PUZZLING

Police: Abducted Jogger Was Branded by Her Captors

Police seek public’s help in tracking down suspects.

A California mother of two who was abducted while jogging in November was branded with a message by her captors, police said Wednesday. Investigators are seeking the public’s help in the case of 34-year-old Sherri Papini, who was found alive on the side of a road last week in Northern California and told police her captors kept her tied up for weeks. Previously, Shasta County police said they were searching for two female suspects in the case, before offering more details on Papini’s ordeal. Sheriff Tom Bosenko said Papini’s captors had chopped off her hair and branded her, perhaps in a bid to humiliate her. “I would think that that was some sort of either an exertion of power and control and/or maybe some type of message,” Bosenko said on Good Morning America. Bosenko declined to provide further details on the message with which Papini was branded. He said police were still uncertain about whether Papini was abducted at random or targeted specifically. While doubts have arisen on social media over Papini’s story, Bosenko told the Associated Press that police have no reason not to believe her. No ransom demands were reportedly made by her captors, and no motive has been determined.