If you’re someone who loves a good true-crime story, they don’t get much better than the disappearance and later revealed faked abduction of Sherri Papini. Back in 2016, Papini turned a story that began in Redding, California, into a national fiasco when her November “kidnapping” while jogging and her reappearance three weeks later on Thanksgiving Day were revealed to be an elaborate hoax. Police ultimately arrested Papini, and she would eventually sign a plea deal admitting that she orchestrated the entire thing.
After serving 18 months in jail and receiving an order to pay $300,000 to cover the cost of the elaborate police investigation, the real-life “Gone Girl” is telling her side of the story in a four-part docuseries called Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie, which aired on Investigation Discovery and is now streaming on Max. The point is for her to tell her “truth,” but the result is a portrait of a woman who appears to still have a very complicated relationship with honesty.
The kidnapping story began on November 2, 2016, when Papini was reportedly abducted while jogging a mile from her home. Her husband at the time, Keith Papini, found her cell phone on the ground, along with her earbuds, which had a strand of her blonde hair attached to them. Police used vast resources to search for the 34-year-old wife and mother, and the story initially garnered sympathetic attention from those hoping for her safe return. Papini ultimately reappeared on Thanksgiving Day, claiming her kidnappers, alleged to be two Hispanic women, freed her after they had chained her up, beaten her, and branded her.
Law enforcement was instantly skeptical of her story and, upon further investigation, male DNA was found on her that belonged to James Reyes, a former boyfriend. During his interviews, Reyes stated that he didn’t abduct Papini and that she stayed with him willingly. He claimed he only did these things to her (the abuse, branding, and restraints) because she asked him to and wanted to get away from her husband. Reyes passed a lie-detector test regarding the matter, and police never charged him, while Papini found herself on the wrong side of the law because of her lies.
Sherri Papini’s New Claims Are More Outrageous Than Her Firsts
Investigation Discovery
The problem with Papini throughout the new four-part true-crime docuseries is that she’s an unreliable narrator, and it’s instantly hard to believe anything she has to say. Throughout the four episodes, she excels at showcasing theatrics, which might have worked had the media not thoroughly documented her lies. Given the fact that her husband has controlled the narrative during his documentaries on the matter, it’s only fair that she has the floor to tell her side of what happened. Still, her new assertions are just as outrageous as her original claims and the contradictory revisions she later made to her story.
In her first lie, she claimed that two Hispanic women abducted her, but now she claims that she falsely identified her kidnappers in a bid to not lose custody of her children to her husband, whom she accuses quite frequently of being emotionally abusive (more on that later). The silly part is that she admits that she lied about aspects of her original story, but she now says the heart of it, involving Reyes, is true. She asserts that her former boyfriend abducted her and tortured her, only agreeing to free her when she said she wouldn’t implicate him in the kidnapping. When asked why she initially accused two Hispanic women, she claims it was to drop hints that it was Reyes who did it (insert eye roll here).
Related
20 Best True Crime TV Shows on Max to Watch Right Now
Looking to satiate that need for more true-crime stories? These Max shows have you covered.
Papini’s twisted version of the truth is that she contacted Reyes because she wanted to escape her marriage because her husband was controlling and, due to a previous affair, she signed a post-nuptial agreement that stated Keith would get full custody of their children if she had an affair, whether it be physical or emotional. Papini alleges that her plan to be free of her husband got out of hand when Reyes became a part of the plan, and he then took control of her, saying that after she went to him for help, he kidnapped her and tortured her for weeks.
Even though the directors of the docuseries do a good job of giving Papini, her family, and her doctors time to attempt to validate some of her story, it’s juxtaposed with those who worked on the investigation, and they offer up easy examples as to why what she’s claiming is ludicrous. If that wasn’t enough, even her supporters don’t do much to help her. There is a doctor who was interviewed who has been working with Papini, who admits that she was once prone to big lies, but now, with much counseling, she only tells “little lies.”
Sherri Papini’s Own Family Has Doubts About Her New Story
She can spin several little white lies to create one big one. In one of the more shocking moments, her mother believes that Reyes didn’t kidnap her and that she left willingly with him to escape her marriage and be happy. If your mother is doubting you, how is an audience of millions watching supposed to buy anything you’re saying? It certainly doesn’t help that she has conveniently blocked out Reyes getting her into his car while on her jog and other details that could add legitimacy to her story.
A government official involved with Papini’s case doesn’t appear to believe any of her new claims. The FBI agent said, “When you tell the truth, there are corroborations that bind that story together. When you are making stuff up, it is impossible sometimes to prove or disprove. It is hard to corroborate Sherri’s claims.” After going on to say that she had four years to say that she was having marital problems and these events took place because she wanted to escape her marriage, he was asked if she was the girl who cried wolf, and if it was possible these things did happen. His response was very telling.
“If she is the girl who cried wolf then with her background she is going to need a picture of the wolf, paw prints from the wolf, confession both verbal and written from the wolf in order to corroborate her version of the wolf actually coming to her. This is based upon the problems with her credibility and her veracity.”
Related
Best True Crime Documentaries on Max
HBO pioneered the art of true crime decades ago. Let’s take a look at what streaming service Max has to offer in that regard.
The one thing that rings a bit true is the depiction of her then-husband, Keith. The docuseries frequently describes him as someone who cared deeply about appearances, and even law enforcement officials working on the case say he wanted to control the narrative, which sometimes hindered their investigation. He also courted the media, choosing to do a 20/20 interview when his wife was found. He wanted to paint a picture of the suffering husband who now had his lady love back.
Both of them are likely highly narcissistic, and he only comes out a bit better because his lies didn’t lead to a criminal investigation. The court granted him custody because Sherri was going to prison, with the arrangement set to change when she was released. As of now, he’s not giving the kids back and has alleged that she was abusing them. The one thing that can be believed, upon watching her speak today, is that she loves her kids, and some of Keith’s assertions appear to be an attempt to portray someone who is already perceived negatively as even worse.
That said, Sherri Papini is fighting a hard battle with this docuseries. If she believed that it would make her look believable and vulnerable, it does quite the opposite. It just proves that she and the truth aren’t friends, and she has learned virtually nothing since that November day in 2016. Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie is currently streaming on Max.
You can view the original article HERE.
