The Kidnapping of Sherry Papini: The Story of a Crime That Never Happened
In November 2016, 34-year-old Sherri Papini disappeared while jogging near her California home. Three weeks later, she was found exhausted and beaten on the side of the road. She claimed to have been held captive by two Latina women the entire time. However, over time, inconsistencies began to emerge in her story, and the investigation took a completely unexpected turn.
Sherry Papini was an ordinary American housewife and mother of two. The love story of Sherry and her husband, Keith, was a romantic one. They met in 2008, and it seemed like it was love at first sight. A year later, Keith proposed to his blue-eyed sweetheart, and they soon married. The couple had a son and then a daughter.
Sherry and Keith had everything they needed for a happy life: a spacious home, a stable income, and wonderful children. They seemed to live in complete harmony, and nothing could disturb their calm, cozy life. But on November 2, 2016, everything changed—their fairytale-like life suddenly turned into a living nightmare.
On that typical autumn day, Sherry went for a run as usual. When Keith returned from work that evening, he realized his wife was still missing. She hadn't picked up the children from daycare, and her car was parked in the garage. Sherry's money, jewelry, and documents were still there. Concerned, Keith brought the children home and then went to the police to report them missing.
Without waiting for the police, Keith decided to explore his wife's jogging route himself. To his horror, he discovered her headphones, phone, and a plucked clump of hair. This evidence prompted law enforcement to expedite the search. A large-scale effort immediately began: not only the police but also local residents joined the search. Many in Redding knew the friendly and personable Sherry and were genuinely worried about her.
Missing posters for Sherry spread across the streets and appeared on television newscasts. Searches were conducted not only in California but also in neighboring states. However, all efforts proved fruitless. Police received numerous calls from people reporting sightings of the woman across the United States. Unfortunately, all these reports turned out to be false.
Sherry Papini was found completely unexpectedly. Three weeks later, on Thanksgiving Day, she was spotted 250 kilometers outside of town. She was walking along the highway, waving her arms, trying to flag down passing cars. Sherry looked terrible. She had lost a lot of weight, her nose was broken, and her body and face were covered in abrasions and bruises.
Sherry told police she was abducted by two masked Latina women. She said the attackers threatened her with a gun, forced her into an SUV, and held her against her will. When Sherry was discovered, her hair was cut to shoulder length, and a strange burn resembling a brand was visible on her right shoulder. Tests revealed traces of both male and female DNA on Sherry's clothing and body.
Sherry's story sparked a huge public outcry. GoFundMe raised over $49,000, which the family spent on medical expenses. Meanwhile, police launched a large-scale investigation. Sherry's husband, Keith, voluntarily volunteered to undergo a polygraph test and also provided investigators with his phones and computer for testing.
At first, her husband was genuinely overjoyed at Sherry's return. But soon, doubts about the veracity of her story began to creep in. In one interview, he told reporters:
Not only her husband but also the FBI raised doubts. Sherry claimed she was held in appalling conditions, beaten, and tortured. She said the attackers threatened to kill her or sell her for organs, but never made any specific demands. The criminals then forced the victim into a car and drove to where they found her. What motive could there have been for such actions?
A joint police and federal investigation laid everything out. It turned out that Sherry hadn't been kidnapped. In fact, she'd spent those three weeks happily with her lover in Michigan, hundreds of miles from home. Her phone number helped expose the liar.
Detectives discovered that Sherry had spoken with a man named James Reyes a couple of days before her abduction. He, surprisingly, turned out to be her ex-boyfriend. FBI agents traveled to Michigan, where he lived, and recovered the bottle he had been drinking from. DNA testing confirmed that the biological traces on Sherry's body belonged to Reyes.
The man was summoned for questioning, and without hesitation, he recounted the events. His ex-girlfriend had called him and complained about her abusive husband, who was allegedly beating her. Sherry begged him to save her and outlined her escape plan. James arrived by car and picked her up during her morning jog. Afterward, the couple traveled to Michigan to stay with him, where they spent three carefree weeks.
After some time, Sherry began to miss home, especially her son and daughter, and began planning to return. Her lover took her to California. He claimed he had not harmed her, and that all her injuries were self-inflicted. In March 2022, Sherry Papini was arrested and charged with perjury and fraud.
Just a month later, Sherry admitted her guilt and confirmed that the kidnapping story was completely fabricated. She was sentenced to eighteen months in prison and ordered to pay $310,000 in restitution to the state. Sherry's husband, Keith, later said that the children had a particularly difficult time. At first, they were afraid to leave the house, fearing that the "kidnappers" would return. After their mother's revelation, Keith did everything he could to protect them from the intrusive attention of the media.
Naturally, the family fell apart. Keith is extremely hostile toward his ex-wife. He tried to strip her of custody of the children through the courts, citing Sherry's mental illness. But the court dismissed the case and upheld the mother's right to see the children. Sherry has already served her sentence and now, in rare interviews, says she deeply regrets what happened.
Sherry Papini's story is so unusual that it has attracted the attention of filmmakers. The film "The Mystery of the Abduction of Sherry Papini" was released in 2023. Thanks to the fee she received, she was able to pay a substantial fine, and she still has some money left over.
Sherry Papini's story evokes conflicting emotions, ranging from sympathy to condemnation. What do you think drove the woman to stage her own kidnapping: a desire for drama, a desire for revenge, or an attempt to escape reality?