California mom Sherri Papini blamed two Hispanic women for kidnapping her for twenty-two days in 2016. During the twenty-two days Papini was missing, no one knew where she was or what was happening to her. However, when she returned from her “abduction,” she told authorities all about it. Now, six years later, she is being arrested for making up the whole story and lying to authorities about her alleged kidnapping.
Sherri “supermom” Papini found herself in troubled waters when prosecutors took action against her on Thursday. Authorities have now accused the 39-year-old California mom of lying to federal agents about being kidnapped by “two Hispanic women” and then defrauding California state’s victim compensation board of $30,000.
Back in 2016, Papini was found on Thanksgiving Day after allegedly being kidnapped by two women. Authorities had searched California and other neighboring states for twenty-two days since she was reported missing after going for a jog on November 2, 2016.
When Papini was found, her head was shaved, she had a broken nose, and a “brand” on her right shoulder from the alleged torture she received while a victim in the abduction. She was also found tied up when authorities came to her rescue. She described how two Hispanic women had held her at gunpoint and abducted her for weeks. She described the women very carefully and even worked with an FBI sketch artist to recreate their likeness.
Authorities were never able to arrest anyone in the case. But they were always puzzled because they had no idea what the “two Hispanic women’s” motivation was for kidnapping Papini and then just letting her go without receiving a ransom or anything.
Police collected DNA samples from Papini’s clothes when she was found in 2016. However, they never found any matches in their database. However, in 2020 they got a match. The DNA belonged to a boyfriend’s father, whose DNA was on record in the official database. When they traced the DNA to Papini’s ex-boyfriend, he confessed everything and told authorities that the entire kidnapping was a big hoax.
“In truth, Papini had been voluntarily staying with a former boyfriend in Costa Mesa and had harmed herself to support her false statements,” an announcement by the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of California said in a release on Thursday night.
Now, six years later, Papini is finally being charged with making up the whole story and will have to face the repercussions for her actions. She could get up to five years in prison and will have to pay $250,000 in restitution to the state of California.
This case just goes to show that you can’t believe everything you hear. And even if someone’s story seems far-fetched, you should always investigate before passing judgment. What do you think about this case? Let us know in the comments below!
Papini’s attorney, Gregory J. Rynerson, said in a statement to BuzzFeed News on Thursday evening that his client is “truly sorry for the lies she told and will have to live with the consequences of her choices for the rest of her life.”
Rynerson added, “Sherri has accepted responsibility for her conduct and will be pleading guilty to these charges.”
Papini is scheduled to appear in court on June 15. Until then, she is out on $50,000 bail and is required to wear an electronic monitoring device. She is also not allowed to leave Northern California.