Hunt for Fugitive, Teen Turns to Idaho Wilderness

The search for 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and her suspected abductor, 40-year-old James Lee DiMaggio, has spanned three states and thousands of miles. But now that law enforcement officers are at their closest yet to finding the pair, they face perhaps the most challenging search area of all. The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness is the largest roadless area in the lower 48 states, sprawling across central Idaho and reaching north to the Montana border. To call the mountainous terrain rugged is an understatement.

"It's called the River of No Return for a reason," says Mike Medberry, a 57-year-old writer who hiked in the area three summers ago. "It's harsh and rugged, with steep terrain, lots of downed logs and thick brush." DiMaggio is suspected of killing Hannah's mother Christina Anderson, 44, and her 8-year-old brother Ethan, whose bodies were found Sunday in DiMaggio's burning house in California near the Mexico border. DiMaggio's car was found yesterday about 40 miles east of the tiny town of Cascade, parked near the wilderness area. The discovery came about two days after a horseback rider reported seeing the man and girl hiking in the area. The rider didn't realize the pair were being sought until he got home and recognized the pair in news reports. (More James DiMaggio stories.)