The Real Hannah Anderson Isn't Just a Victim

Lifetime movies aren't known for their thorough examinations of news stories, so after watching their latest original movie, Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story, you may end up wondering what happened to Hannah Anderson after her kidnapping in real life. In 2013, Anderson was kidnapped by James DiMaggio, a family friend who lured Hannah and her family to his house, which he then set afire, killing Hannah's mother and brother. DiMaggio fled with the captive Hannah to Idaho, where some tourists who spotted the pair alerted the authorities, who were able to recover Anderson and shot DiMaggio when he brandished a gun of his own. It's an incredibly harrowing story, especially since, as Lifetime emphasizes, Anderson was only 16 when it happened and she's been subject to online harassment about whether or not she was collaborating with DiMaggio since.

Now, Hannah is back in high school, and considering the level of trauma she went through, she's recovered remarkably quickly. She now lives with her grandparents, according to a local FOX interview, and her grandmother Sarah Britt says Hannah is an "honor roll student and scheduled to graduate from El Capitan High School this year," which is in her hometown of Lakeside, CA. In her first interview after the kidnapping, Hannah told NBC News that she appreciates everyone who's been helping her forget about the incident and move on, saying "in the beginning I was a victim, but now knowing everyone out there is helping me, I consider myself a survivor instead."

Hannah and her father, Brett, elaborated in a 2013 interview with TODAY News that they're working together to overcome their grief at losing Hannah's mother and brother. "We’re getting help and talking with each other and trying to be strong and know that we need to move forward, and that's what her mother would want," Brett Anderson explained. It seems like both Andersons are attempting to move on from the serious incident.

But immediately following the kidnapping, accusations that Hannah was somehow involved in DiMaggio's plans because, as CBS reported, the two "exchanged about 13 calls" right before the kidnapping. However, she never wavered in her story or stopped defending herself, claiming that DiMaggio told her he had a "crush" on her. After trying to defend herself online from accusers, Hannah has retreated from Ask.fm and Instagram, her preferred social media sites, according to CBS.

And according to the FOX interview, the Anderson family didn't even know that Lifetime was going to make a movie about the ordeal, which upset Hannah's grandparents and surprised Hannah herself. Hopefully, that means that the Anderson family is continuing to move on from the events of 2013 and see Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story as nothing more than the sensationalism it will probably turn out to be.

Lifetime can maximize drama all they want, but the real story of Hannah Anderson is a testament to this teenager's ability to move on from even the most traumatic events.

Image: Jack Zeman/Hybrid LLC