of having his house repossessed. So he too was looking for ways to make ends meet and thinking about possibly moving. to Texas, but at this time, he still had his cabin, and he came to visit the Andersons all the time, especially in cases like this, when the kids or Tina needed anything. He would take Ethan and Hannah to their extracurricular activities, go do fun things with them, hang out. He was like a second dad, and the Andersons were very thankful. They needed him now more than ever, and Jim was happy to do it. What are friends for, right? You'd be lucky to have someone willing to step up like that

and help out. But the Andersons had been there for Jim, many times as well. That summer, Hannah was busy. She was at cheer camp for the younger cheerleaders that she coached. And this camp was happening at Sweetwater High School about 30 minutes away from her house. Her mom would drop her off and then pick her up. Jim was doing activities with Ethan taking him to go shoot BB guns and hang out. And they would all go over Jim's cabin from time to time as well. Actually, Hannah had suggested to Marissa that the girls go hang out over there at some point. because for teens, there wasn't much for them to do as far as going to fun places and having a good time. I've seen this in other cases.

I can think of about three cases where teens that are in this in-between age are bored, they're looking for things to do and places to go. Usually during the school year, Marissa would walk over to Hannah's after class or Hannah would go to her place. And they would do homework, go on their phones, eat together. And of course, on the weekends, they would have sleepovers and fun stuff like that. But as they got older, they wanted to. to kind of get away from their parents. So Hannah told Marissa, hey, my uncle has a really cool cabin where we can go hang out and invite people over there. Now, I don't know if you want to call

Jim a pushover, but when you're not someone's parent, you do tend to be a little less protective, like the cool aunt or uncle and Jim was like that. He knew the girls would be safe at his place, so he didn't mind them having these little get-togethers. He allowed Hannah to invite her girlfriends over, but he had rules. Number one, no boys. And number two, no going upstairs to his bedroom that was off limits. And he did not want the girls hooking up with any boys at his place. But they could hang out, listen to music, dance, do cheerleading, even drink alcohol and smoke. I don't know how you feel about all that. But Jim didn't care as long as the girls were doing it safely under his roof. And of course, this was perfect for Hannah and Marissa. It became kind of a

regular place where they would have fun get-togethers. Jim would make sure there was plenty of food for everyone, and he wouldn't mind if the girls blasted their music and hung out. He wouldn't bother them either. He would make sure that they had everything they needed, and then he would retreat to his bedroom until it was time to wrap up. He would check in from time to time, but most time the girls would just organize sleepovers with each other. Once in a while, it would be more of their friends. I can say, I personally remember that there were certain parents of friends of mine when I was growing up that believed the same thing. As long as the teenagers were drinking and hanging out at their house, they didn't care. But not everyone's okay with this.

Sometimes parents of the visiting teenagers have no idea what's going on under someone else's roof. That is really important here. It's one of those messages and warnings that I talked about in the beginning of this video. sleepovers have become increasingly more questionable for parents and I know my friends and I we debate about letting our kids have sleepovers you just have no idea what's going on in someone else's life who they're inviting in when your kid is there and it's definitely something to think about let me know your thoughts in the comments about this because it's a hot topic and I would like to know if you've had any bad experience as a kid sleeping over someone's house or if

something has sadly ever happened to your child or someone you know when When Brett was in Tennessee, he missed his family a lot. Every other day, he would talk to one of them on the phone and check in with Tina. He also talked to Jim on a regular basis and relayed how things were going with his job and made sure that Tina and the kids were doing okay. There was one day during the summer when Brett received a text from Hannah telling him that she was about to go get her belly bud and pierced. She already had a little nose ring stud, but Brett, trying to be the protective father,

sent her a text telling her, no, don't do it. it, but he was kind of too late because Tina had already agreed and took her anyway. That's another thing. Sometimes parents don't always agree on the things their kids can and cannot do. And with Brett being away, he did feel that parental instinct kind of kicking in, and he wished he could be there. But he knew that his family's best interests were in mind when taking this job. It was the early morning hours of Saturday, August 3rd, around 2 a.m.

Hannah and Marissa had not seen each other in about a week. since Hannah had been at her cheer camp. So they were eager to get together and have some fun. Marissa asked Hannah if she wanted to hang out after she got done with cheer camp later that day. And Hannah was like, sure, just meet me in my house when I get back. And Marissa agreed, but only if they could get burritos.

They had been obsessed with this local Mexican restaurant down the street from Hannah's, and they had a ritual of grabbing a burrito every time they hung out. So of course, Hannah was like, heck yeah, let's do it. First, they had to get some rest. So they said good night and they look forward to meeting up. They wanted to do their makeup, dance, and just have an overall fun day together as usual.

A week was a long time for them to be apart. So they had a lot to catch up on. Hannah sent one last text and just said, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you. Marissa responded saying, okay, perfect. Just text me when you're done and I'll come over. Later on Saturday morning, Tina dropped Hannah off at Sweetwater to help with the cheer camp.

The girl she coach learned their new routines and they danced, but by 4 p.m., Hannah was ready to go and was waiting outside to be picked up. She couldn't wait to get home to meet up with Marissa, who was patiently waiting for that text from Hannah so she could run over to her house. But that text, it never came. Hours went by with no word from Hannah at all. Marissa just figured, you know what? She ghosted me. I'll talk to her later. But by the next night, a text from a friend of theirs gave Marissa a cause for concern. So let's backtrack. Around 8 p.m. that Sunday night, San Diego County Sheriff's Office got a call from a resident of Boulevard, California, saying they saw a house on fire. It was 271 Ross Avenue. An officer that was nearby drove out to the address and confirmed

that they would need the California Department of Forestry and fire protection to get there as soon as they could. The structure was burning quickly. The summer heat definitely wasn't helping. You can see in this picture just how bad the flames were when firefighters arrived on scene to attempt to put out the blaze. And not only was the home on fire, but a smaller structure next to it was burning as well. So they were doing their best to contain it until they could effectively get it completely extinguished.

San Diego News video crew was on the scene filming everything that was happening. Yes, fires were common in the dry months of California, but this fire was more out of control, more out of the ordinary. And for such a small town, it was the biggest event that occurred in a while or ever, because this is just the beginning of what would become a very horrifying sequence of events. While the fire was blazing, the second story of the house actually collapsed onto the first story.

They also noticed a gray Chevy Trailblazer SUV that was parked next to the burning building, and it was also on fire. It had already sustained quite a bit of damage. It took them nearly two hours for the first. to get this fire under control. It wasn't even out yet. They didn't know how this fire started and why it burned so hot and damaged so much of this property in such a short amount of time. That investigation would come next. John Kerminski, I'm with Cal Fire and the San Diego County Fire Authority. I mean, this fire was obviously going for a while. Was there anything specific that was difficult or made it more challenging?

No, it burned fairly quickly. We had a quick response. The station's only three minutes away, so first engine in was three to four minutes. And about how long do you think it took to knock down the fire? To get full containment was about two hours. As normal routine, we call it the sheriff's bomb arson, and they conducted their initial investigation and have called in additional resources so they probably found something. About how long do you guys think they'll be out here? Probably another four hours. But remember I told you about a text that Marissa received from a friend that night? Well, it said, oh my God, turn on the news.

Did you see what happened to Jim's house? Marissa was like, what? She hurried to her TV, turned on the local news, and there was a video of a house on fire. The same scene I showed you earlier, fully. engulfed in flames. Marissa was stunned. When they showed the area and the information

about where this home was located, Marissa had been to Jim's enough times to know that this was really his cabin on fire, and she didn't know what to think. Around the same time, Hannah's dad, who's still out in Tennessee for business, got a text from her friend asking the same thing. If he had seen the noons,

that Jim DiMaggio's house was on fire. Brett was confused, of course, he was worried, he googled it, and sure enough, he sees pictures and videos and videos on the news with Jim's house up in flames. And the first thing he thought was, oh my God, I hope Jim's okay. He immediately texts his best friend asking if everything was all right and if he was safe and then he heard about the fire wondering what happened.

Brett didn't get a response. Marissa and her friend were still texting back and forth. The friend said that they thought Hannah was going over to Jim's that day. And Marissa was like, no, no, I don't think so because she was supposed to be at her house last night because I was going to go hang over there. And she didn't have plans to go to gyms this weekend because she would have mentioned it. They did not know if Hannah was in danger, if she had been in that house. So they were frantic. Marissa repeatedly called and texted Hannah but got no answer. This was a lot to take in, and Marissa couldn't keep her eyes off the TV. She was just waiting

for update after update. And Brett, he's calling his wife Tina. He's trying to find out if she had information about where Jim was or what happened, but Tina wasn't answering her phone either. It was very frustrating being in another state while his best friend's house was burning down and his family wasn't answering his calls. He couldn't get through to Hannah or Tina no matter how many times he tried. At that point, firefighters were still at the scene examining what was left of this structure. They were walking next to what was now ashes in most areas, trying to make a determination about whether anyone had been inside. They moved past the main structure to the smaller one, and that's when firefighter Kyle Christi noticed something that looked unusual.

It was a green tarp that had melted down on top of something, and as he got closer, it was obvious to him what he was looking at, and it was shocking to say the very least. Right inside the doorway of a detached garage, Kyle saw two feet sticking out from underneath the tarp. This was definitely a body. Kyle began to remove the tarp. The person was face down, and as he lifted the tarp off the top portion of the body, that's when he noticed it was actually burned and melted to the upper half of the body, including the hair and head. He continued this task as pieces of the hair and skin remained attached to the tarp,

the more he pulled it to remove it from this person's remains. They were not alive anymore. They had suffered heat damage. The fire in this area wasn't as bad, but it was so hot, causing the tarp to melt to the hair and skin and the skull. The victims still had their clothes on and both of their arms were outstretched but bent into sort of a U-shape and they were laying on both sides of their head like this, so face down like that.

And their head was severely injured. It was obvious that this person had sustained deadly force on the upper portion of their body as there was a lot of blood covering the floor beneath them. the looks of the clothing and the hair, it appeared to be a female, and she did not die of natural causes. They didn't just suspect arson at this point, but murder as well. There were bindings on the body that indicated she was tied up. There was duct tape wrapped around her neck and mouth a number of times, and her ankles were tied together with a large white plastic cable. There were cuts to her arms and legs as well as blisters and burns on her body. San Diego County Sheriff's Department

homicide detective Troy Dugal was called out there to the scene to continue the investigation into the deceased female and the fire. Firefighters continued working on the arson and making sure the fire was contained and it didn't take long for the media to announce that not only had the home burned but that the body of a female had been found inside and Marissa's eyes glued to that screen on the TV, she heard those words and she couldn't believe it. A body of a female have been found inside Jim's burning home. Someone was dead. As she put all this information together,

she had so many emotions running through her. But it was at that moment that all of this became too real. Where was her best friend? There's been some reports from various sources saying that there may be a body inside. Do you guys have any information on that? No, you'll have to check with the sheriff's department.

They'll have a representative here shortly. Brett was also being bombarded with information and texts from all of his friends wanting to know what was going on. He told them he was trying his best to get in touch with his family, but he couldn't. And he had no idea where they were. Detective de Gaulle was trying to put pieces together at the crime scene. He too began to lift the tarp off of the female's body, took note of the injuries that were present, the position she was in, what she was wearing, and his initial impression of the entire scene. And that's when he noticed a sleeping bag.

It was in very close proximity to where the body had been found. It appeared to be covering something. As he removed that sleeping bag, he was shocked to find a poor little brown dog lying lifeless underneath. And upon closer inspection, he could tell that the dog had actually been shot and killed. Oh, my God. A dog, too. What happened here?

Who would do this? Detective Dugal looks for clues and goes straight to that SUV. to get the license plate information, and it comes up to belonging to Christina Anderson. He requested DMV records and was sent a picture of Christina's ID. He goes back to the body that he found underneath that tarp, and he compares it to Christina's picture. He knew it was a match. Of course, this is only a preliminary identification, but he was sure that the person they found

deceased was Hannah's mother, Tina. The medical examiner was called to the scene. transport the body for an autopsy and when the technicians arrived they carefully turned over the body and they saw a large gash across her throat she had also been gagged and was wearing a red tank top that had mickey and minnie mouse on it there was a bloody crowbar found right next to her head this was suspected to be one of the weapons used to beat and batter poor tina it was clear that she was bound and tortured but why getting that phone call was beyond heartbreaking for brett The police called him and told him the news that they suspected his wife, Tina, had not only been found dead, but that she had been murdered, and it did not seem real.

His wife was found in his best friend's garage with grievous bodily injuries. Where is Jim and where are his kids? It was unbelievable. He felt powerless. He had been gone. He wasn't there to protect his wife or his family. How could this happen? That's also when the police relayed the information about.

the dog. And it turns out that was Callie, their family pet. It's hard to believe that someone had done this to Tina and their beloved dog. When Marissa heard the media say that it was an adult female that was found, she just lost it. She knew that it had to be Tina, who was like a second mother to her. She spent so much time that Hannah's with her family, they were like sisters. Tina was always there. She was helping them with whatever they needed. And she helped other kids in the community as well. By the very next day, Detective Ducal was getting more information about the Andersons. He was told that the 44-year-old victim, Christina Anderson, had a 16-year-old daughter, Hannah, and an eight-year-old son, Ethan, both were nowhere to be found. The home that had burned

down belonged to 40-year-old James DiMaggio, who went by Jim. It was Uncle Jim, a close family friend, the best man at Brett and Tina's wedding, like an uncle to their children, and he was also missing. So was his vehicle, a blue Nissan Versa with a California license plate. Brett was immediately on his way back to San Diego. He was on the first flight he could get. And in his heart, he didn't want to suspect his best friend, but his wife was found in his garage. His kids are missing, and so is Jim and the car. It made sense it had to be Jim. Who else would it be? But that was too hard for him to believe. It just didn't make any sense. Why would Tina be over there alone with the dog? She had to have been over there with Jim and the kids.

And sure enough, as police are canvassing the area around Jim's place, neighbors come forward and told them that gym was having a going away party. And they saw Christina, Ethan, and the dog go over there that afternoon. Now, I'm sure that most of you have heard of an Amber Alert, or you've seen one on the highway, on those big message. boards that light up or recently gotten one on your device. While the Amber Alert program was created in 1996 in honor of Amber Hagerman, who was a nine-year-old who was tragically abducted and murdered in Texas. The program was made so that the public could help in locating children who have been abducted. Since it was created, the Amber Alert program has become an invaluable tool to fight against

child abductions. In the beginning, Amber Alerts were limited to broadcast media like radio and TV, and you would also see flyers and signs on the road to spread the word. However, over time, this program evolved and especially with modern technology, which is a really good thing. Even if you find it annoying, I'll get into that briefly because it's part of this case. But in 2005, the Amber Alert system went through some changes and they were important ones. They now allowed the alerts to be sent over public text messages, and I'm sure you've gotten one. I know I have. This was a significant an advancement in getting an Amber Alert out there as quickly as possible to the public.

That's where we are. We're all on our phones. However, in 2013, another major change took place. Instead of relying on messaging systems, the Amber Alert was sent out over an exclusive frequency. And this frequency can reach tens of thousands of people. They can get an alert on any digital device, even if it's on silent. And by 2013, the wireless emergency alert system had been used in several states. All cell phones were automatically signed up, so unless you opted out, you were going to get that Amber Alert. The system also sends out presidential messages, immediate threats, and public safety alerts. I just got one. I got a hurricane warning last month here in California through this system. But even though it was successful in other states,

California did not use this system until Hannah Anderson and her brother went missing that August in 2013. It was at that point that California five finally decided to implement this new system and it was at 11 p.m. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department issued that Amber Alert for Hannah and Ethan, marking the first time a wireless emergency alert had ever been sent out in California. The Amber Alert was sent out to the public with a loud tone similar to an emergency broadcast system and many people were startled and confused by the sound. They had no idea where it was coming from.

Some people went to their windows to check if something was happening. outside. And I feel bad. I know because, okay, once you've heard it, you know what it is, and they're very vital in these cases, but that's also kind of shocking at 11 p.m. And I told you, some people were annoyed and others had very strong opinions about this. One man was so surprised to receive this message for Hannah and Ethan because he's like, these are children, I know nothing about. And I'm far away from that area in northern Sacramento, California. So him and his wife had just sat down to watch a movie, and the alert came through and left this man feeling frustrated. He kept thinking to himself, will the children be okay? And what am I supposed to do from

my couch at almost midnight at the other end of the state? He said this experience with the new Amber Alert system was frustrating and not helpful. The man told the Los Angeles Times, quote, this is among the most unintelligent, histrionic intrusive programs ever. I feel like the San Diego police are reached into my pocket. End quote. Okay. Fair enough. I guess, but have you ever lost someone you love? Maybe think a little bit harder. Because it's a very small inconvenience when families are grieving and doing everything they can for a lead in their loved ones case. A lot of people understood there was a need for these children to be found in their well-being, but his concerns were shared by many other people who

voiced similar opinions and thoughts about the power of the state and potential for personal privacy to be violated. Another person actually received an Amber Alert for Hannah and Ethan 12 times between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. She said she loved the idea of the program if she received one alert. Mark Class, who's the father of Polyclass, who was murdered in 1993, he even criticized the Amber Alert wireless system. He worried that people would become so overwhelmed by the alerts that they would opt out completely. He said, quote, it's an incredibly harsh sound, and it provides you with very little to no information. That's not going to help anyone. I think the intention is good, but the application is pretty awful, end quote.

And I can agree, it is very jarring, but it's supposed to be. We wouldn't look at it if it wasn't a shock to us. And I can see why it felt very bothersome, especially with 12 going out throughout the night. That was weird. But it was a new program at the time, and it's definitely changed since then. I think I only got one alert that day.

Hours after the Amber Alert for Hannah and Ethan was issued, the people in their community quickly mobilized, gathering on social media to spread the work, posting pictures of Hannah, praying for her safe return. Marissa, Hannah's best friend, refused to give up, taking it upon herself to post flyers on telephone poles and in business windows around the area. Marissa kept up her efforts by constantly texting and calling her best friend,

hoping for response. Her classmates and her neighbors followed suit, not giving up on Hannah until she and her brother were found safely. Seeing the community come together and believe in the power of hope and faith was inspiring, but there was more bad news to come. Fire investigators were still combing through Jim's burned down home, and that's when they made another horrific discovery, and it was bad. I know we hear the line that it shocked even the most seasoned detectives.

Well, it did. I can say that confidently because I read about them recounting these moments when they realized that there was someone else who didn't make it through this fire. As they carefully sifted through all of the charred debris, they stumbled upon another set of human remains. This time, unidentifiable. I really don't want to get too graphic here, but unlike Tina,

this person had been directly in the middle of the fire, essentially being completely destroyed by the smothering temperatures. All that was left was a bit of bone and black goo, which was actually a mixture of human tissue and ash. It had liquefied and melted onto the partial skeletal remains. Part of those remains were missing. specifically a portion of the skull. It appeared to have been cut or somehow damaged so that it broke off.

There were still portions of this body that were recognizable, but they were in the form of internal organs that were so badly burned that they could not be used to get a DNA sample. They didn't have a clue who this person was, and whether they were a male or a female. However, when the medical examiner came to the scene, they believed the body appeared to be a child due to the size. When Brett Anderson was informed at the findings, he was told that investigators were not sure who this deceased person was, and Brett just mocked them. I don't know his exact words, but as he explained it, he was kind of like, you can't be serious. It's my son. He knew it was Ethan.

Even if they told him that they couldn't recognize who it was. It had to be Ethan if it was a small body. Hannah was 5'5.7, 115 pounds, and Ethan was only 4'11. 64 pounds. Hannah was the size of many adults. So if the body was small, in Brett's mind it had to be his son. That was his thought process. He was so overcome with emotion. He fell to the ground sobbing at the realization that his little buddy was never coming home. He would never see him again. And it was devastating. He just collapsed with sadness. His very next thought was, where is Hannah? Where is his daughter? Knowing that this was a double homicide and the killing of the family's

the authorities put out even more information to the media. If Hannah was taken by Jim and he had done this to Tina and Ethan, she was in grave danger if he hadn't heard her already. Detectives were interviewing all of Hannah and Jim's close friends and family members trying to get as much information as possible about where they could be. Marissa being the closest of Hannah's friends begins to tell detectives everything she knows about Hannah and her most recent activity. First of all, when she was told that there was an Amber alert out for her best friend,

she was so confused. Her mom had to explain that the authorities think that Jim kidnapped Hannah. Her exact words to her mother were, he did not kidnap Hannah. She thought it was a joke. And it wasn't a funny one. She texted

Hannah after hearing this and said, come on. This is not funny. Where are you? She just didn't think there was any way Hannah had been kidnapped by a man that they knew so well. He had always been kind to them. It made no sense. She told the detectives she does recall

Hannah telling her that there was a going away party planned one last time at Jim's before he moved to Texas. But she didn't know when it was supposed to happen. She actually thought it may have already passed and she wasn't invited since she spent so much time over there. She did tell detectives she didn't know if Hannah planned to go over there or not because the last text she received was at 2 a.m. on Saturday the same day Hannah was last seen at cheer camp. Marissa was also asked about Jim DiMaggio and she told detectives he is a really good guy. He's best friends with Hannah's dad. He's a close friend of Tina's as well. He had known Hannah since the day she was born and treated her like his own daughter. Marissa did not think there was any way Jim was

responsible for any of this. He couldn't be. Something happened. Someone came to that house and hurt them and took them because there was no way Jim was involved. She explained that Jim cared about Hannah. He took care of her and Ethan. Those kids were like his own family. So Marissa also relate information about how the girls would spend a lot of time at Jim's house. He would pick them up after school or gymnastics, take them to get food, bring them to his place. They would watch movies, practice gymnastics, and have fun parties over there. And many of Hannah's family members knew Jim too. Tina's sister, Samantha, and Angela were in utter disbelief when they heard that their sister had been murdered.

They could not fathom why anyone would want to hurt her, especially Jim. He was always there to help, not to hurt anyone, and he was even close to Brett's mom. None of the Anderson's extended family who knew Jim had anything negative to say about him. Brett, who knew him best, said there was nothing. Not one thing Jim had ever done or said that would indicate he was capable of anything like this ever.