What Actually Happened to Sherri Papini? Inside the Twists and Turns of Her 2016 Kidnapping Hoax

Sherri Papini made nationalist headlines erstwhile she disappeared connected Nov. 2, 2016.

She was allegedly connected a tally adjacent her location successful Redding, Calif., erstwhile she claimed to person been abducted. Her then-husband, Keith Papini, reported her missing that evening, and a consequent three-week statewide hunt for her took place.

After 22 days, Sherri was recovered walking connected nan broadside of a highway. At nan time, she claimed that she was kidnapped by 2 armed, masked Hispanic women and that they had branded and tortured her while she was chained successful a bedroom.

Authorities investigated nan lawsuit for six years and later wished that Sherri had fabricated nan abduction and had been hiding retired astatine her ex-boyfriend James Reyes' flat successful Costa Mesa, Calif. In 2022, Sherri was arrested for making mendacious statements to a national supplier and message fraud. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months successful prison. She was released successful August 2023.

However, upon getting released from prison, Sherri changed her communicative again and claimed that Reyes "abducted" her without her consent.

"The injuries that occurred ... nan bites connected my thigh, nan footprint connected my back, nan brand, nan pouring of my tegument — I americium telling you location was nary consent," she alleged successful nan four-part docuseries Sherri Papini: Caught successful nan Lie, which premiered May 26. Reyes declined to remark connected her caller allegations.

Here's everything to cognize astir Sherri Papini, her 2016 disappearance and everything she's said since.

Who is Sherri Papini?

Sherri, calved successful 1982, was surviving successful Redding, Calif., pinch her husband, Keith, and their two children — boy Tyler and girl Violet — erstwhile she vanished connected Nov. 2, 2016.

She was 34 years aged astatine nan clip of her vanishing.

What happened connected nan time Sherri Papini went missing?

Sherri's then-husband, Keith, reported her missing connected Nov. 2, 2016, aft he came location and recovered that she and their young children were not there. He later recovered her telephone and headphones astir a mile down nan roadworthy and learned that Sherri ne'er picked up their kids from daycare.

After filing a missing persons report, Keith joined their friends, family and dozens of volunteers complete nan adjacent fewer weeks to effort and find Sherri. Keith besides helped raise thousands of dollars successful reward money for anyone who had a important lead connected his wife's location.

When did Sherri Papini resurface?

Sherri's disappearance made nationalist headlines and caused a statewide hunt for her.

On Nov. 24, 2016, 22 days aft she vanished, Sherri was seen stepping on nan broadside of a roadworthy successful Yolo County, Calif. — astir 150 miles from her home.

Her sister, Sheila Koester, antecedently told PEOPLE, "I consciousness for illustration it was a full world effort, conscionable pinch everyone posting connected Facebook and nan news sum we got. It was an astonishing Thanksgiving."

Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko told PEOPLE astatine nan time, "She was capable to walk to a adjacent church but cipher was location astatine 4:30 successful nan morning, and past she walked backmost and was capable to emblem down a motorist adjacent Interstate 5 and Yolo County Road 17."

Sheriff Bosenko revealed that Sherri was instantly hospitalized for her injuries and was capable to springiness authorities "some constricted magnitude of information." Keith saw his woman for nan first clip astatine nan infirmary later that day.

"My first show was my woman successful a infirmary bed," Keith told PEOPLE successful a connection astatine nan time. "Her look covered successful bruises ranging from yellowish to achromatic because of her repeated beatings. The span of her chemoreceptor broken. She has been branded and I could consciousness nan emergence of her scabs nether my fingers."

Keith further claimed that she weighed conscionable 87 lbs. and that her agelong blond hairsbreadth had been chopped off.

What did Sherri Papini declare happened to her?

Shortly aft Sherri resurfaced, she told authorities that she was abducted by 2 Hispanic women who were equipped and masked and forced her into an SUV.

"These Hispanic females are armed, considered vulnerable and they person a handgun, astatine slightest a handgun pinch them," Bosenko told reporters during a property convention astatine nan time.

Sherri alleged that nan women tortured and branded her while holding her hostage, chained successful a chamber for weeks. She claimed that she escaped aft 1 female fto her time off pinch a concatenation astir her waist, zip ties tying her hands and clamps astir her ankles.

At nan time, authorities believed her and chalked up immoderate inaccuracies successful her communicative to her emotion traumatized.

"We don't person immoderate logic not to judge her. She was abducted, held captive for 3 weeks and past released," Bosenko said astatine nan time. "Traumatized from nan acquisition and past of people very affectional astir being released and past being reunited pinch her hubby ... Sometimes group who person been successful a traumatic event, their mind shields them from immoderate of nan trauma truthful they do person constricted recollection."

However, authorities were never capable to place nan women who allegedly kidnapped Sherri, and they soon began to deliberation that location was a different type of events than nan ones Sherri concocted.

Why was Sherri Papini arrested?

Police continued investigating Sherri's disappearance for years aft her return. Shortly aft she resurfaced, authorities discovered some antheral and female DNA connected nan clothing Sherri was wearing erstwhile she was found. In 2020, they matched nan DNA to Sherri's ex-boyfriend, James Reyes, per KCRA.

In August of that year, constabulary brought successful Reyes for questioning, and he claimed that Sherri was really hiding pinch him successful his flat successful Costa Mesa, Calif. He alleged that Sherri reached retired to him to effort to "run away" from Keith, whom she claimed was sexually and physically abusive (he denied nan allegations).

Reyes further claimed that it was Sherri's thought to injure and marque herself and suffer weight, and that he ne'er physically wounded her. After 22 days together, Reyes alleged that Sherri missed her kids and asked him to driblet her disconnected connected nan broadside of a road.

On March 3, 2022, Sherri was arrested for faking her ain kidnapping. She was charged pinch 1 count of lying to a national serviceman and 1 count of message fraud. One period later, she admitted that her kidnapping was a hoax and pleaded guilty.

"[I am] truthful sorry for nan symptom I've caused my family, my friends, each nan bully group who needlessly suffered because of my communicative and those who worked truthful difficult to effort to thief me," she said successful a connection astatine nan time. "I will activity nan remainder of my life to make amends for what I person done."

In September 2022, Sherri was sentenced to 18 months successful situation and was ordered to salary $300,000 successful restitution, which was spent trying to find her. She reported to situation successful November 2022 and was released successful August 2023.

Just days aft Sherri's blameworthy plea, Keith filed for divorce and requested custody of their two children.

"I wish to make it clear that my extremity is to supply a loving, safe, unchangeable environment for [his and Sherri's children] and I judge nan requested orders are accordant pinch that extremity and nan champion interests of nan children," Keith told PEOPLE successful a connection astatine nan time. "I do not want to opportunity thing successful nan pleadings connected to this matter that would inflame nan business aliases pull media attention."

What did Sherri Papini alteration her communicative to aft prison?

Nearly 2 years aft she was released from prison, Sherri spoke astir nan abduction for nan first time and changed her story.

In nan May 2025 docuseries, Sherri Papini: Caught successful nan Lie, she denied that she had thing to do pinch her disappearance and alleged that it was not consensual.

Instead, Sherri claimed that Reyes abducted her aft she asked him to travel to Redding, truthful she could extremity their long-distance matter (he was allegedly unaware of her intentions astatine nan time). She claimed that Reyes someway sewage her into a car and drove her to his flat successful Costa Mesa, Calif., wherever he held her for complete 3 weeks.

“I retrieve waking up concisely successful nan backmost of nan conveyance and not being capable to moreover support my eyes open," she claimed successful nan documentary, retired May 26. "And past nan adjacent clip I woke up was erstwhile he was getting maine retired of nan conveyance to spell inside, and it was acheronian ... nan bites connected my thigh, nan footprint connected my back, nan brand, nan pouring of my tegument — I americium telling you location was nary consent.” 

Sherri claimed that she woke up naked successful a room successful his apartment.

“I wanted to leave. So I tried to propulsion 1 of nan boards disconnected nan model and James came successful and deed maine successful nan face. And that's nan first bruise that I got," Sherri claimed successful Caught successful nan Lie. "And aft being knocked retired and waking up, that's erstwhile nan concatenation was astir my waist, secured pinch a padlock attached to a cablegram that was attached to a rod successful nan closet.”

After 22 days, Sherri claimed that Reyes "let maine disconnected nan chain" and group her free.

"I said, my husband's going to find me. He's ne'er going to extremity looking for you ... You request to fto maine go. He was like, ‘Well, there's excessively overmuch has happened.’ So it each came down to me. It each came down to my coverup, and that's [when] I agreed to ... dress up that personification other did it," she claimed.

Sherri further alleged that she agreed to dishonesty astir nan 2 women abducting her because she didn't want Keith to observe nan affair.

“The truth is, I was concealing an matter from my husband, who [was] threatening to return everything from maine if he recovered retired that I was having immoderate engagement [with different man]," she said. Reyes declined to remark connected nan allegations.

Where is Sherri Papini now?

After being released from situation successful August 2023, Sherri was transferred to a halfway location successful Sacramento County, Calif., for 2 months. She is nether supervised merchandise until precocious 2026.

Before appearing successful nan 2025 docuseries Caught successful nan Lie, Sherri had stayed silent astir her life since nan abduction.

However, Keith told PEOPLE successful 2024 that they were still moving connected mediating their divorce, and added that he did not support successful interaction pinch her.

"I don't make interaction pinch her astatine all. And I don't moreover let it," he said. "She's tried but I just can't. That is her power, her voice, and her manipulation."

In nan midst of their proceedings, Keith was granted afloat custody of their children, and Sherri was allowed visitation rights. Keith besides claimed to Good Morning America in June 2024 that Sherri had a caller boyfriend, but he didn't stock his name.