The New Hampshire man accused of kidnapping teenager Abigail Hernandez nine months ago was held on $1 million bail Monday as the victim looked on from the first row.
Nathaniel Kibby, 34, did not enter a plea and did not object to the high bail, which will keep him behind bars until an Aug. 12 probable cause hearing.
Abigail, 15, sat calmly with family members during the brief hearing, feet away from Kibby, who was wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and had his hands shackled.
Kibby is charged with one felony count of kidnapping. Affidavits outlining the case against him were sealed, to the dismay of his public defender, Jesse Friedman.
'Mr. Kibby is entitled constitutionally to this information,' Friedman said.
The associate attorney general, Jane Young, said the papers should remain under seal because the investigation is in its early stages.
'There are searches being conducted at the defendant's house,' she said.
Abigail vanished Oct. 9 while walking home from Kennett High School in Conway and returned a week ago under mysterious circumstances.
Little information about Abigail's kidnapping, captivity or release has emerged, but NBC affiliate NECN quoted sources as saying she was locked up in a container on Kibby's trailer-park lot in Gorham.
Authorities said Monday that information from Abigail led them to the suspect.
'We are relieved that this is finally over,' Zenya Hernandez said in a statement after Monday's arrest. 'We are relaxing now and spending time with one another. We appreciate the support of all those who've been with us since the beginning.'
A neighbor of Kibby said he moved into the mobile-home park in Gorham about five years ago and kept to himself as he walked through the neighborhood with his Doberman.
'He just gave you weird vibes,' said another neighbor, Kayla Delisle. 'You stayed away from him as much as you could.'
A former high school classmate, Tim Wiggin, said that when he knew him in high school, Kibby was an oddball who wore dark trench coats, talked about how he was a vampire and formed a small club called The Vipers.
'He was a real loner,' Wiggin said.
First published July 29 2014, 7:53 AM
Tracy Connor
Tracy Connor is a senior writer for NBC News. She started this role in December, 2012. Connor is responsible for reporting and writing breaking news, features and enterprise stories for NBCNews.com. Connor joined NBC News from the New York Daily News, where she was a senior writer covering a broad range of news and supervising the health and immigration beats. Prior to that she was an assistant city editor who oversaw breaking news and the courts and entertainment beats.Earlier, Connor was a staff writer at the New York Post, United Press International and Brooklyn Paper Publications.Connor has won numerous awards from journalism organizations including the Deadline Club and the New York Press Club.She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Entities 0 Name: Kibby Count: 6 1 Name: Abigail Count: 3 2 Name: Connor Count: 2 3 Name: NBC News Count: 2 4 Name: Gorham Count: 2 5 Name: New York Press Club Count: 1 6 Name: Jane Young Count: 1 7 Name: Kennett High School Count: 1 8 Name: Kayla Delisle Count: 1 9 Name: Friedman Count: 1 10 Name: Brooklyn Count: 1 11 Name: United Press International Count: 1 12 Name: New Hampshire Count: 1 13 Name: Tim Wiggin Count: 1 14 Name: Vipers Count: 1 15 Name: Zenya Hernandez Count: 1 16 Name: NBC Count: 1 17 Name: Brooklyn Paper Publications Count: 1 18 Name: New York Post Count: 1 19 Name: NECN Count: 1 20 Name: Wiggin Count: 1 21 Name: Conway Count: 1 22 Name: New York Count: 1 23 Name: Abigail Hernandez Count: 1 24 Name: Jesse Friedman Count: 1 25 Name: Deadline Club Count: 1 26 Name: Nathaniel Kibby Count: 1 27 Name: AM Tracy Connor Tracy Connor Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1mZDK1c Title: Arrest Made In Abigail Hernandez Disappearance; Man Faces Felony Kidnapping Charges Description: This booking photo released by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office shows Nathaniel E. Kibby, 34, of Gorham, N.H., arrested Monday, July 28, 2014 and charged with one count of felony kidnapping of Abigail Hernandez, who went missing in Conway, N.H., in October 2013, and returned home last week.
