Sherri Papini kidnapping hoax

Sherri Papini and her husband, Keith Papini, being interrogated by police over a table with documents strewn on it
Sherri Papini (top left) with her husband (bottom left) sitting for a police interrogation

Sherri Louise Graeff-Papini is an American woman who disappeared on November 2, 2016, reportedly while out jogging a mile from her home in Redding, California.[1] Papini was 34 years old at the time. She reappeared three weeks later on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, having been reportedly freed by her captors at 4:30 that morning, still wearing restraints, on the side of County Road 17 near Interstate 5 in Yolo County, about 150 miles (240 km) south of where she disappeared.[2]

The case garnered significant media attention; law enforcement experts cited doubts as to her story because of the unlikely details and inconsistencies of the reported abduction. In August 2020, she stood by her story when a federal agent and a detective from the Shasta County Sheriff's Office questioned her. She received over $30,000 from the California Victim Compensation Board between 2017 and 2021. On March 3, 2022, Papini was arrested on federal charges arising from her fabrication of the abduction; she had reportedly been staying with a former boyfriend, James Reyes, during the time she was supposedly missing and had harmed herself in order to give credence to her lies.

Six weeks after her arrest, Papini signed a plea deal admitting that she had orchestrated the hoax.[3] She pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of making false statements. In September 2022, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $300,000 (including restitution to cover the costs of the police investigation).[4]

Background

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Sherri Louise Graeff was born on June 11, 1982. She married Keith Papini in October 2009. The couple have two children together, one son and one daughter. On March 3, 2022, the day on which Sherri was arrested on federal charges, the couple separated. In April 2022, a few days after Sherri pleaded guilty to fraud charges, Keith filed for divorce from his wife and for sole custody of their children.[5]

Timeline

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Sherri's husband, Keith Papini, first became concerned when he returned from his job at Best Buy on November 2, 2016, and could not find his wife at home. He eventually used the "Find My iPhone" application to locate her cell phone and earbuds at the intersection of Sunrise Drive and Old Oregon Trail, about a mile from their home.[6]

According to Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko,[7] in interviews Papini said she was held by two Hispanic women who took steps to keep their faces hidden from her, either by wearing masks or by keeping Papini's head covered. Papini was branded on her right shoulder during her purported captivity with the word EXODUS.[8] When investigators questioned Sherri at a later date, she claimed that it looked like a verse from the Book of Exodus.[9] According to a statement by her husband Keith Papini, Sherri was physically abused during her captivity, had her nose broken and her hair cut off, and weighed 87 pounds (39 kg) when she was released.[10]

At that time, the sheriff said it was still an active investigation and authorities were "looking for a dark-colored SUV with two Hispanic females armed with a handgun."[11] Detectives had authored close to 20 search warrants, including some in Michigan, and said they were examining cellphone records, bank accounts, email, and social media profiles.[12][13] The FBI provided assistance in the case.[14]

Papini was found with both male and female DNA on her, neither of which matched her nor her husband. The FBI ran the samples through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and found no matches. In March 2022, it was reported that DNA found on her clothing matched that of an ex-boyfriend, James Reyes, who confirmed that Papini stayed with him at his residence in Southern California during the time she was allegedly kidnapped.[15]

Prosecution, guilty plea, and sentence

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On March 3, 2022, Sherri Papini was arrested by the FBI, accused of lying to federal agents and faking her kidnapping to spend time with her ex-boyfriend, away from her husband and family.[16][17] In April 2022, six weeks after her arrest, Papini pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento to one count of making false statements and one count of mail fraud as part of a plea agreement; she admitted to orchestrating the hoax.[3][4][18] Thirty-three other counts of mail fraud were dropped as part of the plea agreement.[18] Her husband filed for divorce after her guilty plea.[19]

In the September 2022 sentencing hearing, she apologized and accepted full responsibility.[4] In sentencing submissions, her attorney cited past mental health issues as contributors to her actions.[4] She was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $309,902, including restitution to cover the multi-state police investigation that the hoax prompted.[4][18] Papini was released from prison in August 2023 and placed in a halfway house.[20]

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At the time of her purported kidnapping, Papini's disappearance was featured extensively in national news, and true crime programs, including a front cover People profile.[21] The same outlets have continued to cover the story after the hoax was confirmed, including multiple true crime documentaries, newsmagazine episodes and podcasts.

The first scripted film based on the hoax was the 2023 Lifetime television film Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini with Jaime King playing Sherri Papini. The lead detective was depicted as female and played by Lossen Chambers, while in real life the lead detective was Shasta County Sheriff Sergeant Kyle Wallace.[22][23][24]

Hulu's limited documentary series Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini was released on June 19, 2024.[25]

Eminem references the kidnapping hoax in his song "Houdini".[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Thorbecke, Catherine (November 24, 2016). "Missing California 'Super Mom' Found Alive, Bound by Road, Sheriff Says". ABC News. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  2. ^ "Sheriff: Sherri Papini Was Kidnapped; Captors Still At Large". CBS Sacramento. November 24, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Stanton, Sam (April 12, 2022). "California 'Super Mom' will admit her 'kidnap' was all a hoax, accept plea deal". Yahoo! News.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Sherri Papini: US woman who staged her own disappearance sentenced to 18 months". BBC News. September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Romine, Taylor (April 22, 2022). "Husband of Sherri Papini, woman who faked 2016 kidnapping, files for divorce and child custody". CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Deutschmann, Jennifer (November 29, 2016). "Sherri Papini Found Alive, Claims She Was Abducted by Two Hispanic Women". Inquisitr. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  7. ^ "Full Text Of Nov 30 Press Conference About Sherri Papini's Abduction". KOVR News. November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  8. ^ Heise, Sarah (November 7, 2017). "New video shows Sherri Papini moments before she was found". KCRA News. Retrieved November 8, 2017 – via SFGate.
  9. ^ Bonvillian, Crystal (March 9, 2022). "Sherri Papini- Feds detail how missing mom branded, starved self in 2016 kidnapping hoax". KIRO News. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Serna, Joseph (November 30, 2016). "Sherri Papini's husband might have compromised kidnapping probe with public comments, sheriff says". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  11. ^ "Papini found : At 5 minute and 35 second mark". November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Sabalow, Ryan (November 25, 2016). "CA kidnapping: Questions remain after missing California mom Sherri Papini reappears". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  13. ^ Adam Carlson (2017). How Detectives Continue to Dig on the Case of Calif. Mom Who Said She Was Abducted on a Jog, People. April 3, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017
  14. ^ Sabalow, Ryan (January 30, 2017). "Two months after Sherri Papini reappeared, here's what we know about the investigation". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  15. ^ Dowd, Katie (March 6, 2022). "FBI affidavit unravels astounding claims about California mom Sherri Papini". SFGate.com. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  16. ^ "Sherri Papini, accused of faking 2016 kidnapping, injured herself to further her hoax, feds say". Yahoo! News. March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Andone, Dakin (March 8, 2022). "California woman's alleged fake abduction cost the public hundreds of thousands of dollars, authorities say". CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c Sherri Papini Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Lying to Federal Agents About Being Kidnapped and Defrauding the California Victim Compensation Board, U.S. Department of Justice (September 19, 2022).
  19. ^ Hanlon, Greg; Pelisek, Christine; Herbst, Diane (April 22, 2022). "Sherri Papini's Husband Files for Divorce, Days After Her Guilty Plea in Kidnapping Hoax". People.
  20. ^ Neumann, Sean (August 28, 2023). "Sherri Papini Released from Prison After Sentence for Faking Kidnapping". People.
  21. ^ Solis, Nathan (December 1, 2016). "National media descend on Redding for Papini case". Redding Record Searchlight. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  22. ^ "We watched Lifetime's movie on Sherri Papini's fake kidnapping. Here's what it got right". Sacramento Bee. January 27, 2023.
  23. ^ Bobbin, Jay (January 27, 2023). "Lifetime movie dramatizes the Sherri Papini kidnapping 'Hoax'". Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Zap2it. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  24. ^ "Jaime King Explains What Made Her "Mad" About Sherri Papini's Hoax Kidnapping Case". E! Online. January 28, 2023.
  25. ^ Maglio, Tony (June 6, 2024). "Hulu Leaves No Stone Unturned in Trailer for Sherri Papini Docuseries". IndieWire. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  26. ^ Saponara, Michael (May 31, 2024). "All the Celebrities Eminem Name-Drops on 'Houdini'". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
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