'Sherri Papini: I Kidnapped Myself': Lifetime's crime movie to unveil TRUTH behind fake kidnapping
This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised.
REDDING, CALIFORNIA: The world was shocked when they learned Sherri Papini disappeared while out on a job on November 2, 2016, in Redding, California. She was later arrested for falsely claiming that she had been kidnapped for 22 days by two Hispanic women in 2016. She also claimed that she was subjected to physical and mental abuse before she was finally able to escape and make her way back home. Papini was later charged with lying to federal agents and defrauding the state's victim compensation board of $30,000.
Lifetime is making a true crime movie on it called ‘Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini’. The case's actual details were unearthed six years later when a deacon in the sheriff’s church was asked about the Bible verse tattooed on Sherri Panini’s shoulder. The deacon stated, "And so I told him it's Exodus 21:16, and it says something to the effect of 'if anyone has kidnapped someone, they should be put to death'." The verse inked onto Sherri's shoulder raised even more suspicions — it seemed like a bizarre coincidence that she would have this verse tattooed on her body, especially after claiming to have been kidnapped by two women. So the sheriff decided to investigate her story.
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The true story behind Sherri Papini's kidnapping
Sherri Papini's disappearance was reported by her husband Keith, who discovered her cell phone and earbuds with blonde hairs tangled in them near Sunrise Drive in Redding. The officers from the Shasta County Sheriff's department conducted a search in the surrounding area but were unable to locate any evidence of the missing woman.
In a shocking turn of events, it was revealed that Sherri Papini's ex-boyfriend, James Reyes, had played a role in her mysterious disappearance. During an interview with detectives investigating the case, Reyes stated that he had helped Papini flee from her home, as she had confided in him that her husband was abusing her. According to Reyes, Papini had been staying with him until she returned home on Thanksgiving Day 2016. Papini also went to great lengths to make her lie believable by hurting herself.
The office of Shasta County District Attorney, Stephanie Talbert, confirmed that at the time of her arrest, Sherri Papini did not have an attorney and her first court appearance had not yet been scheduled. The charges against her allege that in August 2020, Papini was still lying about her kidnapping to a federal agent and a detective from the Shasta County Sheriff's department. Despite being shown evidence that indicated she had not been abducted and being warned that lying to a federal agent is a criminal offense, Papini allegedly continued to make false statements.
During the investigation into her kidnapping, police discovered that the male DNA found on Papini's clothing did not belong to her husband, Keith, and also revealed that she had been communicating with another man from Detroit, Michigan just days before her disappearance. It was later reported that she faced mail fraud charges related to the "reimbursement requests" that she had made during the period, and a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
To find out more about Sherri Pepini, watch Lifetime’s true crime movie called ‘Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini’ on Jan 28, 2023 at 8/7c on Lifetime