Sherri Papini Accused Of Lying To Authorities About 2016 Disappearance - 'There Was No Kidnapping'
REDDING (CBS SF) – Sherri Papini, a Northern California woman at the center of a mysterious disappearance in 2016, was arrested by authorities Thursday for allegedly faking her own kidnapping.
According to US Attorney Phillip Talbert's office, the 39-year-old from Redding was arrested on charges of making false statements to federal law enforcement and engaging in mail fraud.
"Shasta County Sheriff's Office immediately began investigating, calling on the assistance of the FBI. Countless hours were spent following leads, all in an effort to bring this woman back to her family," Talbert said in a statement. "Ultimately, the investigation revealed that there was no kidnapping and that time and resources that could have been used to investigate actual crime, protect the community, and provide resources to victims were wasted based on the defendant's conduct."
On November 2, 2016, Papini was reported missing by her husband, prompting a massive search throughout Shasta County and throughout the region. Papini was found injured 22 days later near Woodland in Yolo County, with bindings on her body and a "brand" on her right shoulder.
Prosecutors said at the time, Papini claimed that she was held against her will by two women that she described as Hispanic and provided details of the alleged suspects to an FBI sketch artist. Following her disappearance, she also received more than $30,000 from the California Victim's Compensation Board, money which was used for visits to her therapist and for the ambulance that transported her to the hospital after her return.
An investigation determined Papini was actually several hundred miles away in Costa Mesa in Orange County, voluntarily staying with a former boyfriend. She also allegedly harmed herself to support her false claims.
Court documents said that Papini reached out to her ex-boyfriend to pick her up in Redding on the morning she went missing and that his DNA was on clothing when she returned from her disappearance. Phone records showed the two had been communicating on prepaid cellphones as early as December of 2015.
Authorities said in 2020, Papini was interviewed by a federal agent and a Shasta County sheriff's deputy and was confronted with evidence that showed she was not kidnapped. Despite warnings that it was a crime to lie to a federal agent, she did not retract her kidnapping story.
"Everyone involved in this investigation had one common goal; to find the truth about what happened on Nov. 2, 2016 with Sherri Papini and who was responsible," Sheriff Michael Johnson said. "The 22-day search for Sherri Papini and subsequent five-year search into who reportedly abducted her was not only taxing on public resources but caused the general public to be fearful of their own safety, a fear that they should not have had to endure."
Papini faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the false statements charge and up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the mail fraud charge. It was not immediately known when Papini would make a court appearance on the charges.