The Kidnapper's Wife

41. During

Eleanor Jane Abernathy

Part One of Recorded Interview

Date: Saturday, October 8, 2016

Duration: 33 Minutes

Location: Frederick County Sheriff's Office

No. of Pages: 5

Conducted by Officer Daniel Brown

Officer Brown: Now, we learned from speaking with one of your daughter's friends that Jade and Connor went on a honeymoon after their wedding.

Eleanor Abernathy: Yes.

Officer Brown: Could you tell us a little about that?

Eleanor Abernathy: Well, I don't know all that much about it, this seems like it would be a better question for Jade to answer.

Officer Brown: I understand but what you do know may be critical. Unfortunately your daughter has some reservations about speaking to us at the moment but we really need to learn as much about this as possible so that we can achieve our ultimate goal: finding Anna.

Eleanor Abernathy: Of course I want to help find Anna as well, you simply cannot imagine the nightmare this has been since she disappeared. When I saw those police cars around the school, I told Jade, I said, "This can't be good." And to think if I had only known that it had anything to do with this family.

Officer Brown: I'm sure it has been a very trying time for everyone involved. But back to Jade and Connor's honeymoon. Where did they go for it?

Eleanor Abernathy: Well they went camping the first week and to Hawaii the second week. The pictures they took on the island...breathtaking. Absolutely stunning. Have you ever seen a giant sea turtle? They are some of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen.

Officer Brown: I'm sure that they are. Now the camping part of the trip -

Eleanor Abernathy: I'm sorry Officer but I just don't think I can help you. I didn't really plan on doing a full interview, I really just came down to tell you what I thought of your interviewing conduct with my daughter and I'm just not sure I should be talking to you without a lawyer, Jade was very specific-

Officer Brown: Of course Ms. Abernathy. Are you requesting that a lawyer be present for us to continue?

Eleanor Abernathy: I, well...I just. Look I want to help I really do, I just...Jade and Connor went camping somewhere in Pennsylvania for their honeymoon. I honestly do not remember where it was. I'm not sure Jade even gave me the location in more detail than that. They went hiking and canoeing to several different locations in a forest, staying in cabins. Connor planned the whole thing. Jade just went along for the ride.

Officer Brown: Thank you Ms. Abernathy. And could you tell me, was Jade what you would consider an outdoorsy type girl?

Eleanor Abernathy: Not at all. Jade didn't want to go on the trip, she just wanted to go to a beach, but Connor was insistent.

Officer Brown: From what you explained earlier, Connor didn't upset Jade very often did he?

Eleanor Abernathy: No, not at all. He almost never fought with her about anything. They are both very easy going people generally.

Officer Brown: And yet he wouldn't stand down on the camping.

Eleanor Abernathy: It was important to him I suppose.

Officer Brown: So it would appear. And do you know anything else about what Jade and Connor did while camping?

Eleanor Abernathy: No. They didn't take many pictures and Jade said she spent most of the time either reading or hiking to the next cabin. There didn't seem to be much more for her to tell us.

Officer Brown: I see.

Officer Brown: Before this trip, had Connor mentioned his love of camping and hiking to you or to Jade? How did this idea come about?

Eleanor Abernathy: I had never heard him mention it. In fact, I was a bit surprised when Jade told me. Connor had always seemed like a city boy to me. I'd never heard him talk about holding a gun or even so much as catching a fish. Not that I thought he'd never done either of those things. I assume all boys do when they're young. But Connor had never seemed the type to be interested in those things to me. He seemed more interested in pumping weights? Is that how they put it? Anyway he liked art museums and piano bars not roughing it in the woods. Or so I thought. But clearly I was wrong about that.

Officer Brown: And was Jade surprised as well when he brought up camping?

Eleanor Abernathy: I think so. Like I said, Connor just wasn't like that. But we just assumed that was a part of himself that hadn't come out yet in their relationship. Maybe something he'd been into growing up or something he'd recently read that guys should be into.

Officer Brown: Was Connor impressionable in that way, where he would try to do things he thought he should do?

Eleanor Abernathy: I think all young people are impressionable to a certain degree. Jade and Connor were both trying to figure out who they were. They did things their friends did. They did things they read about other people their age doing. Some things they liked. Some things they didn't. They wanted to fit in still, but they were finding different ways of doing that. For Connor, maybe that way was camping and becoming more manly.

Officer Brown: That's certainly possible.

Officer Brown: After their honeymoon, did Connor go camping anymore? What was his take on that week? Did he have much to say about it?

Eleanor Abernathy: Not really. He gushed about Hawaii like Jade did, but Jade didn't spend much time focusing on the camping trip and he didn't seem to either. They seemed to far prefer telling us about all the cool things they did on the islands.

Officer Brown: And did he partake in any more camping trips?

Eleanor Abernathy: I'm really not sure. I think that occasionally his hiking group would camp? He did join that group shortly after the honeymoon, I remember because Jade wasn't too pleased about the time commitment. So maybe the trip did have an effect on him after all.

Officer Brown: But he never asked Jade to go camping with him again?

Eleanor Abernathy: Not that I know of.

Officer Brown: Okay. Thank you Ms. Abernathy for your time. I think we have what we need for right now, but I will be sure to give you a call if we think of anything else that you might be able to help us with.

Eleanor Abernathy: Okay, thanks.

Officer Brown: Have a good afternoon, and please tell your daughter that we apologize for anything we might have done to offend her.