WEB OF LIES

Mom Who Vanished for Weeks in 2016 Made Up Entire Kidnapping Story, Says Prosecutor

Sherri Papini was found by a roadside with a chain around her waist and a branding on her shoulder.

When California mom Sherri Papini was found by a roadside after vanishing for weeks in 2016, she told police she had been kidnapped at gunpoint and held captive by two Hispanic women. Now, prosecutors say she made the entire thing up and was staying with her ex. Papini, who is now 39, was arrested Thursday and is accusing of lying to investigators and defrauding California out of over $30,000. Her disappearance in Northern California in November 2016 sparked a nationwide search. After three weeks, she was found in rural Yolo County with a chain around her waist and a branding on her shoulder, which she said was done by her kidnappers—but prosecutors say she injured herself to create a cover story. “Ultimately, the investigation revealed that there was no kidnapping,” wrote Phillip Talbert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California. Papini’s lawyers haven’t publicly commented on the allegations.