Brave Abigail Hernandez stares down her 'kidnapper' in court after it is revealed she may have been held captive in a shipping container next to his house for nine months

Nathaniel Kibby, 34, made his first court appearance Tuesday after his MOnday arrest for kidnappying 15-year-old Abigail Hernandez in October



Abigail and her mother Zenya sat in the front row of court today as Kibby was arraigned



The teen stunned authorities last week when she suddenly returned home after her nine-month disappearance



After his arrest, authorities surrounded a shipping container on Kibby's property with crime scene tape



He was arrested twice while Abigail was missing, once in October on marijuana possession and again in March on criminal trespassing

The criminal trespassing charge was settled last week, just three days after Abigail returned home







A brave Abigail Hernandez today faced her alleged kidnapper with a surprise appearance in court to see him held on $1million bail.

Abigail arrived with her mother Zenya and sister Sarah and looked pale and drawn as she took her place on the front bench. It was her first public appearance since returning home last week after going missing nine months.



The suspect Nathaniel Kibby, 34, walked into court flanked by his publicly provided legal team, wearing an orange jumpsuit and requested financial legal aid.



Details of what led authorities to arrest Kibby were not released in Conway Circuit Court today, but a law enforcement source earlier revealed the suspicion that Abigail was held hostage in a shipping container on Kibby's property.



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Courage: Abigail Hernandez (pictured in black tank top and white hoodie on the left) sat in the front row of court today as her alleged abductor was arraigned on felony kidnapping charges Behind bars: Kibby is being held on $1million bail as investigators continue to comb his property for evidence Cage? Following Kibby's Monday arrest, investigators have surrounded a shipping container on his property in crime scene tape Abigail's presence in court today, sitting just steps away from Kibby, came as a surprise since family friends told NBC News that she wouldn't show. As soon as the hearing finished the Hernandez family rushed from the court. Following the hearing, Assistant Attorney General Jane Young held a press conference where she said Abby has a 'level of strength that I'm not sure many of us have'.

During the hearing, Young asked to have the case files sealed for 10 days while they continue to search Kibby's home in the course of the investigation. At the press conference, Young added that they are not currently investigating any other suspects.

Kibby is due back in court on August 12 for a probable cause hearing, at which point more details of Abigail's disappearance may be revealed, Young said. Confrontation: Abigail pictured walking into court Tuesday before Kibby was arraigned

Surprise: Abigail was not expected to attend Tuesday's hearing Not alone: Abigail was supported in court today by her mother Zenya (far left), her sister Sarah and others. Above, Abigail walks into court with her legion of supporters

Before the hearing, Zenya looked incredibly animated and upset, sitting next to her two daughters and supporters Amanda Smith and Paul Kirsch.



She could be seen arguing with an officer, believed to be a member of the FBI. Paul, who helped run the Find Abby webpage, had to talk to her to calm her down. A line of State Troopers, FBI Agents and police officers protectively sat behind the family.



The arrest yesterday of the 15-year-old's alleged abductor has only left more questions in her mysterious nine-month disappearance, and surprise return home.



While little has been publicly said about what led to Kibby's arrest, a law enforcement source told NECN that they believe he kept Abigail hostage in an orange shipping container at the back of his property, located 30 miles north of her hometown of Conway where she reappeared last week.



That shipping container is now surrounded by crime scene tape and neighbors have described the large storage box to WMUR as an 'above-ground bunker' that they believed was soundproof.

Mystery man: Kibby (left) is due back in court for a probable cuase hearing on August 12. Authorities have revealed little on what led them to arrest Kibby for kidnapping Abigail (right) in October

Hearing: Kibby pictured being escorted to his arraignment at Conway District Court on Tuesday Controlled: Kibby kept his head down as he walked into court and found his seat on Tuesday



Many of Kibby's neighbors have described him as 'scary' but still said there was no indication he was hiding a teenage girl on his property.



Neighbor Michelle Smith says she hopes the shipping container wasn't used to hold Abigail hostage.



'I would hope not,' she told WMUR. 'I would hope that she can't be that close and nobody knew it.'



But those who lived close to Kibby were also wary.



'He's been called crazy Nate. I don't know too much about him, he's pretty much a loner. But I always told the girls stay away from that trailer,' neighbor Debbie Demers told NECN.



'He likes his guns and it was a little shooting range back there,' she added.



Kibby was arrested Monday afternoon at his home and charged with the felony kidnapping of Abigail 'with purpose to commit an offense against her.'



Strong: Assistant Attorney General Jane Young held a press conference after the arraignment Tuesday and said Abby has a 'level of strength that I'm not sure many of us have'

Distance: Abigail Hernandez returned home to Conway, New Hampshire last week after going missing for nine months. Her alleged abductor was arrested at his home 30 miles north in Gorham Tuesday's court appearance will be one of many Kibby has had in the past few months while Abigail has been missing. On October 22, just 13 days after Abigail went missing walking home from Kennett High School, Kibby was charged with marijuana possession in her hometown of North Conway. He plead guilty to the charge in court in December and settled it by paying $434. It was also revealed that Kibby attended Kennett in the 90s and had a prior address in North Conway during those years. And just last week, three days after Abigail showed up at home, Kibby was found guilty of criminal trespass. The sentence and fine in the trespassing case was suspended for one year, as a judge ordered Kibby to stay away from his victims.

'When I heard it on the news, I was beside myself,' Tammy Shackford, a victim in the trespassing case, told WMUR. 'He is not a normal person. He is not right.' Upset: Before the hearing, Abigail's mother Zenya (left) was incredibly animated and upset and even appeared to be arguing with a police officer. Above, she speaks with Assistant Attorney General Jane Young

Lost and found: A missing person poster of Abigail Hernandez displayed in a storefront window in North Conway, New Hampshire, shows Hernandez has been found

According to a letter Kibby wrote the Sheriff's office, the trespassing case was in connection to a fight he got into after a car accident with a man identified as Eric Ray.



The argument allegedly turned violent when Kibby shoved Ray's wife Tammy, but he told authorities that Ray was exaggerating the incident.



'I considered informing (Eric Ray) I was armed with a carry pistol, but decided against it. I tried to sympathize with his anger and felt it was best to turn the cheek,' Kibby wrote.



The charges during Abigail's disappearance are just a few in Kibby's lengthy criminal history, that is centered mostly on his teen years.



When he was 17, Kibby was charged in five criminal trespassing cases, with two counts of receiving stolen property, providing false information to purchase a firearm and theft.



Under investigation: The suspicious shipping container seen from a distance on Kibby's property Guarded: A police officer walks in front of the shipping container on Tuesday before Kibby's arraignment

Searching for answers: Kibby's property was surrounded by crime scene tape and investigators yesterday after his arrest Not over: Investigators continue to search Kibby's home on Brookside Drive in Gorham Feared figure: Neighbors on Kibby's street say they called him 'Crazy Nate' Scene: A river flows behind Kibby's property in northern Gorham, New Hampshire

Hernandez family friend Paul Kirsch was with Abby and her mother Zenya when news broke of Kibby's arrest.

He said he wasn't sure whether Abby knew Kibby, but is glad the family is finally getting some good news.



'The family can kind of get some closure. They thought they could get it when Abby came back. Then questions started. Now, they can get closure,' Kirsch said. 'The family is overwhelmed with support, and they are exhausted and frankly breathing for the first time in nine months. … This is one of the best days I can think of. Now they get to be the Hernandez family again.'

Abigail made headlines last October 9 - just days before her 15th birthday - when she unexpectedly disappeared after last seen by her boyfriend walking home from school.

Clues: Last week police released video of Abby on the day she disappeared, left, and a sketch of a man they believe drove her away in a blue pick-up



The only contact she had with any friends or family was a letter believed to have been sent by the schoolgirl to her divorced parents, Zenya and Ruben Hernandez, in the weeks after her disappearance.

Then on July 20, she suddenly reappeared.

Kibby's arrest came just hours after Hernandez's mother gave an interview on Monday, to speak out against rumors surrounding her daughter's disappearance.



In an interview with the Today show, mother Zenya Hernandez shut down speculation that her daughter ran away because she was pregnant.

'She did not run away': Zenya Hernandez spoke with the Today show on Monday to dispell rumors her daughter ran away nine months ago because she was pregnant. Mrs Hernandez says she believes her daughter was abducted

'The majority of people somehow believe that she was pregnant. She was not. She did not run away. I firmly believe that,' Mrs Hernandez said, adding that she does not believe her daughter knew her alleged abductor.



On Saturday, police released a sketch of the man believed to have abducted Abigail, according to the teen's descriptions.



Despite conducting a three-hour interview with the teen, it is unclear whether they know where she was or if she was taken by force.

‘Our biggest challenge is, we’re dealing with incomplete information,’ Kieran Ramsey, assistant special agent in charge of the Boston Division of the FBI told The Boston Globe. ‘The victim in this case is a 15-year-old girl. It’s not as cut and dried as people think that somebody can exactly recount what happened, when, and where.’

They have also appealed for witnesses who may have seen Abby return after she was apparently dropped off on the same road that she was possibly abducted from all those months ago.

Sources close to the investigation said the teenager has so far not been able to tell officers many facts about her disappearance.