Sherri Papini Story: A 'Super Mom' Vanished In Broad Daylight And Mysteriously Reappeared, But The D

On March 3rd, 2022, close to six years after Sherri Papini’s supposed kidnapping, police arrested the California woman for allegedly faking the entire incident. She is officially charged with “making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer and engaging in mail fraud,” according to Rolling Stone writer Jon Blistein. If convicted on both charges, Papini could face a maximum of 25 years in prison and half a million dollars in fines.

In August 2020, authorities again questioned Papini regarding the kidnapping, at which time she reiterated her original story, despite being presented with contradictory evidence showing that the incident did not occur.

Chris Thomas, a spokesperson for the family, criticized the “dramatic” nature of Papini’s arrest, stating that she would have complied with any police request in a quiet manner. He also stated her charges were confusing and hoped to receive “clarification in the coming days.”

Police said she made up the whole story to get attention and was staying with her ex-boyfriend for the 22 days she went missing.

The mother of two convinced James Reyes, her ex-boyfriend, to pick her up and drive her to his Southern California apartment after telling him her husband Keith was ‘abusing’ her.

Reyes, 37, previously confessed to the plot after being identified by DNA found on Sherri’s clothes through a familial match.

He told police how he and Sherri dated in 2006 and ‘loved’ each other. She randomly got in touch with him in 2016 again, he said, and told him that her husband was abusing her.

Papini and Reyes then spoke on pre-paid cell phones, arranging for her to run away for months before November 2, when he collected her from Redding and the alleged hoax started.

The ex-boyfriend admitted to investigators that he thought their relationship would become romantic once they were back at his apartment in Costa Mesa, but that it never did.

Instead, Sherri took over his bedroom and he slept on the couch. She locked herself away in the room, starved herself and cut off her hair then started inflicting injuries on herself.

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