A teenage girl who was abducted and then reappeared at her family home nine months later, dressed in the same outfit she was wearing when she vanished, has shared that cooperating with her abductor was instrumental in ensuring her survival.
Abby Hernandez was just 14 years old when she was taken while walking home from school in North Conway, New Hampshire, leaving law enforcement authorities puzzled about her whereabouts.
The extensive search for Abby in 2013 became one of the largest operations 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.
Nathaniel Kibby had kidnapped Abby and held her captive only 30 miles north of Conway, confining her in a storage container where she endured continuous sexual abuse and torment.
In an interview with ABC, Abby recounted how she immediately engaged in a strategy of cooperation upon being taken: “I recall telling myself, ‘I need to cooperate with this person.’ I assured him, ‘I won’t judge you for this. If you release me, I won’t disclose anything about this situation.'”
“I distinctly remember never concluding my prayers with ‘amen’,” Abby admitted. “I avoided ending my prayers because I didn’t want to be abandoned by God. I simply desired to survive.”
By building a rapport with her captor, Abby successfully gained his trust. “I mentioned to him: ‘You don’t seem like a bad individual. Everyone makes mistakes. If you set me free, I won’t divulge anything about this.'”
This approach proved effective, leading to increased trust from the abductor, who even permitted Abby to engage in activities like producing counterfeit money in his residence. Abby explained, “Part of how I earned his trust, I suppose, was… I complied with whatever he wanted to do.”
Clinical psychologist Rebecca Bailey commended Abby’s remarkable strategy, noting her exceptional ability to think strategically and problem-solve in a state of terror.
Abby’s pivotal moment came when her captor began giving her books to read, and she stumbled upon his name written in a cookbook he had given her. “I asked, ‘Who is Nate Kibby?’ And he hesitated before asking, ‘How do you know my name?'”
Eventually, fearing a police visit to his residence due to a counterfeiting inquiry, Kibby released Abby several months later. A person named Lauren Munday, who claimed to have interacted with Kibby online, stated that he provided her with three counterfeit $50 bills to assist in paying for a hotel room, only for one of the bills to turn out to be fake.
Munday recounted to 20/20, “So, I warned him, ‘You better clean up whatever you’re doing in your basement right 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 set her free at the location where she had been taken nine months earlier. Clad in the same attire she wore when she disappeared, she walked the remaining distance to her mother’s residence.
“I remember gazing up and laughing, feeling immensely happy,” Abby shared. “Oh my God, this is real. I am free. I never anticipated this happening to me, but I am free.”
Abby provided authorities with Kibby’s identity and location, leading to his admission of guilt on seven felony charges, including kidnapping and sexual assault. He is currently serving a 45 to 90-year life sentence outside of New Hampshire.
Former FBI profiler and ABC News consultant Brad Garrett praised Abby’s handling of the abduction, stating, “If I were to write a guide on how victims should navigate abductions… the first section would be about Abby. It always involves creating a connection with the perpetrator.”
Despite the trauma she endured, Abby has developed a newfound gratitude for life, expressing, “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 strive to never take that for granted.”
“Never lose hope… even when it seems like all is lost, hope is something that cannot be taken away from you. Hold on to it. It will keep you moving forward.”