In a startling twist, Sherri Papini, the California woman who admitted to faking her 2016 kidnapping, now asserts that she was genuinely abducted. This revelation comes nearly a decade after her disappearance captivated the nation and subsequent confession led to her imprisonment.
The Original Disappearance
In November 2016, Papini vanished while jogging near her home in Redding, California. She reappeared 22 days later, bearing injuries and claiming she had been kidnapped by two masked Hispanic women. Her story unraveled in 2022 when investigators discovered she had been hiding with her ex-boyfriend, James Reyes, during her absence. Papini pleaded guilty to making false statements and mail fraud, resulting in an 18-month prison sentence and a $300,000 restitution order.
A New Narrative Emerges
Now, in the 2025 docuseries Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie, Papini alleges that Reyes was her actual abductor. She claims she fabricated the initial story to conceal the affair from her then-husband, Keith Papini, fearing the loss of custody of their children.
Both Papini and Reyes have passed polygraph tests supporting their conflicting accounts. Papini’s therapist suggests she may suffer from Self-Defeating Personality Disorder, which could explain her contradictory behavior.
Impact on the Family
Following her conviction, Keith Papini filed for divorce and was awarded full custody of their two children, Tyler and Violet. He has since focused on providing a stable environment for them. Sherri, released from prison in August 2023, now has supervised visitation rights and is seeking increased contact with her children.
Public Reaction and Ongoing Debate
Papini’s shifting narratives have reignited public debate. Her mother, Loretta Graeff, remains skeptical of the new claims, believing her daughter left voluntarily. The docuseries delves into these conflicting perspectives, leaving viewers to question the truth behind Papini’s disappearance.
