Sherri Papini Says She Lied About Lying
When 34-year-old Sherri Papini vanished while jogging near her Redding, California, home in November 2016, the country was hooked. For 22 days, headlines exploded with speculation. When she resurfaced bruised, burned, and branded, she said she'd been abducted by two Hispanic women.
But six years later, the story took a dramatic turn — Papini admitted it was all a lie, a hoax to cover up an affair. She served prison time for the deception. Now, she's back in the spotlight, recanting her confession and offering a new version of what really happened.
Once again, the public must ask what the truth is.
The Disappearance That Stunned a Nation
On Nov. 2, 2016, Papini dropped off her two young children at daycare and went for a jog — and then vanished. Her husband, Keith Papini, used the Find My iPhone app to locate her cellphone abandoned by a dirt path, still attached to her earbuds, with strands of blonde hair tangled in the cord.
Three weeks later, she was found on Thanksgiving morning — emaciated, bruised, and shackled — on the side of a highway 150 miles away. She claimed two women had kidnapped and tortured her, burning her skin and branding her shoulder with the word "Exodus." A massive investigation followed.
From Victim to Inmate
But things didn't add up. By 2020, DNA found on her clothes led investigators to her ex-boyfriend, James Reyes. Reyes told authorities she had stayed with him voluntarily and even orchestrated the injuries herself. He passed a polygraph test and was never charged.
In 2022, Papini pleaded guilty to mail fraud and lying to federal agents. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which she served 11 months, and ordered to pay over $300,000 in restitution. The case seemed closed.
A New Story Emerges
But Papini is now telling a different story. In the new docuseries "Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie," she claims her original tale was a cover — not to fake a crime, but to hide a real one. She now says Reyes abducted her after she planned to end their secret relationship.
According to Papini, she blacked out and woke up chained and bruised in a tiny room at Reyes' apartment in Costa Mesa, California. She alleges Reyes hit her, restrained her with a chain and padlock, and later branded her without consent. "The injuries that occurred ... the bites on my thigh, the footprint on my back, the brand, the melting of my skin — I am telling you there was no consent," she says in the series, according to PEOPLE.
Contradictions, Polygraphs, and Public Skepticism
Reyes maintains he helped Papini escape an unhappy marriage and that she orchestrated the injuries herself. A receipt confirmed he purchased the branding tool, but he says she asked him to use it.
Both Reyes and Papini have taken polygraphs supporting their respective claims. Polygraph expert Brett Bartlett, who examined Papini, said, according to Us Weekly, that her results showed a "significant response" consistent with someone telling the truth about being held against her will — but polygraphs are not considered foolproof.
What Comes Next?
Today, Papini is divorced, seeing her children just one hour a month under court supervision. She remains on supervised release until 2026 and reportedly still owes most of her court-ordered restitution.
Despite her past confession, she now wants the world to believe she was telling the truth — at least, this version of it. Whether the public, or the justice system, will accept her new claims remains to be seen. For now, her story continues to unfold — one chapter more shocking than the last.
References: Kidnap Hoaxer Sherri Papini Has Changed Her Story: Inside Her New Bombshell Claims | Sherri Papini Documentary: 3 Things That Still Puzzle Us About the Case — Like That Dropped Phone | Where Is Kidnapping Hoaxer Sherri Papini Now?
