Lifetime recently greenlit the film adaptation of the real-life abduction of Abby Hernandez.
As per Variety, Girl in the Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez is based on the true story of a kidnapped 14-year-old who was abducted on her way home from school in 2013.
The film adaptation stars Ben Savage as Nathaniel Kibby, who kidnapped and abused the teenager with a soundproof container and shock collar.
The film chronicles her fight to continue living in the hopes of escaping and being reunited with her family.
It will premiere on February 26 at 8 pm, on the Lifetime channel.
What Happened to Abby Hernandez?
On October 9, 2013, Hernandez was walking her usual route back home from school in Conway, New Hampshire, when her life changed forever.
The 14-year-old was last seen walking on the power line trail near her school at 2:35 pm that day, with her last text being sent to a classmate at 2:53 pm.
Hernandez accepted a ride from a stranger, asking to be dropped off at a nearby restaurant.
She began to panic when the driver drove to a local Home Depot and held a gun to her head instead.
While being held hostage, Hernandez’s survival instincts led her to attempt to negotiate with her assailant in an attempt to be freed.
Tragically, she was gagged and blindfolded by Kibby, who held her in a storage unit in his backyard for months.
While captive, the girl endured verbal and s*xual abuse and was forced to wear a collar that shocked her whenever she screamed.
Hernandez was forced to refer to Kibby as “master” and forced to live in degrading conditions for months.
Her mother reported her missing after Hernandez failed to return home that day, and the police immediately began to search for the young girl.
On November 6, Hernandez sent her mother a letter she had written in October, which did not arrive until the next month. This was the first time Abby Hernandez had contacted her mother since being abducted.
The Search For Abby Hernandez
The following March, Kibby was arrested by Conway police after following a woman to her home. He was charged with criminal trespass and assault after the woman had been involved in a minor accident.
According to local law enforcement, Kibby pushed the woman to the ground in her driveway after attempting to prevent him from taking pictures of her vehicle.
Police also seized his pistol, a Ruger LC9. Kibby filed a petition in court to have his firearm returned, referring to the removal of his weapon as “an immoral and irrational unconstitutional restriction of [his] civil rights.”
In May, Hernandez’s mother offered a $10,000 reward for anyone who had information about her daughter’s disappearance the previous year.
The FBI added an additional $20,000 to the reward, which Hernandez’s father doubled – with the overall reward coming to $60,000 for any information about their daughter.
Hernandez’s initial survival instincts were correct; after agreeing to everything Kibby three her way, she was able to build a sense of trust.
He even enlisted her in creating and distributing counterfeit cash, providing her with books to read containing his name.
Abby Hernandez Walks Free
On July 20, 2014, Kibby decided to let Hernandez go free after fears of being interrogated for counterfeiting began to consume him.
Worried the police would come knocking and see the girl, he made her prime not to reveal his identity and dropped her off at the same route he first abducted her from.
Going along with the plan, Hernandez walked an entire mild to her mother’s home.
A week after her seemingly safe return, she informed investigators of Kibby’s exact name and home, where they arrested him on the grounds of kidnapping and abuse.
Of her bizarre return, Hernandez said:
“I never thought it would happen to me, but I’m free,” Hernandez remembers thinking at the time. “And I just walked home.”
The Arrest of Nathaniel Kibby
Kibby was arrested at his home in Gorham, around 30 miles away from Conway.
Police discovered he had a criminal record dating from 1988, and his brush with jail in July was not his first incident of trespassing and assault.
He was held on kidnapping charges on July 19 and ordered to be held on a bail of $1 million.
In a statement released after reports of Hernandez’s return made local news, she said:
“My gratitude is beyond words. It’s an incredible feeling to be home and I believe in my heart that your hopes and prayers played a major role in my release.”
Kibby pleaded guilty to seven charges in May 2016.
The Trial of Nate Kibby
Kibby pleaded guilty to seven charges, including kidnapping, s*xual assault, second-degree assault, witness tampering, and criminal threatening on May 26, 2016.
The judge sentenced him to 45 to 90 years in prison for his crimes.
Prosecutor Jane Young said Kibby forced Hernandez to write to her other to mislead investigators after her kidnapping, assaulting her after noticing she had etched a message on the back of the letter using her fingernails.
Young also revealed that Kibby feared arrest after a prostitute threatened was arrested for possession of counterfeit money he had provided her with, prompting him to let Abby Hernandez go.
According to Young’s statements during the trial, Kibby told Hernandez, “I have to get rid of everything, including you.”
The prosecutor stated she was impressed by the girl’s recollection of crucial events, tying her abduction to Kibby within a week.
“The level of detail this victim could remember while she was enduring just unspeakable acts was simply amazing,” Young told the court.
Hernandez did not testify in court but spoke out during the hearing.
“Some people might call you a monster, but I’ve always looked at you as human,” she admitted. “And I want you to know that even though life became a lot harder after that, but I still forgive you.”
Hernandez recounted her experience in an interview with ABC’s 20/20 in 2018. She chooses to live a very private life, continuing to reside on Conway away from the public eye.
