The kidnapping case of Conway, N.H. native Abigail Hernandez doesn’t appear to be an open and shut case.
After disappearing in October 2013, the teen was safely returned home on July 20 of this year.
It was reported recently that teen waited nearly a week to reveal the identity of the man who abducted her.
According to court documents obtained by the Associated Press, Hernandez revealed to her mother on July 27 that she indeed knew the name of the man who had kidnapped her; this information was something she didn’t immediately share with police.
The 15-year-old eventually revealed to investigators that she knew her captor by name. Abigail learned that the man was “Nate Kibby”. She allegedly learned his identity from a cookbook with his name on the inside.
The victim also claimed he handed her a ruler at some point with the initials “N.E.K.” written on it.
Abigail Hernandez waited a week to reveal her kidnapper's name: http://t.co/J1kPJjXZYI pic.twitter.com/7SniwL5FPE
— World News Tonight (@WNTonight) November 13, 2014
Nathaniel E. Kibby was arrested and charged with kidnapping Hernandez.
A series of paperwork obtained by the Associated Press on the case contained a fair amount of redacted information.
The documents failed to reveal the exact nature of Abigail’s disappearance, when and how she was returned home safely, or why exactly she failed to reveal the identity of the man who abducted her until days later.
As members of the media speculate, one thing becomes startlingly apparent: Abigail Hernandez was believed to have been severely abused during her nine-month captivity.
A lawyer obtained by the Hernandez family claims that the teen endured “numerous acts of unspeakable violence” at the hands of Kibby.
New documents show when NH teen Abby Hernandez revealed her alleged captor's name: #fox25 http://t.co/5DP6ySwN9e pic.twitter.com/wD9ORoWZsX
— FOX 25 News Boston (@fox25news) November 12, 2014
The family and friends of Abigail have pleaded for privacy and understanding following this experience.
The Associated Press has taken the initiative to bypass this request in an effort for clarity.
The prosecution objected, feeling that the release of information might jeopardize their case. Meanwhile, there was no objection from Kibby’s defense lawyers.
Although portions of the affidavit about the case were released to the press, most of the court documents containing the most sensitive information remains unsealed.
It will likely be some time before more details are learned as to the exact nature of Abigail Hernandez’s kidnapping.