American Sherri Papini (39) made headlines around the world when she disappeared from a jogging trip in 2016. Now she has to go to jail for forging her own abduction.
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Sherri Papini appeared as a completely ordinary mother of small children from Redding, California, when she disappeared from the face of the earth during a jogging trip in November 2016.
Three weeks later, she appeared on a highway, 240 kilometers from her home. She was beaten, starved and burnt. Her long blonde hair had been cut off.
Papini claimed she had been abducted, threatened with a gun, tied up and abused for 22 days.
The disappearance of the young blonde received a lot of attention, and a large-scale search operation was launched for her. A GoFundMe account raised nearly $ 50,000 for Papini’s husband and children, according to the magazine People.
–Up to 25 years in prison
Now, five years later, the 39-year-old has pleaded guilty to fabricating the whole story. The admission comes after the FBI’s investigation revealed that she actually spent the 22 days with her ex-boyfriend.
She was arrested on March 3 this year in front of her two children, according to The Sacramento Bee.
The FBI has concluded that Papini either inflicted his injuries on himself – or got his ex-girlfriend to do it for her. skriver The Guardian.
Papini told authorities she had been abducted by two Latin American women. Now she has signed an agreement with the prosecution where she pleads guilty to having lied about the circumstances
– I am deeply ashamed of myself for my behavior and so sorry for the pain I have inflicted on my family, my friends, all the good people who have suffered unnecessarily because of my story, and those who worked so hard to try to help me, she says one statementpublished through her lawyer.
– I want to work the rest of my life to make up for what I have done.
Papini risks up to 25 years in prison and fines totaling $ 500,000, according to CNN.
–Revealed by DNA
When she first came to justice in 2016, Papini gave very specific details to investigators about her alleged kidnappers. She said she had spent much of her captivity chained in a room with screened windows, and that the women were playing loud music.
None of what Papini said helped the authorities track down any perpetrators. It was not until the spring of 2017 that investigators found the evidence that led them to the conclusion: Sherri Papini was not abducted – she ran away.
According to a 53-page indictment released last week by a U.S. district court, the clue was a male DNA on the pants and underwear she was wearing when she was found. The DNA did not belong to her kidnappers, nor did Papini’s husband, the authorities concluded.
Unknown intentions
In March 2020, they got a match in the search – which in turn led them to Papini’s ex-girlfriend. He has admitted during interrogation that he helped Papini run away, because she claimed that she was abused by her husband.
The ex-girlfriend claims he did not know what Papini’s intentions were – but has stated that he thought the two would end up in a romantic relationship again. However, unlike many people who stage their own disappearance, she returned to her husband and children after the episode was over.
Papini stuck to his story for a long time – and made the latest statement in August 2020 about the kidnapping, according to The Guardian. It is still unclear why Papini wants to stage his own kidnapping, the newspaper writes.
–Received compensation
Papini is said to have received more than $ 30,000 in compensation from the government after the fake kidnapping, including funds for therapy for anxiety and PTSD, as well as costs for hospital treatment.
The money collected through GoFundMe was used, among other things, to pay off credit card debt. However, authorities have said they do not plan to charge her husband Keith Papini with any crimes.
It is expected that Papini will plead guilty at the next court hearing, Monday 18 April, to postal fraud and to giving a false statement. The former is justified by the fact that parts of the compensation she received were sent by post.
Brian Jackson, one of the main detectives in the case, told the Sacramento Bee that he has mixed feelings about the outcome of the case.
– You are happy because you have “cracked the case”, but also annoyed … It would not have had to go that far if someone would have stood up and told us the truth from the beginning, he says.
– I want to know the reason behind it. Hopefully we will get even more clarity as this progresses.
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