California police say James Lee DiMaggio, the onetime close friend of a woman found dead in his burning house near the Mexican border, is now a murder suspect who may have also abducted her teenager daughter and either kidnapped or killed her 8-year-old son.
The California Highway Patrol said DiMaggio is believed to be driving a blue, four-door Nissan Versa and headed to Texas or Canada. The CHP upgraded a San Diego County Amber Alert to a statewide notification, using the state's cellphone network for the first time.
DiMaggio is wanted on suspicion of murder and arson in a search that began in Southern California and spread to Mexico and neighboring states.
He was a close friend of the victim, 42-year-old Christina Anderson, and her husband, Brett Anderson, who flew from Tennessee to San Diego on Tuesday.
This composite photo released by the San Diego Sheriff's Department shows and Hannah Anderson, 16, whose mother, Christina Anderson, 44, was one of two people found dead in a house fire Sunday night.(Photo: AP)
Christina Anderson's body was found Sunday night in DiMaggio's burning home in Boulevard, Calif., about 50 miles east of San Diego and about five miles from the Mexican border. The body of a child, who may be her son, Ethan, was also found in the ashes.
The initial Amber Alert, issued Monday, was for Hannah Anderson, 16, and Ethan Anderson, 8.
An autopsy on the child was performed Tuesday but no positive identification was made, said sheriff's Lt. Glenn Giannantonio.
"It is a possibility that it's Ethan," he said. "Right now we just don't know. And we're praying that it isn't Ethan."
Brett Anderson pleaded with DiMaggio, who was like an uncle to the children, to release his daughter, saying, "You've taken everything else."
"Jim, I can't fathom what you were thinking. The damage is done," he said outside San Diego County Sheriff's Department headquarters after being interviewed by investigators.
He also appealed to Hannah, saying he loves her very much and "if you have a chance, you take it. You run. You'll be found."
Hannah Anderson was a gymnast on her high school team who liked to dance and made friends easily.
"You would never see her without a smile on her face," said Marlee Friszell, 16, who attended Hannah's birthday party last week.
Ethan Anderson liked to play football and baseball and go fishing, said Cyrus Dawn, 17, a longtime neighbor.
Ethan Anderson, 8, was one of two people found dead in a house fire Sunday night.(Photo: AP)
Authorities said DiMaggio had a "close platonic relationship" with Christina Anderson, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Her father, Christopher Saincome, said he had seen DiMaggio two or three times and described him as a good friend of his son-in-law.
Police tape lines the perimeter of a partially burned home on Aug. 6 near the U.S.-Mexico border in Boulevard, Calif.(Photo: Gregory Bull AP)
Contributing: Associated Press
The California Highway Patrol said DiMaggio is believed to be driving a blue, four-door Nissan Versa and headed to Texas or Canada. The CHP upgraded a San Diego County Amber Alert to a statewide notification, using the state's cellphone network for the first time.
DiMaggio is wanted on suspicion of murder and arson in a search that began in Southern California and spread to Mexico and neighboring states.
He was a close friend of the victim, 42-year-old Christina Anderson, and her husband, Brett Anderson, who flew from Tennessee to San Diego on Tuesday.
Christina Anderson's body was found Sunday night in DiMaggio's burning home in Boulevard, Calif., about 50 miles east of San Diego and about five miles from the Mexican border. The body of a child, who may be her son, Ethan, was also found in the ashes.
The initial Amber Alert, issued Monday, was for Hannah Anderson, 16, and Ethan Anderson, 8.
An autopsy on the child was performed Tuesday but no positive identification was made, said sheriff's Lt. Glenn Giannantonio.
"It is a possibility that it's Ethan," he said. "Right now we just don't know. And we're praying that it isn't Ethan."
Brett Anderson pleaded with DiMaggio, who was like an uncle to the children, to release his daughter, saying, "You've taken everything else."
"Jim, I can't fathom what you were thinking. The damage is done," he said outside San Diego County Sheriff's Department headquarters after being interviewed by investigators.
He also appealed to Hannah, saying he loves her very much and "if you have a chance, you take it. You run. You'll be found."
Hannah Anderson was a gymnast on her high school team who liked to dance and made friends easily.
"You would never see her without a smile on her face," said Marlee Friszell, 16, who attended Hannah's birthday party last week.
Ethan Anderson liked to play football and baseball and go fishing, said Cyrus Dawn, 17, a longtime neighbor.
Authorities said DiMaggio had a "close platonic relationship" with Christina Anderson, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Her father, Christopher Saincome, said he had seen DiMaggio two or three times and described him as a good friend of his son-in-law.
Contributing: Associated Press