Amber Alert extended to Nevada for missing girl, slaying suspect

The Amber Alert for a missing San Diego County girl allegedly abducted by a family friend has been extended to Nevada, officials said Thursday. The alert is now active there as well as in California, Washington and Oregon.

Authorities believe that the suspect in the case, James Lee DiMaggio, may be en route to Canada, Oregon or Texas with Hannah Anderson, 16.

DiMaggio was believed to be driving a blue Nissan Versa, California license plate 6WCU986, but the latest alert states that DiMaggio may have changed vehicles.

San Diego County sheriff’s officials believe DiMaggio abducted Anderson after killing her mother and 8-year-old brother. They were last seen in Boulevard, a community in rural Eastern San Diego County.

DiMaggio has been described as a close friend of the Anderson family, but his relationship to Hannah is unclear.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Amber Alert was broadened to include the Pacific Northwest states after a car matching the description of the Nissan was seen driving north on U.S. 395 near Alturas, Calif., headed toward the Oregon border.

Oregon State police Lt. Gregg Hastings said in a statement that a “possible sighting of the vehicle” was reporting about 2 p.m. Wednesday in southern Oregon. On Thursday, he told The Times there had been “no confirmed sightings.”

Washington State Patrol Sgt. Jason Hicks said Thursday his agency had received multiple tips following the expanded Amber Alert, but had “no luck yet.” The state’s electronic highway signs are now displaying the alert, he added, and all of the state’s law enforcement agencies have been notified.

“It’s working,” he said. “People are looking and we’re chasing down the leads, but we haven’t found the right car yet.”

The FBI has been working with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department on the investigation since Monday, sheriff’s Lt. Glenn Giannantonio said. Boulevard is just north of the Mexican border, and the FBI is working with Mexican authorities to search for DiMaggio.

“Being this close to the border, it’s always a possibility” Giannantonio said of wanted people entering Mexico. “It’s kind of an easy way for them to disappear.”

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