A young girl who was abducted and later reappeared at her family home after nine months, dressed in the same outfit she had worn when she went missing, has shared that cooperating with her abductor was instrumental in saving her life.
Abby Hernandez was only 14 years old when she was taken while walking back from school in North Conway, New Hampshire, leaving authorities baffled about her whereabouts.
The extensive search for Abby in 2013 became one of the largest in the state’s history as the local community grappled with the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the Kennett High School freshman. Unbeknownst to them, a local man was solely responsible for her disappearance.
The disturbing reality was that Nathaniel Kibby had kidnapped Abby and held her captive just 30 miles north of Conway, confining her in a storage container where she endured continuous sexual abuse and torment.
During an interview with ABC, Abby disclosed that her instinct for survival immediately kicked in upon her abduction: “I recall telling myself, ‘Okay, I need to cooperate with this individual.’ I said to him, ‘I don’t judge you for this. If you release me, I won’t disclose anything about this situation.'”
“I remember I never concluded my prayers with ‘amen’,” Abby admitted. “I was reluctant to end my prayers because I didn’t want to lose God’s presence. I simply desired to survive.”
In a calculated move, Abby established a rapport with her captor. “I informed him: ‘You don’t seem like a bad person. Everybody makes mistakes. If you let me go, I won’t reveal this to anyone.'”
This strategy proved effective, leading to an increased level of trust from him, even permitting her to engage in activities like producing counterfeit currency in his residence. “Part of how I gained his trust, I suppose, was… I complied with whatever he wanted.”
Clinical psychologist Rebecca Bailey commended Abby’s extraordinary approach, stating, “It’s remarkable that she was strategizing. It signifies her capability to transcend her state of terror and engage in problem-solving.”
Abby’s decision became pivotal when her captor started giving her books to read, and one day, she stumbled upon his name inscribed in a cookbook he had given her. “I asked, ‘Who’s Nate Kibby?’ And he exhaled, saying ‘How do you know my name?’.”
Eventually, fearing imminent police scrutiny at his residence due to a counterfeiting inquiry, Kibby set Abby free months later. Lauren Munday, who claimed to have encountered Kibby online, mentioned that he handed her three counterfeit $50 bills to assist in paying for a hotel room, only for her to discover one of the bills was fake.
Munday recounted to 20/20, “So, I told him, ‘Whatever you’re doing in your basement, you better clean it up now, because they are coming for you.'”
Kibby made Abby promise not to disclose his identity to anyone, then drove her back to North Conway and released her at the same spot where she was taken nine months earlier. Clad in the same attire she had on during her disappearance, she walked the remaining distance to her mother’s residence.
“I remember gazing up and laughing, overwhelmed with joy,” Abby recalled. “Oh my God, this actually happened. I’m a free person. I never anticipated it happening to me, but I’m free.”
Abby provided the authorities with Kibby’s identity and location, resulting in his admission of guilt on seven felony charges, including kidnapping and sexual assault. He is currently serving a life sentence of 45 to 90 years outside of New Hampshire.
“If I were to draft a manual on how victims should handle abductions… the first chapter would feature Abby,” remarked former FBI profiler and ABC News consultant Brad Garrett. “It’s all about forming a connection with the perpetrator.”
Despite the trauma she endured, Abby has developed a newfound gratitude for life: “Every time I step outside now, I make a conscious effort to appreciate the sunlight and fresh air. It feels different in my lungs… I truly never take it for granted.”
“Just don’t lose hope… even when it seems like you’ve lost everything, hope is an unshakable force. Hold onto it. It will keep you moving forward.”