The Suspicious Kidnapping of Sherri Papini | Morbid | Podcast
- Nov 21, 2024
- 1:19:36
- Full Episode
On November 2, 2016, thirty-four-year-old so-called “Supermom” Sherri Papini went out for a run near her home in Redding, California, and disappeared without a trace. Three weeks later, on Thanksgiving Day, Sherri was discovered on the side of the road in a nearby county, where she said her captors had released her.
In the days that followed, Sherri claimed she had been kidnapped by two unknown Latin American women, who physically abused her, including branding her on the shoulder with the word “Exodus.” The case garnered considerable attention from the local and national media, but when it came to details on her abductors and their motives, Sherri was surprisingly tight-lipped, giving the police and FBI little to work with.
In March 2022, more than five years after her supposed abduction, the nation was shocked to learn that federal agents had arrested Papini and charged her with faking her own kidnapping. A month later, Sherri pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to more than a year in prison. The news was stunning and left everyone wondering, why would a seemingly ordinary and ostensibly happy mother orchestrate such a bizarre hoax?
Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!
References ABC News. 2016. "Missing California mom found alive after captor abandons her in restraints, sheriff says." ABC News, November 24.
Ayestas, Jonathan. 2024. "Sherri Papini has yet to pay $300,000 fine for faked 2016 California kidnapping." CNN Newswire, March 26.
Bella, Timothy. 2022. "A mother said she was kidnapped. Now she admits it was all a hoax." Washington Post, April 13.
Bever, Lindsey, and Kristine Guerra. 2016. "Missing California mother found alive three weeks after her apparent abduction, police say." Washington Post, November 25.
Bonvillian, Crystal. 2022. "Feds detail how missing mom branded, starved self in 2016 kidnapping hoax." Cox Media Group, March 9.
CBS News, Sacramento. 2016. "Full text of November 30 press conference about Sherri Papini's abduction." CBS News, Sacramento, November 30.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2022. Sherri Papini criminal complaint and affidavit. Criminal complaint, Los Angeles, CA: Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Gumbel, Andrew. 2022. "California jogger Sherri Papini staged own violent kidnapping, FBI says." The Guardian, March 4.
—. 2016. "Kidnapping, reverse ransom and a bounty: the strange case of Sherri Papini." The Guardian, December 30.
Hurley, Beven. 2022. "Why did it take five years to charge 'supermom' Sherri Papini with fabricating her own abduction?" The Independent, March 4.
Larimer, Sarah. 2016. "California mother was 'branded' and covered in bruises after apparent abduction, husband says." Washington Post, November 29.
Longoria, Sean. 2016. "Mother of 2 goes missing near Redding." Record Searchlight (Redding, CA), November 4: 1.
—. 2016. "Audio tells of Papini response." Record Searchlight, November 27: 1.
Sabalow, Ryan. 2016. "Familty of 'supermom' holds on to hope." Sacramento Bee, November 12: 1.
—. 2016. "Keep an open mind in unusual kidnap story, experts say." Sacramento Bee, December 3: B1.
—. 2016. "Relative defends husband of missing 'supermom'." Sacramento Bee, November 9: A14.
—. 2017. "Sheriff's office silent on Papini details." Sacramento Bee, January 31.
—. 2016. "'Supermom' hasn't been seen since taking a jog." Sacramento Bee, November 8: A4.
Sandhu, Amber. 2016. "Missing mom sought." Record Searchlight (Redding, CA), November 5: 1.
Serna, Joseph. 2016. "A setback in kidnapping case?" Los Angeles Times, December 1: B3.
Shulman, Alayna. 2016. "Sherriff gets help in search." Record Searchlight, November 8: 1.
—. 2017. "Will 2018 bring more Papini details?" Record Searchlight, December 28: 6.
Solis, Nathan. 2022. "Tale of abduction by Latinas fueled racial unease." Los Angeles Times, March 6: B2. Connect with Wondery http://wondery.com/shows http://facebook.com/WonderyMedia http://twitter.com/WonderyMedia http://instagram.com/WonderyMedia
Brief Summary
Sherry Pini staged her own kidnapping, deceiving her family and community for attention.
Key points
- The Charm Bracelet. Ash shares her excitement about a new charm bracelet from their merch collection.
- The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherry Pini. The hosts delve into the suspicious case of Sherry Pini, who vanished without a trace.
- Social Media Speculation. The dangers of social media speculation in missing person cases are discussed.
- Sherry Pini Found Alive. After weeks of searching, Sherry Pini was discovered alive, bound and beaten, on the side of a road.
- Skepticism Surrounds Sherry's Return. Despite her safe return, many questioned the motives behind her abduction and the circumstances surrounding it.
- Keith Papini's Defense. Keith Papini defended his wife against accusations of a hoax, expressing disbelief at the idea she could orchestrate such a plan.
Episode highlights
- The Charm BraceletAsh shares her excitement about a new charm bracelet from their merch collection.“I was like like I needed this”5:05Nov 21, 2024
- The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherry PiniThe hosts delve into the suspicious case of Sherry Pini, who vanished without a trace.“This is a very kind way to say it”7:10Nov 21, 2024
- Social Media SpeculationThe dangers of social media speculation in missing person cases are discussed.“That's dangerous, especially when it's an active investigation”17:55Nov 21, 2024
- Sherry Pini Found AliveAfter weeks of searching, Sherry Pini was discovered alive, bound and beaten, on the side of a road.“It was like, whoa, and then you were like, what is going on?”21:27Nov 21, 2024
- Skepticism Surrounds Sherry's ReturnDespite her safe return, many questioned the motives behind her abduction and the circumstances surrounding it.“There appeared to be no motive for the abduction.”25:25Nov 21, 2024
- Keith Papini's DefenseKeith Papini defended his wife against accusations of a hoax, expressing disbelief at the idea she could orchestrate such a plan.“We are not going to allow those people to take away our spirit.”36:17Nov 21, 2024
- The Reverse Ransom OfferAn anonymous donor offered $100,000 for Sherry's safe return, despite no ransom being requested.“Damn, that's crazy! That's huge!”42:04Nov 21, 2024
- The FBI's InvestigationThe FBI's investigation revealed Sherry's past and her connection to her ex-boyfriend.“The deeper agents dug into Sherry's history, the more they started to question.”49:19Nov 21, 2024
